2003 hurricane season busiest in years

As Tropical Storm Kate formed and fluctuated off the Azores Islands in late September with maximum sustained winds near 65 mph with higher gusts, many along the U.S. East Coast and Bermuda were still struggling with the aftermath of back-to-back hurricanes Fabian and Isabel.

Isabel hit the North Carolina cost near Cape Hatteras on September 18 with maximum sustained winds near 100 mph with higher gusts. The storm actually created a new inlet in the Outer Banks, as seen in satellite photographs taken by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). These hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 115 miles from the center, and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 345 miles. Unusually strong winds, with gusts to hurricane force, were experienced far inland over the elevated terrain of northern Virginia and Maryland, as well as on high-rise buildings and other structures.

Before it dissipated, Isabel was responsible for at least 30 deaths and left millions of residents along the coast without power for days, according to Associated Press accounts.

One good thing did come out of Isabel. For the first time ever, detailed coastal tower wind data were transmitted in real-time from the field to the NOAA Hurricane Center in Miami, FL, during a landfalling hurricane and incorporated into the real-time H*Wind analyses, a surface wind analysis map created by research meteorologists at the NOAA Hurricane Research Division.

A series of towers and mobile Doppler radars were moved into key positions to monitor and report on Isabel’s landfall. Texas Tech University, the University of Oklahoma and a non-profit company called the Center for Severe Weather Research, collaborated to bring five portable Doppler radars and many more portable wind towers to eastern North Carolina.

Two of the radars, SMART-radars (Shared Mobile Atmospheric Research and Teaching), were operated jointly by researchers from the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory, University of Oklahoma, Texas Tech University and Texas A & M University.

“This hurricane provided the first opportunity we’ve had to gather data from the entire hurricane using two radars of this type,” said Lou Wicker, NOAA research meteorologist. “The SMART radars are unique in that they were designed to collect data from the entire hurricane, rather than just a piece of it. The data will be used to study the detailed structure of the near-surface winds in the storm as well as how the storm generates a large area of intense rainfall.”

This information, Wicker added, can be used by engineers to improve the structural integrity of buildings, and by meteorologists and hydrologists to improve predictions of the swath of heavy rain and flash floods that often occur within these storms.

Fabian, the most powerful hurricane to hit Bermuda in 50 years, unleashed 117 mph winds when it slammed into the British territory pulverizing trees, shearing off rooftops and leaving thousands without power.

Bermuda had not seen a Category 3 hurricane like Fabian since 1954, when Edna ravaged the island chain with its 114 mph winds.

Fabian tested Bermuda’s vaunted ability to withstand a fierce storm. The wealthy British territory requires newly built houses to withstand sustained winds of 109 mph. It also has a sturdy infrastructure with many of its power and phone lines underground.

In July, Hurricane Claudette left power lines twisted in the air and billboards and other debris littering the streets of seaside towns along the Gulf Coast of Texas.

This storm was the first hurricane to strike Texas since 1999, when Hurricane Bret made landfall between Brownsville and Corpus Christi.

A relatively light Category 1 hurricane at landfall with winds of 74 to 90 miles per hour, Hurricane Claudette still mustered enough force to inflict serious property damage as far inland as Victoria, a city at the crossroads between San Antonio, Houston and Corpus Christi. In Victoria and the nearby town of Goliad, some streets were covered with leveled trees and electrical power was reported out.