 Hurricane Igor hours prior to peak intensity east of the Lesser Antilles on September 14 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | September 8, 2010 |
| Extratropical | September 21, 2010 |
| Dissipated | September 23, 2010 |
| Category 4 major hurricane | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
| Highest winds | 155 mph (250 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 924 mbar (hPa); 27.29 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 4 direct |
| Damage | $200 million (2010 USD) |
| Areas affected | Cape Verde, Northeastern Caribbean, Eastern United States, Bermuda, Newfoundland, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Southern Greenland |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Hurricane Igor was a very large tropical cyclone which became the most destructive on record to strike the Canadian island of Newfoundland. It originated from a broad area of low pressure that moved off the western coast of Africa on September 6, 2010. Tracking slowly westward, it developed into a tropical depression on September 8 and strengthened into a tropical storm shortly thereafter. Higher wind shear temporarily halted intensification over the following days. On September 12, however, explosive intensification took place, and Igor reached Category 4 status on the Saffir–Simpson scale. By this time, Igor had already begun a prolonged turn around the western periphery of the subtropical ridge. After becoming the strongest cyclone of the season, with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph (249 km/h), it began to enter an area for continued strengthening. Igor gradually weakened before brushing Bermuda as a minimal hurricane on September 20. After turning northeastward, the system began an extratropical transition, which it completed shortly after striking southern Newfoundland. The remnants of Igor were later absorbed by another extratropical cyclone over the Labrador Sea on September 23.
While the hurricane was over the open ocean, it produced large swells that caused the deaths of four people — two in the Caribbean, one in Newfoundland and one in the United States. As it passed west of Bermuda as a minimal hurricane, damage was primarily limited to trees and power lines, with roughly 27,500 residences losing electricity. Total losses in the territory were less than US$500,000.[nb 1] However, in Newfoundland, Igor brought severe damage, claimed to be the worst ever seen in some areas. Large stretches of roadways were completely washed out by flooding, including a portion of the Trans-Canada Highway, isolating approximately 150 communities. Throughout the region, one person was killed and damage costs amounted to a record USD$200 million.[1] In the storm's wake, military personnel were deployed to assist in recovery efforts and aid distribution.
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- ^ "Tropical Cyclone Report Hurricane Igor (AL112010)" (PDF). National Hurricane Center. Retrieved January 9, 2022.