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shape.

Tropical cyclone (hurricane)

Isabel's eye, eye wall, and spiral rain bands formed rapidly and Isabel became a full-blown hurricane. She went through many changes as a hurricane. In the space of a day, she flip-flopped from Category 4 to 5 as her eye wall degraded then reformed. Isabel attained Category 5 status three times before eventually downgrading to a Category 2 and making landfall on North Carolina's Outer Banks with 105-mph winds.

Back to a tropical depression

Isabel quickly downgraded to a tropical depression again due to the friction caused by the storm moving over land. However, she gained speed, barreling through Virginia on a path towards Western Maryland. The dangerous right side of the hurricane passed over North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and the Chesapeake Bay. When Isabel passed over Maryland, an 8-foot storm surge was recorded in Baltimore Harbor. Tides in the Bay were 8 feet above normal. An estimated 20 acres of sand was removed along the coastline, causing severe beach erosion. Peak inland winds were clocked at 83 mph in Silver Spring, a suburb of Washington, D.C. Parts of Kent Island at the Bay Bridge were completely under water.

Isabel did her damage in Maryland at night. We had plenty of preparation time. Most government offices, schools, and businesses closed for the entire day before the storm. Businesses along the Potomac River waterfront sandbagged storefronts against flooding. All Washington, D.C. airports were closed. Over 40 Navy ships and subs were sent to sea from Norfolk bases. Folks enjoyed their last few hours of electrical power. There was an expectation in the air, almost like energy, an overwhelming feeling of pure dread.

I remember standing out on my deck, watching the flashing blue lights in the sky that preceded the major part of the storm. That night was one of the longest of my life as wind gusts and rain pounded my townhouse. Isabel caused extensive damage with downed trees and power lines, partly because the ground was already saturated from heavy rains. Over 6 million people were left without power on the East Coast. Over $3.6 billion in damages amounted from this storm and 47 people died.

Extra tropical storm

Isabel became an extra tropical storm when she passed into Pennsylvania. But she still caused extensive flooding, power outages, tree damage, and two fatalities. She wasn't done yet. Isabel affected every state along the East Coast and continued to cause flooding and power outages well in Canada. Isabel was eventually absorbed into another weather system over Ontario. The name Isabel was retired after the 2003 season.

Learn more about this author, S. F. Heron.
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