Hurricane Isabel
On September 18th and 19th, 2003, Hurricane Isabel moved through parts of North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, bringing with it high winds and heavy rain. Isabel's sustained winds were near 105 mph as it came ashore in southeastern North Carolina, and winds of hurricane force (75 mph or more) reached inland to areas that rarely experience such strong winds. Isabel left over 2 million people without power, some for nearly two weeks, and the latest estimates indicate that the storm caused over $1 billion in damage in southeastern Virginia alone.
Below are some pictures that were taken at my house on the morning of September 19th, after the storm had already passed through Virginia. I also made a somewhat crude map of the path the storm took through the area (the "X" on the map is approximately where I live). Just click on one of the thumbnails below to see the full-sized image.
My Pictures
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My front yard, looking towards Mill Creek Drive |
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My back yard, seen from the left side of the house |
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The woods along the left side of the house |
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View from the front porch, looking towards the right side of the house |
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Another view from the front porch, looking towards the right side of the house |
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Standing water around the front porch |
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View of the back yard from the back porch |
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Water standing around one of the two sheds in the back yard |
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Uprooted trees at the very back of the yard |
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Isabel's path through the region |
Isabel Links
The National Weather Service office in Wakefield, Virginia issued a preliminary storm report on Isabel which has some detailed information on the storm's effects as well as some images.
The National Hurricane Center was the source of the information I used to track the storm and to create the map that is posted above.