&sq=&lang=&file=File:Irene_1999-10-18_1531Z.png) Irene approaching peak intensity on October 18. | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | October 13, 1999 |
| Extratropical | October 19 |
| Dissipated | October 24, 1999 |
| Category 2 hurricane | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
| Highest winds | 110 mph (175 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 958 mbar (hPa); 28.29 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 3 direct, 16 indirect |
| Damage | $800 million (1999 USD) |
| Areas affected | Cuba, Bahamas, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Hurricane Irene produced somewhat heavy damage across southern Florida in October 1999. The ninth named storm and the sixth hurricane of the season, Irene developed in the western Caribbean Sea on October 13 from a tropical wave. It moved northward, hitting western Cuba before attaining hurricane status. Irene struck Florida on October 15 as a Category 1 on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale, first at Key West and later near Cape Sable. The storm moved across the state and tracked northward over the Gulf Stream. It approached the Carolinas but remained offshore. Irene turned eastward and significantly intensified into a strong Category 2 hurricane on October 18. By the following day, the system became extratropical due to cooler waters to the southeast of Newfoundland and was quickly absorbed by another extratropical low.
The hurricane first produced heavy rainfall across western Cuba, causing four deaths and damage. Irene was a wet Florida hurricane in October, similar to many hurricanes of the 1930s and 1940s.[1] It later dropped 10 to 20 inches (254 to 508 millimetres) of rainfall in the Miami metropolitan area, causing urban flooding unseen since Hurricane Dennis in 1981. Despite being only a Category 1 hurricane, Irene caused eight indirect deaths and $800 million (1999 USD)[nb 1] in damage across Florida.[2] The hurricane produced flooding and caused one death in the northwestern Bahamas. In North Carolina and Virginia, Irene produced over 10 inches (250 mm) of rain, adding more flooding after previous hurricanes Dennis and Floyd. The flooding closed many roads and caused rivers to crest past their banks, though the damage in the area was relatively minor.
- ^ Lixion A. Avila (1999-11-22). Preliminary Report: Hurricane Irene (PDF) (Report). National Hurricane Center. Retrieved 2019-06-16.
- ^ "NOAA's Hurricane Officials On Target With Pre-Seasonal Storm Forecast; Close 1999 Season Reporting Above Average Fury And Floods". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 1999-11-30. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2006-06-25.
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