Hurricane Frances
Meteorological history | |
---|---|
Formed | August 24, 2004 |
Extratropical | September 8, 2004 |
Dissipated | September 10, 2004 |
Category 4 major hurricane | |
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Highest winds | 145 mph (230 km/h) |
Lowest pressure | 935 mbar (hPa); 27.61 inHg |
Overall effects | |
Fatalities | 50 |
Damage | $10.1 billion (2004 USD) |
Areas affected |
|
IBTrACS | |
Part of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season |
Hurricane Frances was the second most intense
Frances then passed over the central sections of Florida, three weeks after
Meteorological history
A strong tropical wave moved off the west coast of
The tropical storm, now named Frances, further intensified on August 26 in an environment of low vertical wind shear as its track bent to the west-northwest.[8] Frances rapidly intensified, developing an eye and reaching hurricane strength late that afternoon.[9] An approaching upper-level trough caused Frances to move more northwesterly on August 27.[10] The cyclone reached its primary peak intensity of 135 miles per hour (217 km/h) on August 28.[11] The hurricane turned back to its original westward motion on August 29, as the upper trough moved away the region and the subtropical ridge strengthened to Frances's north.[12]
Over the next day, the hurricane underwent an
Frances moved slowly, between 5 and 10 miles per hour (8.0 and 16.1 km/h), as it crossed the warm
Preparations
A tropical storm watch was issued for Frances for the Leeward Islands during the afternoon of August 29, which was upgraded to a warning that night and expanded to include the islands of
Early on the morning of August 31, tropical storm warnings were dropped for Antigua, Barbuda, Nevis, and St. Kitts while hurricane watches were issued for the southeast Bahamas as well as the Turks and Caicos Islands. Hurricane watches were upgraded to hurricane warnings later that morning. Toward noon, tropical storm warnings were issued for the remainder of the northern coast of the Dominican Republic, a hurricane watch was issued for the central Bahamas, while all watches and warnings were dropped for northeast portion of the Dominican Republic and portions of the Lesser Antilles south of the British Virgin Islands. That afternoon, tropical storm warnings were dropped from Puerto Rico eastward. On the morning of September 1, a hurricane watch was issued for the northwest Bahamas while the watch for the central Bahamas was upgraded to a warning. That afternoon, warnings were dropped for the Dominican Republic.[13]
On the evening of September 1, hurricane warnings were issued for the northwest Bahamas while hurricane watches were issued for the lower east coast of Florida and tropical storm watches were issued for the Florida Keys. There was the potential for catastrophic damage along Florida's heavily populated east coast, with warnings that damages from Frances could exceed the insured losses of
Early during the morning of September 2, hurricane watches were extended southward to Craig Key. Later that morning, hurricane watches were upgraded to hurricane warnings for the lower east coast of Florida while a hurricane watch and tropical storm warning was raised for most of the Florida Keys and Florida Bay. Hurricane warnings were dropped for the Turks and Caicos Islands late on the morning of September 1 and for the Southeast Bahamas late that night. Late on the morning of September 3, hurricane watches were issued for the northeast coast of Florida, while early that afternoon tropical storm warnings were issued for the same area. Hurricane warnings were dropped for the central Bahamas that afternoon. That night, tropical storm warnings were issued for the southwest coast of the Florida peninsula with watches issued for the northwest Florida peninsula. On the morning of September 4, tropical storm warnings were extended northward to Anna Maria Island and along the Georgia coast. Tropical storm watches were extended northward to St. Marks, Florida. That afternoon, hurricane watches were dropped for most of the northwest Bahamas while warnings were extended up the coast to St. Marks, and watches were extended westward to Panama City, Florida.[13]
Early on morning of September 5, hurricane warnings were downgraded to tropical storm warnings south of
Impact
The economic effect was felt early, as the storm struck during Labor Day weekend, traditionally the final summer vacation weekend in the United States.[24] Many hotel reservations from South Carolina to Florida were cancelled as people, seeing the destruction caused weeks earlier by Hurricane Charley, decided to avoid the coastal areas for safety. One death in the Bahamas, one in Ohio, and five in Florida were directly attributed to the storm. 42 more deaths - 32 in Florida, eight in Georgia, one in the Bahamas and one in Ohio, are indirectly attributed to Frances.[13]
The total civilian damage from Frances was determined to be approximately US$8.86 billion (2004 dollars). Add in the estimated US$100 million damage (2004 dollars) done to space and military facilities at
Bahamas
About 75% of the island chain lost power for a few hours during the storm. Damage occurred to downed trees and wooden homes. Between 13 and 17 percent of the non-native
Florida
Near the point of its first landfall, few structures were destroyed and ocean overwash across the barrier island was limited, though the extent of the damage far exceeded that of Hurricane Charley.[32] Wind damage to citrus groves led to a near total loss near the coast of east-central Florida between West Palm Beach and Melbourne, with lesser damage farther to the west across the Kissimmee River basin.[33] Between Hurricane Charley and Frances, citrus losses totaled $2 billion (2004 dollars).[34] Significant tree damage was reported within golf courses along the Treasure Coast, with an average of 300-500 trees experiencing damage per course.[35]
