Hurricane Floyd

Hurricane Floyd
A view of Hurricane Floyd from Space on September 13, 1999. The storm is mature and well-defined, with a pronounced eye feature. Floyd is located over the Atlantic Ocean, and to the north and east of Cuba and Florida, respectively.
Floyd at peak intensity on September 13, north of Hispaniola
Meteorological history
FormedSeptember 7, 1999
ExtratropicalSeptember 17, 1999
DissipatedSeptember 19, 1999
Category 4 major hurricane
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS)
Highest winds155 mph (250 km/h)
Lowest pressure921 mbar (hPa); 27.20 inHg
Overall effects
Fatalities85
Damage$6.5 billion (1999 USD)
Areas affectedLucayan Archipelago, East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Canada
IBTrACSEdit this at Wikidata

Part of the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season
Effects

Other wikis

Hurricane Floyd was a very powerful Cape Verde hurricane which struck the Bahamas and the East Coast of the United States. It was the sixth named storm, fourth hurricane, and third major hurricane in the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season. Floyd triggered the fourth largest evacuation in US history (behind Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Gustav, and Hurricane Rita) when 2.6 million coastal residents of five states were ordered from their homes as it approached. The hurricane formed off the coast of Africa and lasted from September 7 to 19, becoming extratropical after September 17, and peaked in strength as a very strong Category 4 hurricane. It was among the largest Atlantic hurricanes of its strength ever recorded, in terms of gale-force diameter.[1]

Floyd was once forecast to strike Florida, but turned away. Instead, Floyd struck the Bahamas at peak strength, causing heavy damage. It then moved parallel to the East Coast of the United States, causing massive evacuations and costly preparations from Florida through the Mid-Atlantic states. The storm weakened significantly, however, before striking the Cape Fear region, North Carolina as a very strong Category 2 hurricane, and caused further damage as it traveled up the Mid-Atlantic region and into New England.

The hurricane produced torrential rainfall in Eastern North Carolina, adding more rain to an area already hit by Hurricane Dennis just weeks earlier. The rains caused widespread flooding over a period of several weeks; nearly every river basin in the eastern part of the state exceeded 500-year flood levels. In total, Floyd was responsible for 85 fatalities and $6.5 billion (1999 USD) in damage. Due to the destruction, the World Meteorological Organization retired the name Floyd and replaced it with Franklin.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Legacy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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