Hurricane Isabel (2003)

Name: Hurricane Isabel (2003): track and modeled winds
Creator: NOAA/NWS National Hurricane Center

Hurricane Isabel was a Category 5 hurricane at its peak, with 167 mph winds and a lowest pressure of 915 mb, per NOAA's National Hurricane Center. Modeled winds reached tropical-storm force (39 mph) at 6 of the cities we track; the strongest was Richmond, VA, with a modeled peak gust of 71 mph.

Peak strength167 mph winds (1-minute): Category 5
Cities with tropical-storm-force windsModeled, of the cities we track: 6
LandfallsFirst September 18, 2003: 1
Lowest pressure: 915 mb

Track, wind field and cities

Select a piece of the track or a city for details.

Depression or weaker
Tropical storm
Hurricane, Category 1 or 2
Major hurricane, Category 3 to 5
Landfall
City (larger ring, stronger modeled gust)
Modeled wind field, 39 to 111 mph sustained (darker, stronger; orange 111 mph+)

Source: NOAA/NWS National Hurricane Center best track (HURDAT2). City winds and the wind field are modeled.

The shaded areas are where our model puts Hurricane Isabel’s sustained winds over open land at 39 mph or more (tropical-storm force), 58, 74 (hurricane force) and 111 mph (major hurricane force) at some point along its track. Modeled, not measured. How we model hurricane winds

Landfalls

September 18, 2003, Category 2 at 104 mph, about 107 miles from Wilmington, NC

Modeled winds at cities (6)

Estimated peak winds for open, flat ground at each city’s center. Not measurements. How we model hurricane winds

City	Peak gust	Sustained	Closest pass	Peak
Richmond, VA	71 mph	58 mph	37 miles	Sep 18, 2003, 9:30 PM EDT
Virginia Beach, VA	70 mph	57 mph	81 miles	Sep 18, 2003, 1:45 PM EDT
Wilmington, NC	66 mph	54 mph	105 miles	Sep 18, 2003, 1:00 PM EDT
Raleigh, NC	55 mph	45 mph	77 miles	Sep 18, 2003, 1:45 PM EDT
Fayetteville, NC	52 mph	42 mph	121 miles	Sep 18, 2003, 1:00 PM EDT
Durham, NC	51 mph	41 mph	83 miles	Sep 18, 2003, 1:45 PM EDT

What happened

Isabel, a long-lived hurricane that had reached Category 5 over the Atlantic, made landfall near Drum Inlet on North Carolina's Outer Banks at about 1 p.m. EDT on September 18, 2003, as a Category 2 hurricane with 90-knot (104 mph) winds and a 957 mb central pressure.¹

A tower near Cape Hatteras measured a gust of 88 knots (101 mph), Elizabeth City had a gust of 84 knots (97 mph), and Norfolk Naval Air Station had a gust of 72 knots (83 mph).¹ Storm surge reached 6 to 8 feet near landfall, up to 10.5 feet on the Neuse River in Craven County, and 5 to 6 feet around Hampton Roads.¹ In the upper Chesapeake Bay near Annapolis and Baltimore the surge was 6 to 8 feet, with 8.5 feet at the Richmond city locks on the James River and 8 feet on the Potomac River in Washington, DC.¹ Dare County had the heaviest damage in eastern North Carolina, where surge flooding and strong winds damaged thousands of houses.²

Rain totaled 4 to 7 inches across much of eastern North Carolina, east-central Virginia and Maryland, and 8 to 12 inches in the Shenandoah Valley.¹ NHC counts 17 direct and 34 indirect deaths and puts US damage at $5.37 billion, with widespread wind and surge damage in coastal eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia.¹

Sources

1. NOAA National Hurricane Center: Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Isabel, 6 to 19 September 2003
2. NWS Newport/Morehead City: Hurricane Isabel, September 18, 2003

Best track (58 positions)