Some areas of Florida received over 13 inches (330 mm) of rain as the system moved slowly through the state.[36] Heavy rains caused a large sinkhole to develop on Interstate 95 in Palm Beach County, which closed the highway to traffic.[37] Frances caused heavy damage to the large Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center, ripping off 820 4-by-10 foot aluminum panels covering the building.[38] While Charley caused $700,000 damage (2004 dollars), Frances's damage was significantly greater. Two external fuel tanks for the Space Shuttle were in the building but seemed undamaged. The Space Shuttle Discovery's hangar was without power.[39] The total damage to space and military facilities around Cape Canaveral, Florida was reported at about $100 million (2004 dollars).[citation needed] Orlando, Florida's theme parks closed Sunday —[40] only the third time Walt Disney World had closed for a hurricane, but the second time in a month.[41] A wind gust of 70 mph was recorded at Orlando International Airport.[42]
Georgia
Frances dropped significant rain on Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and North and South Carolina. The passage of tropical depression Frances into Georgia dumped up to 5 inches (130 mm) of rain onto the state and caused the closings of schools in 56 counties. Across Georgia, winds of 30 to 40 miles per hour (48 to 64 km/h), with gusts to 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) led to the downing of tree branches and power lines.[43] At one point on September 7, a total of 380,000 residences were without power.[44] Significant crop damage was seen, particularly to the cotton and the peanut crops. On average, 30 percent of the crops were lost during Frances.[45]
Carolinas
Flooding was reported even in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast states, particularly along the Appalachian Mountains. A strip of upslope-induced rainfall along the Blue Ridge escarpment produced as much as 23 inches (580 mm) of rain in some areas of western North Carolina as the warm tropical air surged up and over the mountains.[36] Flooding along the Swannanoa River near Asheville, North Carolina caused a major break in Asheville's water distribution system, leaving the city without water for several days. The Pigeon River flooded in Haywood County, leaving many homeless and many businesses closed, including the town hall of Canton. Significant crop damage was seen into North Carolina, which reported $55 million in crop damage.[46] Frances also spawned 101 tornadoes from Florida to as far north as Virginia, shy of the single storm tornado record set during Hurricane Beulah.[25] Power outages affected up to six million people. Over 20 airports closed during the storm.
Canada
As an extratropical cyclone, Frances passed through southern Ontario. The storm dropped up to 5.39 inches (137 mm),[47] washing out roads and causing localized flooding in Quebec, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland. This rainfall smashed all-time rainfall records in a 24-hour period (most of the rain fell in a 6 to 8 hour-period). Ottawa's O-Train Trillium Line was halted because of a landslide that obstructed the railroad corridor. Several major roads in Gatineau and Ottawa were under several inches of water, locally chest-high. More than $45 million (2004 CAD; US$41 million) in insured damage was reported in Ontario.[48]
Aftermath
Bahamas
Frances is the first hurricane to impact the entire archipelago since 1866. On September 4, teams from the Ministry of Works, the Department of Environmental Health Services, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and the Royal Bahamas Police Force were used to clear roadways of tree debris while utilities attempted to restore power and water in New Providence. The Family Islands were surveyed on September 5 and 6, when it was noted that major damage occurred within the island group. Telecommunications were restored to most of the island chain within 24 hours. As of September 21, electricity had been restored to half of the Bahamians who had lost power. Western sections of Grand Bahama Island remained without power into Hurricane Jeanne, which was the most significantly impacted island. The onion crop was expected to be late in 2005 due to the loss of seedbeds and seedlings during the storm.[31]
Florida
In the aftermath of the storm, many colleges and school districts across Florida remained closed. President
Georgia and the Carolinas
On September 24, the southern two-thirds of Georgia was declared a disaster by President Bush.[56] The state lost 50 percent of its pecan crop due to Frances, which led to a price rise in pecans by late October.[57] Lost peach trees were expected to lower output during 2005, and increase peach prices.[58] A disaster declaration was made for the northeast section of South Carolina on October 7.[59] On September 10, President Bush declared 34 counties within North Carolina a disaster area, making them eligible for US$6.5 million (2004 dollars) in public assistance. A Wildlife Commission removed its North Carolina Mountain State Fair exhibit due to Frances midway through the fair. Over 100,000 trout were lost due to the storm in the Pisgah, Table Rock, Marion, and Armstrong state fish hatcheries.[60] Red Cross volunteers distributed over 200,000 gallons of water by its 600 volunteers in four days. After Frances and Hurricane Ivan, Asheville determined that it needed $14 million in order to buy out willing businesses and homes within the floodplain.[61]
Retirement
Because of the hurricane's effects in the United States, the name Frances was retired from the rotating lists of tropical cyclone names in the spring of 2005 by the World Meteorological Organization, and will never again be used for an Atlantic basin tropical cyclone.[62] The name was replaced with Fiona for the 2010 season.[63]
See also
- List of Florida hurricanes (2000-present)
- Timeline of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season
- Hurricane Frances tornado outbreak
- List of Category 4 Atlantic hurricanes
References
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(help) - ^ National Weather Service Office, Peachtree City, Georgia (2004). Frances Pays a Visit to North and Central Georgia. Retrieved on 2009-04-10.
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