Effects of Hurricane Isabel in Virginia
Hurricane Isabel
Category 1 hurricane (SSHS)
Hurricane Isabel entering Virginia
Areas
affected
Virginia
Date
September 18-19, 2003
Highest
winds
75 mph (120 km/h)
(1-minute sustained)
105 mph (170 km/h) (gusts)
Fatalities 10 direct, 26 indirect
Damage
$1.85 billion (2003 USD)
Part of the
2003 Atlantic hurricane season
Part of a series on Hurricane Isabel
Effects
• North Carolina
• Virginia
• West Virginia
• Maryland and Washington, D.C.
• Delaware
• Pennsylvania
• New Jersey
• New York and New England
• Canada
Other wikis
• Commons: Isabel images
The effects of Hurricane Isabel in Virgin-
ia proved to be the costliest disaster in the
history of Virginia.[1] Hurricane
Isabel
formed from a tropical wave on September 6,
2003 in the tropical Atlantic Ocean. It moved
northwestward, and within an environment of
light wind shear and warm waters it steadily
strengthened
to
reach peak winds of
265 km/h (165 mph) on September 11. After
fluctuating in intensity for four days, Isabel
gradually weakened and made landfall on the
Outer Banks of North Carolina with winds of
165 km/h (105 mph) on September 18. It
quickly weakened over land as it passed
through central Virginia, and Isabel became
extratropical over western Pennsylvania on
September 19.
Strong winds from the hurricane affected
99 counties and cities in the state,[1][2] which
downed thousands of trees and left about
1.8 million without power. The storm surge
impacted much of the southeastern portion of
the state, peaking at around 9 feet (2.7 m) in
Richmond along the James River; the surge
caused significant damage to homes along
riverways. The nationwide maximum rainfall
total from the hurricane was 20.2 inches
(513 mm) in Sherando, Virginia. In the state’s
mountainous region, heavy rainfall caused
severe and damaging flash flooding. The hur-
ricane caused about $1.85 billion (2003 USD,
$2.17 billion 2008 USD)
in damage and
36 deaths in the state—10 directly from the
storm’s effects and 26 indirectly related.[3]
Preparations