Hurricane (Typhoon) — Prince George, Virginia

2003-09-18 to 2003-09-19 · Prince George, Virginia

Wider weather episode

Hurricane Isabel was a Category 1 hurricane as it crossed the Wakefield WFO county warning area. Sustained tropical storm force winds with frequent gusts to hurricane force occurred over interior southeast Virginia. Isabel made landfall near Ocracoke Inlet in North Carolina, tracked northwest into central Virginia just west of Richmond, then continued northward into western Pennsylvania. Approximately several thousand persons were evacuated and housed in numerous shelters across interior southeast Virginia. The unusually large wind field uprooted many thousands of trees, downed many power lines, damaged hundreds of houses, and snapped thousands of telephone poles and cross arms. Hundreds of roads, including major highways, were blocked by fallen trees. Over 2 million customers of Dominion Virginia Power were without electricity. Local electrical cooperatives also reported thousands of customers were without power. The lowest sea level pressure recorded was 987 mb at Portsmouth Virginia. Isabel will be remembered for the greatest wind and storm surge in the region since Hazel in 1954, and the 1933 Chesapeake-Potomac Hurricane. Also, Isabel will be remembered for the most extensive power outages ever in Virginia, and permanent change to the landscape from all the fallen trees and storm surge. Rainfall amounts ranged from 3 to 7 inches across interior southeast Virginia. Inland flooding due to heavy rainfall occurred over parts of interior southeast Virginia. High water was reported on Route 460 in Prince George and Route 40 in Sussex County. Eight deaths can be directly attributed to Isabel in the Wakefield area of responsibility, with 7 in Virginia. There were more than 15 deaths indirectly attributed to the storm.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5372184. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.