[nb 1] While paralleling the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, the storm produced strong winds and rough seas that caused minor coastal flooding and slight damage to houses in North Carolina, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Delaware, and New Jersey.

In New York, strong winds on Long Island damaged about 1,000 houses, left 275,000 people without electricity, downed many trees, and resulted in heavy crop losses.

Storm surge flooded LaGuardia Airport and inundated the Montauk Highway, which left the eastern portion of Long Island isolated.

Carol also brought strong winds and rough seas to coastal Connecticut, Rhode Island, and southeastern Massachusetts.

Overall, Carol caused 72 fatalities and damage totaled $462 million (1954 USD),[nb 2] making it the costliest hurricane in the history of the United States, at the time.

[2] On August 26, the Hurricane Hunters reported an eye, 23 miles (37 km) in diameter despite Carol being a tropical storm.

[4] The next day, Carol strengthened to attain hurricane status while located about 345 miles (555 km) east of Cape Canaveral, Florida.

[2] With a large anticyclone persisting across the southeastern United States,[5] the motion of Carol turned to a northwest drift.

[4] After maintaining peak intensity for 30 hours and moving a distance of about 75 miles (121 km), Carol weakened slightly off the coast of Georgia.

[5] On August 30, the hurricane again strengthened to reach Category 2 status while located 180 miles (290 km) east of Savannah, Georgia.

Early on August 31, Carol passed very near Cape Hatteras, North Carolina with reconnaissance aircraft intensity estimates from 75–125 mph (121–201 km/h).

[4] Ninety percent of homes in the Groton Long Point area were destroyed by the storm surge and winds in Hurricane Carol.

[6] Carol quickly lost tropical characteristics while crossing into inland eastern Massachusetts, and became extratropical over southwestern New Hampshire, late on August 31.

[12] Due to the compact nature of the storm, areas west of Fire Island were largely unaffected by the hurricane.

[9] Strong winds from Hurricane Carol destroyed nearly 40% of the apple, corn, peach, and tomato crops from eastern Connecticut to Cape Cod.

[9] Despite the high damage, advance warning allowed for many fewer deaths than the total of 488 fatalities during the 1938 New England hurricane, which affected the same area with similar strength.

[19] Hurricane Carol struck Connecticut shortly after high tide, and its combination with 10 to 15 feet (3.0 to 4.6 m) storm surges from New London eastward produced widespread tidal flooding.

[18] The heaviest rainfall associated with the passage of the storm occurred in New London, where up to 6 inches (150 mm) fell[13] and wind blew off a portion of the city hall roof.

Upon making landfall around high tide, Carol produced a storm surge of up to 14.4 feet (4.4 m) in Narragansett Bay, surpassing that of the New England Hurricane of 1938.

[18] Heavy damage was reported throughout Boston,[12] where high winds destroyed the spire of the Old North Church, the location of the hung lanterns during Paul Revere's ride.

[25] The tower flew across the station and landed on 219 Bussey St, the house next door, where Louise Guerrio was feeding her one-year-old son, Joseph.

[25] It also crushed three cars parked on Bussey St.[25] Carol maintained its intensity as it moved inland,[26] and its winds were strong enough to knock down trees and power lines in New Hampshire.

Throughout the state, the winds downed hundreds of trees, some of which damaged houses, wrecked cars, destroyed one building, or fell onto power lines.

The winds flattened hundreds of acres of corn in North Livermore,[26] and throughout the state, there was heavy damage to the apple crop.

While moving west of Maine, the hurricane dropped heavy rainfall, including a report of 2.15 inches (55 mm) in 12 hours.

[12] In Maine, the hurricane killed three people, injured at least eight, and caused $10 million in damage, the costliest natural disaster in the state's history.

[28] In Quebec, the extratropical remnants of Carol downed trees and power lines in Montreal from wind gusts as high as 55 mph (89 km/h).

[12] Governor of Rhode Island Dennis J. Roberts declared martial law for the state after Carol caused heavy damage.

[18] National Guardsmen flew a plane of dry ice from Newark, New Jersey to Boston to assist the widespread areas without power and refrigeration.

[26] In the days after the storm, President of the United States Dwight Eisenhower declared Massachusetts and Rhode Island as federal disaster areas.