Water flowed into nearby rivers causing the heaviest flooding on the Shenandoah and Rappahannock rivers. In meteorology, hurricanes are the only storms that are given their names as if the storm takes on a life of its own. A large area of high pressure over southeastern Canada combined with the approaching Ernesto, prior to its landfall, to produce gale-force winds and some rather heavy rains over and near the coasts of Virginia and Maryland. Four people lost their lives mainly due to drowning. Portions of King Street were under as much as 5 to 6 feet of water. The most intense tropical cyclone in terms of the highest wind speeds measured was Tropical Cyclone Olivia, which struck Australia in 1996. 6.) At Wisconsin Avenue in Washington DC, the river rose to 15.4 feet on June 24, 8 feet above flood stage, but 2.3 feet below the record flood of 1942. When you think of a hurricane, you may associate it with a lot of wind, rain, and possibly tornado. 1955 August 13 CONNIE. The remnants of Ivan spawned an outbreak of 117 tornadoes over a 3 day period in the United States including 37 tornadoes in Virginia, 6 in Maryland and 3 in West Virginia. The most intense tropical cyclone ever measured when considering a storm's central pressure (this pressure drops as cyclones become stronger) was Typhoon Tip, which on Oct. 12, 1979, had a central pressure of 870 millibars. 1985 July 25 BOB. Hurricane Irene affected the Mid-Atlantic region on Saturday, August 27 through Sunday, August 28, 2011. Summary of the 1908 Atlantic hurricane season. Overall, St. Mary's County Maryland received the heaviest rainfall, averaging between 8 and 11 inches. Twitter Reports. In Nelson County, Camille dumped 31 inches of rain in six hours and more than 133 bridges were wiped out. Image of PPI scope of SPS-6 radar on the USS MIDWAY showing rare January hurricane northeast of British Virgin Islands. 1975 September17 Eloise. 1969 August 20 CAMILLE. Tidal flooding was also a problem on both the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay. Current Hazards Tropical cyclone is a generic term for storms spawned roughly 300 miles (480 kilometers) north or south of the equator. Upper Sherando (Augusta County) reported a storm total of 20.20 inches. Flood caused 2 to 3 feet of water in downtown Waynesboro. Future US, Inc. 11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor, The storm moved off the Mid Atlantic coast on the 29th    as an extratropical cyclone. Substantial flooding from storm surge was experienced by residents and businesses in Baltimore, Annapolis, northern Virginia and Washington DC. The latest hurricane to form in the Atlantic basin was the second Hurricane Alice of 1955 on Dec. 31 of that year. Local Storm Reports, Español A tornado, which may have been the same one, also struck with destructive force at Potomac, MD. Schwartz, R., 2007: “Agnes,”Hurricanes and the Middle Atlantic States, 253-269. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/history.shtml#agnes. 1985 Sep 27 GLORIA. The peak gust reported at Washington National Airport was 60 mph. Old Town Alexandria was partially evacuated as the river rose, flooding streets with more than three feet of water. The tropical cyclone was named a week prior on August 20, 2011 as the tropical wave was entering the eastern Caribbean. 1979 July 14 BOB. In Annapolis, the peak water level reached 6.44 feet MSL and caused extensive damage at the Naval Academy. Schwartz, R., 2007: “Isabel,”Hurricanes and the Middle Atlantic States, 305-312. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/history.shtml#isabel. 205-211. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/history.shtml#camille. 1952 September 1 ABLE. In the city of Waynesboro, 300 people were evacuated and about $250,000 damage was caused to public property. It killed an estimated 8,000 people. US Dept of Commerce Several feet of water inundated streets and alleys there. The strongest tornado was an F3 in Fairfax County that tracked 18 miles, killing one and injuring six. Pasch, R., Kimberlain, T.B., and Stewart, S.R., 1999: Hurricane Floyd, 7-17 Sept 1996, Preliminary NASA's first attempt to sample an asteroid in space made a mess. MD/DC Hazards Five days after Connie, Diane moved across central and northern Virginia northeast through Baltimore County and into Pennsylvania. In Warren County, 250 homes were flooded with 50 sustaining major damage. 