Time	Status	Wind	Pressure	Position
Sep 6, 00:00 UTC	Tropical depression	35 mph	1009 mb	13.8°N, 31.4°W
Sep 6, 06:00 UTC	Tropical storm	40 mph	1005 mb	13.9°N, 32.7°W
Sep 6, 12:00 UTC	Tropical storm	46 mph	1003 mb	13.6°N, 33.9°W
Sep 6, 18:00 UTC	Tropical storm	52 mph	1000 mb	13.4°N, 34.9°W
Sep 7, 00:00 UTC	Tropical storm	63 mph	994 mb	13.5°N, 35.8°W
Sep 7, 06:00 UTC	Tropical storm	69 mph	991 mb	13.9°N, 36.5°W
Sep 7, 12:00 UTC	Category 1 hurricane	75 mph	987 mb	14.4°N, 37.3°W
Sep 7, 18:00 UTC	Category 1 hurricane	81 mph	984 mb	15.2°N, 38.5°W
Sep 8, 00:00 UTC	Category 1 hurricane	92 mph	976 mb	15.8°N, 39.7°W
Sep 8, 06:00 UTC	Category 2 hurricane	109 mph	966 mb	16.5°N, 40.9°W
Sep 8, 12:00 UTC	Category 3 hurricane	127 mph	952 mb	17.1°N, 42.0°W
Sep 8, 18:00 UTC	Category 3 hurricane	127 mph	952 mb	17.6°N, 43.1°W
Sep 9, 00:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	132 mph	948 mb	18.2°N, 44.1°W
Sep 9, 06:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	132 mph	948 mb	18.9°N, 45.2°W
Sep 9, 12:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	132 mph	948 mb	19.4°N, 46.3°W
Sep 9, 18:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	132 mph	948 mb	20.0°N, 47.3°W
Sep 10, 00:00 UTC	Category 3 hurricane	127 mph	952 mb	20.5°N, 48.3°W
Sep 10, 06:00 UTC	Category 3 hurricane	127 mph	952 mb	20.9°N, 49.4°W
Sep 10, 12:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	132 mph	948 mb	21.1°N, 50.4°W
Sep 10, 18:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	138 mph	942 mb	21.1°N, 51.4°W
Sep 11, 00:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	144 mph	935 mb	21.2°N, 52.3°W
Sep 11, 06:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	144 mph	935 mb	21.3°N, 53.2°W
Sep 11, 12:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	155 mph	925 mb	21.4°N, 54.0°W
Sep 11, 18:00 UTC	Category 5 hurricane	167 mph	915 mb	21.5°N, 54.8°W
Sep 12, 00:00 UTC	Category 5 hurricane	161 mph	920 mb	21.6°N, 55.7°W
Sep 12, 06:00 UTC	Category 5 hurricane	161 mph	920 mb	21.7°N, 56.6°W
Sep 12, 12:00 UTC	Category 5 hurricane	161 mph	920 mb	21.6°N, 57.4°W
Sep 12, 18:00 UTC	Category 5 hurricane	161 mph	920 mb	21.7°N, 58.2°W
Sep 13, 00:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	155 mph	925 mb	21.8°N, 59.1°W
Sep 13, 06:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	150 mph	935 mb	21.9°N, 60.1°W
Sep 13, 12:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	155 mph	935 mb	22.1°N, 61.0°W
Sep 13, 18:00 UTC	Category 5 hurricane	161 mph	932 mb	22.5°N, 62.1°W
Sep 14, 00:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	155 mph	935 mb	22.9°N, 63.3°W
Sep 14, 06:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	155 mph	939 mb	23.2°N, 64.6°W
Sep 14, 12:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	155 mph	935 mb	23.5°N, 65.8°W
Sep 14, 18:00 UTC	Category 5 hurricane	161 mph	933 mb	23.9°N, 67.0°W
Sep 15, 00:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	150 mph	937 mb	24.3°N, 67.9°W
Sep 15, 06:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	144 mph	940 mb	24.5°N, 68.8°W
Sep 15, 12:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	138 mph	946 mb	24.8°N, 69.4°W
Sep 15, 18:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	132 mph	949 mb	25.3°N, 69.8°W
Sep 16, 00:00 UTC	Category 3 hurricane	121 mph	952 mb	25.7°N, 70.2°W
Sep 16, 06:00 UTC	Category 3 hurricane	115 mph	955 mb	26.3°N, 70.5°W
Sep 16, 12:00 UTC	Category 2 hurricane	109 mph	959 mb	26.8°N, 70.9°W
Sep 16, 18:00 UTC	Category 2 hurricane	109 mph	959 mb	27.4°N, 71.2°W
Sep 17, 00:00 UTC	Category 2 hurricane	109 mph	957 mb	28.1°N, 71.5°W
Sep 17, 06:00 UTC	Category 2 hurricane	109 mph	957 mb	28.9°N, 71.9°W
Sep 17, 12:00 UTC	Category 2 hurricane	104 mph	957 mb	29.7°N, 72.5°W
Sep 17, 18:00 UTC	Category 2 hurricane	104 mph	955 mb	30.6°N, 73.0°W
Sep 18, 00:00 UTC	Category 2 hurricane	104 mph	953 mb	31.5°N, 73.5°W
Sep 18, 06:00 UTC	Category 2 hurricane	104 mph	956 mb	32.5°N, 74.3°W
Sep 18, 12:00 UTC	Category 2 hurricane	104 mph	956 mb	33.7°N, 75.2°W
Sep 18, 17:00 UTC (landfall)	Category 2 hurricane	104 mph	957 mb	34.9°N, 76.2°W
Sep 18, 18:00 UTC	Category 2 hurricane	98 mph	958 mb	35.1°N, 76.4°W
Sep 19, 00:00 UTC	Category 1 hurricane	75 mph	969 mb	36.7°N, 77.7°W
Sep 19, 06:00 UTC	Tropical storm	58 mph	988 mb	38.6°N, 78.9°W
Sep 19, 12:00 UTC	Post-tropical	40 mph	997 mb	40.9°N, 80.3°W
Sep 19, 18:00 UTC	Post-tropical	35 mph	1000 mb	43.9°N, 80.9°W
Sep 20, 00:00 UTC	Post-tropical	29 mph	1000 mb	48.0°N, 81.0°W

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