Hurricane Dorian (2019)
Hurricane Dorian was a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane that impacted the Atlantic Ocean in late August and early September 2019. As the first major hurricane of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season, Dorian became known for its unprecedented strength and slow movement, particularly over the Bahamas, where it lingered for nearly two days. With peak sustained winds of 185 miles per hour, Dorian became the strongest hurricane on record in the open Atlantic region before making landfall in the Bahamas, specifically affecting Grand Bahama Island and Great Abaco Island with extensive destruction. The storm caused approximately $4.86 billion in damages, with the Bahamas facing the brunt of the devastation, leading to about 13,000 homes destroyed and around 70,000 people left homeless.
As Dorian moved northward along the eastern coast of North America, it brought heavy winds and rains to Florida and the Carolinas, causing significant flooding and damage, particularly in North Carolina. The storm transitioned into a post-tropical cyclone after impacting Nova Scotia, Canada, where it resulted in fallen trees and disrupted services. Over its duration, which lasted nine days, Dorian was classified as a hurricane for an extended period, marking it as one of the longest-lived Atlantic hurricanes in recent decades. The overall impact of Dorian highlighted the vulnerability of coastal regions to extreme weather events and the long-term challenges faced by communities in the aftermath.
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Hurricane Dorian (2019)
Date: August 24–September 10, 2019
Place: Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, United States, Canada, Greenland, Iceland
Result: More than73 people killed, estimated $4.68 billion in damage
Overview
Hurricane Dorian was a devastating Category 5 hurricane that formed in and moved through the Atlantic Ocean in late August and early September 2019. The first major hurricane of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season, Dorian carved a path of destruction as it hovered over the Bahamas for nearly two days. With peak sustained winds of 185 miles per hour, Dorian became the strongest hurricane on record in the open Atlantic region. When it finally began moving away from the Bahamas, a weakened Dorian traveled up the eastern coast of North America until ultimately dissipating near Greenland on September 10.
The developing tropical wave that would eventually become Dorian was first reported on August 23, 2019. At the time it was spotted, the wave in question was located about 1,400 miles (2,250 kilometers) east of the Windward Islands. Early on, the developing disturbance—crippled by dry air from a Saharan dust storm that settled over the middle of the Atlantic Ocean—appeared as though it would remain relatively weak; however, it soon gained momentum. After becoming a tropical depression, Dorian passed through the Windward Islands on August 26 and 27. The center of the storm reformed farther north as Dorian moved over St. Lucia. This allowed the storm to strengthen into a hurricane as it passed through the Virgin Islands on August 28. Dorian continued to intensify in the days that followed, becoming a Category 4 hurricane on August 30 and a Category 5 on September 1.
Shortly after reaching Category 5 status, Dorian made landfall in the Bahamas. The hurricane initially made landfall in the Abacos Islands in the northwestern part of the Bahamas. Dorian was the first Category 5 hurricane to ever make landfall on Grand Bahama Island. At that point, the storm stalled out for nearly two days. In fact, scientists later determined that Dorian was the slowest-moving major hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic Basin. For at least 24 hours, the storm moved at a speed of no more than two miles per hour. As it made its way through the Bahamas, Dorian covered only about twenty-five miles in twenty-four hours, which is the shortest distance ever tracked by a major hurricane in the Atlantic in a twenty-four-hour period since 1965. As a result, Grand Bahama Island was battered with winds that reached 185 miles per hour, heavy rainfall, and a powerful storm surge for an estimated forty-one hours. The northwestern Bahamas were exposed to the intense power of Dorian’s eyewall for fifty-one straight hours. Dorian slowly began drifting away from Grand Bahama Island in a northward direction on September 3.
As Dorian moved towards the eastern seaboard of the United States, much of Florida’s Atlantic coastal region experienced heavy winds and drenching rains. Beach erosion and flooding was also a serious problem in places like Flagler Beach and Vero Beach. Meanwhile, Dorian tracked northward and threatened to impact the Carolinas. Flooding was an immediate problem in Charleston, South Carolina, although it was ultimately less severe than anticipated because the storm remained offshore. A number of tornadoes spawned in northeastern South Carolina and parts of North Carolina on September 6. A waterspout also formed in Emerald Isle, North Carolina. Dorian officially made landfall in the United States when it passed over Cape Hatteras, North Carolina the same day. The Carolinas also endured a great deal of storm surge churned up by Dorian as the storm moved up the coast.
