Hurricane Fabian

This article is about the 2003 Atlantic hurricane. For other storms of the same name, see List of storms named Fabian.
Preview warning: The article title was redundantly supplied in |name=. Remove this parameter; the article title is used as the name by default.
Hurricane Fabian
A view of Hurricane Fabian from Space on September 1, 2003. The intense Category 4 storm is located about 190 miles north-northeast of Barbuda. The storm's eye, visible near the center of the image, is over the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
Fabian at peak intensity on September 1
Meteorological history
FormedAugust 27, 2003
ExtratropicalSeptember 8, 2003
DissipatedSeptember 10, 2003
Category 4 major hurricane
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS)
Highest winds145 mph (230 km/h)
Lowest pressure939 mbar (hPa); 27.73 inHg
Overall effects
Fatalities8 direct
Damage$300 million (2003 USD)
Areas affectedLeeward Islands, Bermuda, Eastern Canada, Iceland
IBTrACSEdit this at Wikidata
Part of the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season

Hurricane Fabian was a powerful tropical cyclone that impacted Bermuda in early September during the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the sixth named storm, fourth hurricane, and first major hurricane of the season, developed from a tropical wave in the tropical Atlantic Ocean on August 25. It moved west-northwestward under the influence of the subtropical ridge to its north, and steadily strengthened in an area of warm sea surface temperatures and light wind shear. The hurricane attained a peak intensity of 145 mph (233 km/h) on September 1, and it slowly weakened as it turned northward. On September 5, Fabian made a direct hit on Bermuda with wind speeds of over 120 mph (190 km/h). After passing the island, the hurricane turned to the northeast, and became extratropical on September 8, before dissipating two days later.[1]

Fabian was the strongest hurricane to hit Bermuda since Hurricane Arlene in 1963.[2] It was both the most damaging and the first hurricane to cause a death on the island since 1926.[3] The hurricane's powerful winds resulted in moderate damage and destroyed roofs throughout the island. A strong storm surge associated with the hurricane killed four people crossing a causeway on Bermuda, temporarily closing the only link between two islands. The endangered Bermuda petrel, better known as the cahow, was threatened by the hurricane, which destroyed ten nests, although volunteer work transported the species to a safer location. Strong swells resulted in damage in northern Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, and also caused four people to drown along the United States' Atlantic coast. In all, Fabian caused around US$300 million in damage and eight deaths.[1]

  1. ^ a b Richard J. Pasch; Eric S. Blake; Daniel P. Brown (2003-11-19). "Hurricane Fabian Tropical Cyclone Report" (PDF). National Hurricane Center. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  2. ^ Jessica Blunden (2006-10-17). "Global Hazards and Significant Events September 2003". National Climatic Data Center. Archived from the original on 2010-04-17. Retrieved 2010-04-13.
  3. ^ Patrick Thiele (2003-09-15). "PartnerRe Weathers Hurricane Fabian". PartnerRE Ltd. Archived from the original on January 18, 2012. Retrieved 2010-04-13.