Hurricane Ophelia

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**Hurricane Ophelia**
Hurricane Ophelia on September 15, 2005.
Duration	Sept. 6 - 18, 2005
Highest winds	85 mph (135 km/h) sustained
Damages	$50 million (insured estimate) [1]
Fatalities	1 direct, 2 indirect
Areas affected	Northeast Florida, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Atlantic Canada
Part of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season

Hurricane Ophelia was the fifteenth named storm and the seventh hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the first time a storm was named "Ophelia," and only the fifth time since naming began in the Atlantic in 1950 that the 'O' name was used. The only other 'O' storms have been Opal, Olga, Odette, and Otto in the 1995, 2001, 2003, and 2004 seasons, respectively.

1 Storm history
2 Impact
3 External links

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Storm history

The storm began when Tropical Depression Sixteen formed from an area of disturbed weather over the northern Bahamas on September 6. Early on September 7 it strengthened to become Tropical Storm Ophelia, and it became the seventh Atlantic hurricane of the season the next day. It churned nearly stationary for two days off the coast of Florida, causing warnings to be raised for the state and fears of heavy, prolonged rainfall. From September 9 to 11, Ophelia fluctuated in strength, being twice downgraded to a tropical storm only to regain hurricane intensity, while still moving only very slowly and erratically in a northeasterly direction. Through September 12 the storm completed a clockwise loop, then adopted a more north-westerly motion towards North Carolina, while still moving only slowly and fitfully. It dropped again just below hurricane strength when the inner-core of convection collapsed. It regained hurricane strength over the warm waters of the Gulf Stream. Due to the collapse of the inner core of convection, it gave the hurricane an unusually large eye over 100 nautical miles (175 km) across. The eye stayed offshore, although the western eyewall reached the coastal areas of North Carolina, which caused significant damage along the Outer Banks. Ophelia then brushed past Nantucket Island in Massachusetts and then affected Atlantic Canada with heavy rain and tropical storm-force winds. The storm became extratropical late on September 17, but continued to affect Newfoundland and Labrador before it moved out to sea.

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Impact

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Florida

Before Ophelia made its closest approach to land near the Outer Banks on September 15-16, it caused a significant beach erosion event for coastal Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, as the storm's slow movement resulted in several continuous days of rough surf. [2] At Flagler Beach, Florida, the erosion endangered the foundation of highway A1A, and 140 dump trucks were brought in to buttress the road with rocks and sand. [3]

In southeastern Florida, a man drowned in the high surf generated by Ophelia. His was the only direct death caused by the storm. [4]

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North Carolina

Ophelia moved extremely slowly in and around North Carolina, which meant that greater than 10 inches/254 mm of rain was dumped into many coastal areas. The highest amount measured was from Oak Island, where 17.50" was registered. The storm total rainfall graphic can be found here: [5]. In addition, storm surges of 7 to 12 feet (2-4 m) were recorded, particularly in low-lying inlets of Pamlico Sound. At the storm's peak, over 240,000 customers were without power [6] in coastal North Carolina. [7] One indirect fatality was reported due to a traffic accident related to Ophelia, although no direct deaths were recorded. [8] It is believed that with Katrina fresh on people's minds, few people took any chances with this storm, which minimized casualties.

Damage was heaviest in Salter Path, North Carolina and along the Outer Banks near that community, where (despite being only a Category 1 storm) many buildings suffered significant damage as a result of the storm surge, which has been described as worse than Hurricane Isabel in 2003 and even compared to Hurricane Hazel in 1954 (which was a Category 4 storm). [9] In addition, several piers and many boats were damaged or destroyed as a result of Ophelia's storm surge. Damage was generally lighter on the mainland, and overall structural damage was relatively light, although there was considerable flooding reported in the Wilmington area. [10]

President Bush declared a state of emergency in 37 counties in North Carolina as a result of Ophelia. [11] Early estimates of insured damage in North Carolina were around $800 million, which would likely end up with total damage around $1.3 to $1.6 billion. [12]

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Canada

In Atlantic Canada, considerable preparations were taken for Ophelia, primarily because of memories of Hurricane Juan in 2003 which caught authorities off-guard. However, overall damage was minimal there, and only brief, sporadic power outages were reported. One storm-related fatality was reported in Nova Scotia as a result of a person falling during minor roof repairs. [13] In Newfoundland, over 50 millimeters (1.96 inches) of rain fell over parts of the eastern region of the province. On September 19, Ophelia moved away from the province through the Bonavista Bay area, over 150 kilometers north of St. John's. [14]

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