Upon leaving the Carolinas, Dorian continued moving northward up the Eastern Seaboard, bringing severe weather conditions to coastal cities and towns in numerous states. High winds that included gusts topping 80 miles per hour (129 kilometers per hour) were reported in various parts of Massachusetts and Virginia. The storm eventually made landfall in Nova Scotia, Canada, on September 7. By that point, the significantly weakened Dorian was beginning to transition into a post-tropical cyclone. Sustained winds of 68 mph (109 km/h) with gusts of up to 88 mph (142 km/h) swept across parts of Nova Scotia and caused damage in Halifax and a number of other places. Nova Scotia also endured heavy rains and damaging surf as the storm made its way through the region. In the days that followed, Dorian continued moving northeastward until it dissipated off the coast of Greenland on September 10. In total, Dorian was classified as a hurricane for nine days, making it one of the longest such Atlantic storms since the 1970s.
Impact
Hurricane Dorian caused an estimated $4.86 billion worth of damage. Most of that damage came in the Bahamas, where the storm’s extended presence led to especially catastrophic results. Dorian had the most severe impact on Grand Bahama Island and Great Abaco Island. Early reports suggested that a total of about 13,000 homes were destroyed, about half of all homes on the islands. The United Nations estimated that approximately 70,000 people were left homeless. Some communities were entirely destroyed. In the immediate aftermath of Dorian, officials in the Bahamas predicted it would take up to several months to fully repair and restore water, power, and telecommunication systems. Most of the estimated seventy-three deaths directly associated with Dorian occurred in the Bahamas.
The damage caused by Hurricane Dorian was less severe in the United States and elsewhere. Much of the damage on American soil was attributed to the various tornadoes the storm spawned. The Outer Banks of North Carolina were particularly hard hit, especially in terms of damage to local telecommunications systems. North Carolina’s Ocracoke Island also endured heavy flooding from storm surge. Hundreds of homes were damaged on the island. In total, the affected areas of the Carolinas suffered millions of dollars in damage. Most of the damage Dorian caused in Nova Scotia and other parts of Canada was caused by falling trees.
Bibliography
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“Hurricane Dorian.” Center for Disaster Philanthropy, 6 Nov. 2019, disasterphilanthropy.org/disaster/hurricane-dorian. Accessed 13 Jan. 2020.
“Hurricane Dorian: Path of Destruction.” BBC, 9 Sept. 2019, www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-49553770. Accessed 13 Jan. 2020.
“Hurricane Dorian, September 6, 2019.” National Weather Service, 6 Sept. 2019, www.weather.gov/mhx/Dorian2019. Accessed 13 Jan. 2020.
“Hurricane Dorian Ravaged the Bahamas and Struck the Southeastern U.S. Coast Before Heading to Atlantic Canada.” Weather.com, 8 Sept. 2019, weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/2019-09-08-hurricane-dorian-recap-bahamas-united-states-canada. Accessed 13 Jan. 2020.
Masters, Jeff. “Hurricane Dorian Was Worthy of a Category 6 Rating.” Scientific American, 3 Oct. 2019, blogs.scientificamerican.com/eye-of-the-storm/hurricane-dorian-was-worthy-of-a-category-6-rating. Accessed 13 Jan. 2020.
Niiler, Eric. “Why Hurricane Dorian Defied Forecasts and Sank the Bahamas.” Wired, 4 Sept. 2019, www.wired.com/story/why-hurricane-dorian-defied-forecasts-and-sank-the-bahamas. Accessed 13 Jan. 2020.
Rice, Doyle. “Dorian’s Legacy: The Slowest, Strongest Hurricane to Ever Hit the Bahamas.” USA Today, 6 Sept. 2019, www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/09/06/hurricane-dorian-becomes-strongest-slowest-hurricane-hit-bahamas-record/2232225001. Accessed 13 Jan. 2020.