It's hard to believe tomorrow will be 35 years since Hurricane Gloria:
- As Gloria approached the East Coast of the United States, National Hurricane Center director Neil Frank called it the "Storm of the Century", due to its intensity and potential track over the densely populated region of New England.
- Gloria was once a Category 4 hurricane with 145 mph winds and a pressure of 919 mb. However, a preliminary reanalysis released in 2008 suggested peak winds of 155 mph.
- It is believed peak gusts reached 115 mph in eastern Long Island. Weather forecasters believe that damage across parts of Long Island indicated winds in the Category 3 range, as evidence of the damage received at MacArthur Airport. Gloria's high winds caused significant damage across Long Island and southeastern New York. The area hit the worst was eastern Long Island, where high wind gusts blew thousands of trees into buildings and across roads. The broadcast tower of WBLI-FM toppled on Bald Hill in Farmingville. In addition, the winds ripped roofs off of many buildings, including hangars at the MacArthur Airport, a hangar at the Bayport Aerodrome and the roof of the Islip Police Station.
- The highest recorded wind gust was 85 mph at Islip Airport.
- The extended power outage (up to 11 days) on Long Island, affecting 1.5 million people at some point, caused the Long Island Lighting Company (LILCO) to be shut down and be replaced with a public company.
- There were four deaths on Long Island, two of whom related to heart attacks and the other two related to fallen trees.
