Everything about Hurricane Charley totally explained
Hurricane Charley was the third named storm, the second
hurricane, and the second major hurricane of the
2004 Atlantic hurricane season. Charley lasted from
August 9 to
August 15, and at its peak intensity it attained 150
mph (240
km/h) winds, making it a strong Category 4 hurricane on the
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. The storm made
landfall in southwestern
Florida at maximum strength, thus making it the strongest hurricane to hit the United States since
Hurricane Andrew struck Florida twelve years before, in
1992.
After moving briskly through the
Caribbean Sea, Charley crossed
Cuba on
August 13 as a
Category 3 hurricane, causing heavy damage and four deaths. That same day, the hurricane crossed over the
Dry Tortugas, just 22 hours after
Tropical Storm Bonnie struck northwestern
Florida. This was the first time in history that two tropical cyclones struck the same state in a 24-hour time period. Charley was one of two
major hurricanes to hit Florida in 2004, and one of four hurricanes to directly affect the state.
At its peak intensity of 150 mph (240 km/h), Hurricane Charley struck the northern tip of
Captiva Island and the southern tip of North Captiva Island, causing severe damage in both areas. Charley, the strongest hurricane to hit southwest Florida since
Hurricane Donna in 1960, then continued to produce severe damage as it made landfall on the
peninsula near
Port Charlotte. The hurricane continued to the northeast and passed through East
Orlando while still carrying winds gusting up to 106 mph (171 km/h). Damage in the state totaled to over $13 billion (2004
USD). Charley, initially expected to hit further north in
Tampa, caught many Floridians off-guard due to a sudden change in the storm's track as it approached the state. Throughout the United States, Charley caused 10 deaths and $15.4 billion in damage (2004 USD), making Charley the fourth costliest hurricane in United States history at the time.
Storm history
Charley began as a tropical wave that moved off the west coast of
Africa on
August 4. It moved quickly westward and steadily organized over the open
Atlantic Ocean, with
convection developing in curved bands. At this time, Charley
rapidly intensified, strengthening from a 110 mph (180 km/h) hurricane with a
minimum central barometric pressure of 965
mbar (
hPa; 28.50
inHg) to a 145 mph (230 km/h) hurricane with a pressure of 941 mbar (hPa; 27.49 inHg) in just 6 hours. The storm continued to strengthen as it turned more to the northeast, and made
landfall near the island of
Cayo Costa, Florida as a 150 mph (240 km/h)
Category 4 hurricane at approximately 3:45 p.m. EDT (1945 UTC) on the 13th. The
Cayman Islands issued a hurricane warning on the 11th, a day before the hurricane passed near by the
archipelago. An additional 3,800 residents were evacuated from offshore islands, while 47,000 in
Havana were transported from old, unsafe buildings to safer areas. The people were transported to
shelters provisioned with supplies. In addition, the power grid in southern Cuba was turned off to avoid accidents. The
National Hurricane Center issued hurricane warnings for the
Florida Keys and from
Cape Sable to the mouth of the
Suwannee River a day prior to Charley's passage through the state, while tropical storm warnings were issued elsewhere throughout
Florida. It was the largest evacuation order for
Pinellas County history, instead, these residents boarded up their homes and bought supplies to ride out the storm. The approaching hurricane also forced several cruise ships to reroute their paths,
The rapid strengthening of Charley in the eastern
Gulf of Mexico caught many by surprise. Around five hours before its Florida landfall, Charley was a strong Category 2 hurricane predicted to strengthen its strongest winds to 115 mph (185 km/h) upon its landfall in the
Tampa-
Saint Petersburg area. About two hours before landfall, the
National Hurricane Center issued a special advisory, notifying the public that Charley had become a 145 mph (230 km/h) Category 4 hurricane, with a predicted landfall location in the
Port Charlotte area. As a result of this change in forecast, numerous people in the
Charlotte County area were unprepared for the hurricane, despite the fact that the new track prediction was well within the previous forecast's margin of error. National Hurricane Center forecasting intern Robbie Berg publicly blamed the media for misleading residents into believing that a Tampa landfall was inevitable. In addition, he also stated that residents of Port Charlotte had ample warning, as a hurricane warning had been issued for the landfall area 23 hours before, and a hurricane watch had existed for 35 hours.
Following the Florida landfall,
Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue declared a state of emergency as a precaution against a 4–7 ft (1.2–2.1 m) storm surge and
price gouging. In
South Carolina,
Governor Mark Sanford declared a state of emergency as Charley approached its final landfall. Two coastal counties were forced to evacuate, with state troopers redirecting traffic further inland from
Myrtle Beach.
Impact
Further Information
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