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Hurricane Gaston (2004)

Hurricane Gaston was a Category 1 hurricane at its peak, with 75 mph winds and a lowest pressure of 985 mb, per NOAA's National Hurricane Center. Modeled winds reached tropical-storm force (39 mph) at one of the cities we track; the strongest was Charleston, SC, with a modeled peak gust of 53 mph.

Peak strength75 mph winds (1-minute)
Category 1
Cities with tropical-storm-force windsModeled, of the cities we track
1
LandfallsFirst August 29, 2004
1
Lowest pressure
985 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 Gaston’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

  1. August 29, 2004, Category 1 at 75 mph, about 25 miles from Charleston, SC

Modeled winds at cities (1)

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

CityPeak gustSustainedClosest passPeak
Charleston, SC53 mph43 mph25 milesAug 29, 2004, 9:45 AM EDT

What happened

Gaston formed off the South Carolina coast and made landfall near Awendaw, between Charleston and McClellanville, around 10 a.m. EDT on August 29, 2004, as a Category 1 hurricane with 65-knot (75 mph) winds.1

A coastal station just south of Capers Island recorded a 71-knot (82 mph) gust, and the highest storm surge report was over 4 feet inside Bulls Bay.1 Wind caused minor damage to about 3,000 structures in Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties.1 Kingstree received 10.5 inches of rain and urban flooding up to 5 feet deep, and flooding in Berkeley County severely damaged or destroyed 20 structures.1

In Richmond, Virginia, gauges in the West End and at the Math and Science Center recorded 12.60 and 12.30 inches of rain, most of it in about eight hours late on August 30.1,2 Flash floods killed 8 people in the Richmond area.1 About 350 homes and 230 businesses in Virginia were damaged or destroyed, mostly in Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Hanover, Henrico and Prince George counties.1 A dozen F0 tornadoes touched down in eastern Virginia and damaged several roofs.1 NHC estimates total damage near $130 million.1

Sources

  1. 1. NOAA National Hurricane Center: Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Gaston, 27 August to 1 September 2004
  2. 2. NWS Wakefield: Post storm report on Gaston 2004

Best track (28 positions)

TimeStatusWindPressurePosition
Aug 27, 12:00 UTCTropical depression29 mph1015 mb31.8°N, 78.1°W
Aug 27, 18:00 UTCTropical depression29 mph1014 mb31.6°N, 78.0°W
Aug 28, 00:00 UTCTropical depression35 mph1011 mb31.4°N, 78.0°W
Aug 28, 06:00 UTCTropical storm40 mph1005 mb31.3°N, 78.2°W
Aug 28, 12:00 UTCTropical storm52 mph1000 mb31.3°N, 78.5°W
Aug 28, 18:00 UTCTropical storm58 mph997 mb31.3°N, 78.8°W
Aug 29, 00:00 UTCTropical storm63 mph994 mb31.5°N, 79.1°W
Aug 29, 06:00 UTCTropical storm69 mph991 mb32.1°N, 79.4°W
Aug 29, 12:00 UTCCategory 1 hurricane75 mph986 mb32.8°N, 79.5°W
Aug 29, 14:00 UTC (landfall)Category 1 hurricane75 mph985 mb33.0°N, 79.6°W
Aug 29, 18:00 UTCTropical storm52 mph992 mb33.5°N, 79.6°W
Aug 30, 00:00 UTCTropical depression35 mph995 mb34.2°N, 79.4°W
Show all 28