&sq=&lang=&file=File:Irene_2005-08-16.jpg) Hurricane Irene approaching peak intensity on August 15 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | August 4, 2005 |
| Dissipated | August 18, 2005 |
| Category 2 hurricane | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
| Highest winds | 105 mph (165 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 970 mbar (hPa); 28.64 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 1 direct |
| Damage | None |
| Areas affected | East Coast of the United States |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Hurricane Irene was a long-lived tropical cyclone during the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm formed near Cape Verde on August 4 and crossed the Atlantic, turning northward around Bermuda before being absorbed by an extratropical cyclone while situated southeast of Newfoundland. Irene proved to be a difficult storm to forecast due to oscillations in strength. After almost dissipating on August 10, Irene peaked as a Category 2 hurricane on August 16. Irene persisted for 14 days as a tropical system, the longest duration of any storm of the 2005 season. It was the ninth named storm and fourth hurricane of the record-breaking season.
Although there were initial fears of a landfall in the United States due to uncertainty in predicting the storm's track, Hurricane Irene never approached land and caused no recorded damage; however, swells up to 8 ft (2.4 m) and strong rip currents resulted in one fatality in Long Beach, New York.