1972 June 22 AGNES. The cyclone was upgraded to a hurricane just before affecting Puerto Rico on August 21st. Hurricane Katrina is the costliest hurricane to have ever hit the United States, causing some $125 billion dollars worth of damage in New Orleans and across much of the Gulf Coast. Baltimore/WashingtonWeather Forecast Office Baltimore/Washington43858 Weather Service Rd.Sterling, VA 20166(703) 996-2200Comments? National Weather Service Wind gusts as high as 79 MPH were experienced at Big Meadows. A surge of 5.1 feet created moderate flooding along the Washington Harbor. Totals included 14.23" in Westminster, MD, and 9.08" in Washington, DC. Totals of 12 to 14 inches were observed in Maryland. Read on ... Hurricanes can form before and after the official, human-imposed start and end dates of the hurricane season. In Washington DC, the surge reached 11 feet. (Image credit: NWS/Lieut. It had wind speeds of 253 mph (407 kph) the fastest wind ever measured on the Earth's surface. Camille moved off the coast on the afternoon of the 20th. Schwartz, R., 2007: “Connie,”Hurricanes and the Middle Atlantic States, 211-214. The deadliest weather disaster in U.S. history was an unnamed hurricane that struck Galveston, Texas, on Sept. 8, 1900, as a powerful Category 4 storm, with sustained winds of more than 130 mph (209 kph). In Maryland, there was one death and over 250,000 customers without power at some point. The combined rains of Connie and Diane set new records from Danville to Fredericksburg to Winchester to Staunton for the month of August. Eventually, Irene weakened to a tropical storm as it moved over New York City around 9 AM. Interesting Facts About Hurricanes. The most extensive flooding occurred at Fell’s Point and at the Inner Harbor, near downtown. Hurricane Fran made landfall near Cape Fear, North Carolina and weakened to a depression while moving through Virginia. 1999 September 16 FLOYD. The eye of the storm traveled up the west side of the Bay and just to the west of Washington DC. Please Contact Us. 1996 September 6 FRAN. A Category 2 hurricane hit the Washington/Baltimore region. Miami, FL. Hazel made landfall near Wilmington, NC by mid morning on the 15th and by that afternoon the eye of the storm was passing west of DC. 1979 September 6 DAVID. Only three Category 5 hurricanes (the highest category on the hurricane strength scale) have hit the United States since the beginning of the 20th century: the 1935 Florida Keys Labor Day Hurricane, Hurricane Camille in 1969, and Hurricane Andrew in 1992. The track of the cyclone stayed east of the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area. Rainfall increased rapidly to the northeast of the low-pressure center along the western slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Across Virginia, flooding from Fran caused $350 million in damages and killed 6 people. At Wisconsin Avenue in NW DC, the river rose 15.5 feet making it third worst flood in 100 years of history. After making landfall in Mississippi as a Category 5 on August 17, it weakened rapidly as it moved northward. This image uses the NOAA's best storm track data to plot the path of each storm during the 2011 season. As Spanish explorers came through and started to occupy the land, the word quickly took form and evolved to the Spanish word huracán. See map of tornado paths. Early on the 20th, Camille intensified as it passed south of Roanoke and Lynchburg. They're just called different names in different ocean basins. Isolated tornadoes were reported across Maryland and Virginia associated with this storm. WV Hazards, Current Conditions All NOAA, Hurricane History for the Washington and Baltimore Region, For specific storm damage at county level, go to the following address for storms since 1996: https://www.weather.gov/lwx/stormdata, For storms since 1950, visit NCDC Web site: https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/. Lawrence, M., 1996: Hurricane Bertha, 05-14 July 1996, Preliminary Report, NOAA/NWS/TPC/NHC, (Image credit: Florida Photographic Collection). History of Hurricane Names. This complex series of events resulted in some storm surge flooding along the western shores of the Chesapeake Bay and the adjacent rivers, where storm tides of up to about 6 feet where reported. In meteorology, hurricanes are the only storms that are given their names as if the storm takes on a life of its own. Colors indicate the maximum strength that the storm attained. A small tornado did considerable damage to dwellings at Franconia in Fairfax County. In addition, the river gauge on St. Clement Creek near Clements, Maryland in St. Mary's County set a new record level of 6.98 feet.