Hurricane Kyle (2008)
Hurricane Kyle reached Category 1 in the North Atlantic between September 25, 2008 and September 30, 2008, with a lowest pressure of 984 mb, and made landfall. It killed 2 people in the United States, by the National Weather Service’s record.
Track and intensity
The whole track of Hurricane Kyle, colored by strength, with the other storms of the 2008 season in the same basin behind it, and its wind and pressure hour by hour. Every fix is in the track table below.
The storm
- Basin
- North Atlantic
- Dates
- September 25, 2008 to September 30, 2008
- Peak strength
- Category 1, 75 kt (86 mph)
- Lowest pressure
- 984 mb (29.06 inHg)
- Landfall
- Yes
- Accumulated cyclone energy
- 5.4
- Tropical-storm-force wind reached
- 210 nmi (389 km, 242 mi) from the center at its widest
- Hurricane-force wind reached
- 75 nmi (139 km, 86 mi) from the center at its widest
- Eyewall radius at its peak
- 60 nmi (111 km, 69 mi)
- Overall size
- 190 nmi (352 km, 219 mi) to the outermost closed isobar
- Peak gust in the best track
- 85 kt (98 mph)
- Fastest the center moved
- 25 kt (29 mph)
- Identifier
- AL112008
Deaths and damage
The sources count different things and are not added together.
NOAA Storm Events
2 deaths (2 direct, 0 indirect)$129,000
What National Weather Service offices recorded county by county in 6 states and marine areas, in the United States only. Property and crop damage as each office estimated it, which is not a national loss total.
Landfall
| Time (UTC) | Where | Position | Wind | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 29, 00:00 | Coast unnamed here | 43.8N 66.2W | 65 kt (75 mph) | 985 mb |
Landfall points the US agencies flagged in the best track. The nearest town is named from the site’s gazetteer, not from the report.
In the United States
NOAA’s Storm Events database, the record National Weather Service offices compile months after a storm, as compiled March 2026.
- Deaths
- 2 (2 direct, 0 indirect)
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $129,000
- Crop damage
- none recorded
- Events recorded
- 18 in 6 reports from 6 states and marine areas
State by state
| State or marine area | Deaths | Injuries | Damage | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | 2 | 0 | 1 | |
| Massachusetts | 0 | 0 | $75,000 | 3 |
| Connecticut | 0 | 0 | $40,000 | 1 |
| New Hampshire | 0 | 0 | $10,000 | 1 |
| New Jersey | 0 | 0 | $4,000 | 8 |
| Maine | 0 | 0 | 4 |
What was recorded
6 flood, 5 high surf, 4 strong wind, 2 tropical storm, 1 flash flood.
Wind reports
The strongest winds National Weather Service offices recorded with this storm. An estimated figure is a forecaster’s judgment from the damage, not an instrument reading.
| Wind | How | Where | State | Time (UTC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 kt (47 mph) | Measured | Eastern Ocean | New Jersey | Sep 25, 10:00 |
| 40 kt (46 mph) | Estimated | Eastern Monmouth | New Jersey | Sep 25, 10:00 |
What forecast offices wrote
From the Storm Events narratives, unedited.
Three and a half to five and a half inches of rain fell across Bristol County as tropical moisture streamed northward from Hurricane Kyle. In Somerset, this heavy rainfall resulted in Buffington Brook exceeding its banks and two feet of water running over County and Buffington Streets. Several businesses sandbagged their property. A large sinkhole formed on County Street. A car was stuck in flood waters on Brayton Avenue and two people had to be rescued by boat. The Lees river overran its banks at Main Street in Swansea, resulting in flooding of Main Street. President Avenue and Pierce and Doval Streets in Fall River were also flooded with at least two feet of water. At least two cars were stuck in flood waters and manhole covers popped off in other locations. In addition, several basements were flooded.
Bristol, Massachusetts · Flood · Sep 27, 20:30 UTC
Four to six inches of rain fell in New Bedford with tropical moisture streaming northward from Hurricane Kyle. This resulted in street flooding. County Street was closed due to three feet of water on the road. The intersection of Purchase Street and Coggeshall, as well as Hillman Street also were flooded.
Bristol, Massachusetts · Flood · Sep 27, 20:56 UTC
Hurricane Kyle...tracking across the eastern Gulf of Maine...brought tropical storm force wind gusts of 40 to 45 mph to coastal Hancock county. The combination of gusty winds and saturated ground contributed to some trees and power lines being toppled. This led to power outages...with around 500 customers losing power.
Coastal Hancock, Maine · Tropical Storm · Sep 28, 22:00 UTC
Hurricane Kyle...tracking across the eastern Gulf of Maine...brought tropical storm force wind gusts of 40 to 45 mph to coastal Washington county. The combination of gusty winds and saturated ground contributed to some trees and power lines being toppled. This led to scattered power outages.
