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Labor Day. . . End of Summer, Hurricanes Ramp Up…
September 7, 2026 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
Labor Day once marked the final lazy days of summer. . . the last stretch before school began. These days, many kids head back weeks earlier and while family picnics and yard games still happen, the holiday loses a little of its shine when it no longer feels like summer’s true close. September’s arrival often brings more than just last of those firefly filled evenings. Although Atlantic hurricane season officially begins on June 1, my family never bothered with travel insurance for our Outer Banks vacations unless our trip began in September. Risky? Maybe. . . especially given how destructive East Coast storms can be. Those hoping for a relaxed Labor Day in 1935 faced far worse. The powerful Labor Day Hurricane devastated the Florida Keys, killing hundreds (many of them World War I veterans working on a highway project). On its front page, the September 4, 1935, New York Times reported the Morgan liner Dixie stranded on a reef with more than 350 people aboard, rescue ships blocked by heavy seas, while the captain radioed that all remained well. We can only speculate that family picnics were put on hold; it was truly, all hands-on deck.