Coastal Washington, Maine · Tropical Storm · Sep 28, 22:00 UTC
A newly married couple went to Black Point in Narragansett to watch and photograph the waves churned up by Hurricane Kyle. A wave swept the wife off the rocks, pulling her into the water. Her husband jumped into the water to save her. Both drowned.
Washington, Rhode Island · High Surf · Sep 28, 22:00 UTC
Heavy rainfall behind Tropical Storm Kyle resulted in flash flooding across Hartford. On Elliot Street and on Flatbush Avenue, a total of six cars were stuck in flood waters. Numerous basements were flooded on both Maple and Wethersfield Avenues and on Parkview Drive.
Hartford, Connecticut · Flash Flood · Sep 29, 00:17 UTC
Track
| Time (UTC) | Position | Wind | Pressure | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25, 00:00 | 21.5N 70.0W | 30 kt | 1005 mb | Tropical depression |
| Sep 25, 06:00 | 22.0N 69.4W | 35 kt | 1003 mb | Tropical storm |
| Sep 25, 12:00 | 22.4N 68.7W | 40 kt | 1002 mb | Tropical storm |
| Sep 25, 18:00 | 23.1N 68.4W | 40 kt | 1001 mb | Tropical storm |
| Sep 26, 00:00 | 24.0N 68.0W | 45 kt | 998 mb | Tropical storm |
| Sep 26, 06:00 | 25.0N 68.2W | 50 kt | 996 mb | Tropical storm |
| Sep 26, 12:00 | 26.0N 68.6W | 50 kt | 998 mb | Tropical storm |
| Sep 26, 18:00 | 26.9N 68.6W | 50 kt | 1000 mb | Tropical storm |
| Sep 27, 00:00 | 28.7N 68.6W | 55 kt | 998 mb | Tropical storm |
| Sep 27, 06:00 | 29.9N 69.3W | 60 kt | 996 mb | Tropical storm |
| Sep 27, 12:00 | 31.2N 69.5W | 65 kt | 996 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 27, 18:00 | 33.3N 69.7W | 70 kt | 995 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 28, 00:00 | 35.3N 69.7W | 70 kt | 995 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 28, 06:00 | 37.4N 69.3W | 70 kt | 992 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 28, 12:00 | 39.4N 68.2W | 75 kt | 989 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 28, 18:00 | 41.6N 66.7W | 70 kt | 984 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 29, 00:00 landfall | 43.8N 66.2W | 65 kt | 985 mb | Hurricane |
| Sep 29, 06:00 | 45.6N 65.0W | 50 kt | 990 mb | Extratropical |
| Sep 29, 12:00 | 47.7N 63.5W | 45 kt | 994 mb | Extratropical |
| Sep 29, 18:00 | 48.2N 62.6W | 40 kt | 999 mb | Extratropical |
| Sep 30, 00:00 | 48.4N 61.5W | 35 kt | 1002 mb | Extratropical |
| Sep 30, 06:00 | 48.2N 61.0W | 30 kt | 1004 mb | Extratropical |
| Sep 30, 12:00 | 48.1N 60.8W | 25 kt | 1005 mb | Extratropical |
Other North Atlantic storms of 2008
- Tropical Storm ArthurNorth Atlantic · 2008
- Hurricane BerthaNorth Atlantic · 2008
- Tropical Storm CristobalNorth Atlantic · 2008
- Hurricane DollyNorth Atlantic · 2008
- Tropical Storm EdouardNorth Atlantic · 2008
- Tropical Storm FayNorth Atlantic · 2008
- Hurricane GustavNorth Atlantic · 2008
- Hurricane HannaNorth Atlantic · 2008
- Hurricane IkeNorth Atlantic · 2008 · 195 deaths · $38 billion
- Tropical Storm JosephineNorth Atlantic · 2008
- Hurricane LauraNorth Atlantic · 2008
- Tropical Storm MarcoNorth Atlantic · 2008
- Tropical Storm NanaNorth Atlantic · 2008
- Hurricane OmarNorth Atlantic · 2008
- Unnamed tropical depressionNorth Atlantic · 2008
- Hurricane PalomaNorth Atlantic · 2008 · 19 deaths
What this means
A best track is the record a warning agency settles on after the storm, not what it said at the time: position, maximum sustained wind and central pressure every six hours, revised against every observation that came in later. Category is the Saffir-Simpson scale, which runs from Category 1 at 64 kt to Category 5 at 137 kt and reads wind only, so it says nothing about surge or rain. Accumulated cyclone energy adds up the square of the wind through the storm's life, so it counts strength and duration together.
Sources
Storm history from NOAA NCEI’s International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS), which merges the official best track of every warning agency. Live storms, cones, watches and warnings from the National Hurricane Center and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Archived radar from NOAA’s Level II archive.