Hurricane Emily (1993)

Hurricane Emily

Category 3 hurricane (SSHS)
Hurricane Emily off North Carolina coastline
Formed	August 22, 1993
Dissipated	September 6, 1993
Highest winds	1-minute sustained: 115 mph (185 km/h)
Lowest pressure	960 mbar (hPa); 28.35 inHg
Fatalities	3 direct
Damage	$50 million (1993 USD)
Areas affected	Outer Banks, North Carolina, and Maryland
Part of the 1993 Atlantic hurricane season

Hurricane Emily was a Category 3 tropical cyclone during the 1993 Atlantic hurricane season. Emily formed as a tropical depression over the open Atlantic Ocean on August 22 and moved generally northwestward. Initially, the cyclone remained disorganized due to unfavorable wind shear, but it was upgraded to a hurricane on August 26 after reconnaissance aircraft observed unusually high winds. It continued to strengthen while moving toward the west to west-northwest, becoming a major hurricane off the coast of the Carolinas. On September 1, the storm brushed the Outer Banks of North Carolina before heading back out to sea. Despite coming within miles of North Carolina as a major hurricane, the storm caused only three deaths and $50 million (2004 US dollars) in damages.

Meteorological history

Storm path

Hurricane Emily originated from an African tropical wave that passed through the Cape Verde Islands on August 17, 1993. The wave traversed the tropical Atlantic and developed a closed cyclonic circulation five days later, when the National Hurricane Center (NHC) classified it as a tropical depression. At the time, it was located 800 miles (1,300 km) east-northeast of Puerto Rico while moving toward the northwest. The depression remained poorly organized for several days, with an ill-defined circulation center and sporadic thunderstorms, in part due to unfavorable wind shear from an upper-level low to its north. On August 25, it became nearly stationary in response to weakening steering currents in its vicinity. After the upper environment became less hostile to development, a reconnaissance aircraft flight into the depression found unusually high sustained winds—an indication that the cyclone had quickly strengthened into a strong tropical storm. The NHC named the storm Emily soon thereafter and upgraded it to a hurricane the following day, based on reports of 75 mph (120 km/h) winds from reconnaissance aircraft.

Upon becoming a hurricane, Emily was centered roughly 1,000 mi (1,600 km) east of the Florida peninsula. A ridge of high pressure began to develop to its north on August 27, forcing the hurricane to curve toward the west. The cyclone's winds vacillated between tropical storm and hurricane force over the course of the day, but Emily resumed its strengthening by August 28 and developed favorable upper-level outflow. The hurricane, then located over warm sea surface temperatures, continued to improve in appearance on satellite images, as the barometric pressure within its eye steadily decreased. By August 29, Emily had turned to the northwest along a weakness from a shortwave trough in the ridge to its north. The NHC expressed uncertainty in forecasting Emily's track from thereon, stating that South Carolina, North Carolina, and other Mid-Atlantic states were at risk of a direct hit from the hurricane.

As the high-pressure ridge to Emily's north re-established itself near North Carolina, the hurricane turned to the west-northwest in the early morning hours of August 30, although it initiated a prolonged curve toward the north around the western portion of the ridge soon thereafter. Emily displayed a distinct eye surrounded by a ring of intense thunderstorms, and a reconnaissance mission early the next day found that its winds had increased to Category 2 force on the Saffir–Simpson scale. The hurricane closed in on the North Carolina coastline, and after completing its northward curve it further intensified into a Category 3 major hurricane. Land was not spared entirely, and the western portion of Emily's 115 mph (185 km/h) eyewall passed over the Outer Banks on September 1. The hurricane accelerated to the east-northeast, and steadily weakened over the north Atlantic Ocean due to increased vertical shear. It turned to the south on the 3rd, and quickly weakened to a tropical depression by the next day. The depression again turned to the northeast and became extratropical on September 6.

Impact

Because Hurricane Emily did not make landfall, North Carolina and Virginia avoided substantial damage. Had Hurricane Emily continued its forward track, it would have caused much greater damage, possibly comparable to that of Hurricane Isabel ten years later. Though its damage was minor, rough seas and wind caused three fatalities, all from drowning. Its name was not retired.

North Carolina

Rainfall amounts from Emily

In Cape Hatteras, Emily damaged 553 homes beyond repair from its near-direct hit and strong winds. In addition, officials cut power to Hatteras Island fearing that downed power lines could start a fire. The area most affected by Hurricane Emily was Buxton, North Carolina, where a 10.2-foot (3.1 m) storm surge and a maximum of 7.5 inches (190 mm) of rain occurred. On Highway 12, there were reports of sinkholes caused by heavy rains, some of which swallowed up three four-wheel-drive vehicles. Because Emily hit during Labor Day weekend, the tourism industry suffered after Emily, losing $10 million when 160,000 were evacuated from northeastern North Carolina. Storm surge and flooding left 25% of the population of Cape Hatteras homeless, causing Dare County to issue a federal disaster declaration. Emily's high winds uprooted trees, downed power lines, tore off roofs, and, combined with its heavy flooding, caused $35 million (1993 US dollars) in damage, a lesser total than expected. In addition, Emily's limited effects only caused two deaths in North Carolina when two swimmers in Nags Head drowned.

Virginia

In Newport News, lightning from Emily set a roof on fire in the Lee Hall section of the city while 5,000 residents were left without power. The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel also lost power because of the storm. Emily's light rains in the area were not enough to break a prolonged drought that hampered Virginia. Heavy surf resulted in one person drowning on the coast of Virginia in the days prior to the hurricane's arrival. In addition, a storm surge of 1.2 feet (0.37 m) was reported at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.

Mid-Atlantic and New England

Due to uncertainty of when and if Emily would make its northeast turn, thousands were evacuated from Virginia through New York, including 750 in Virginia, 100,000 in Maryland, 1000 in Delaware, and 20,000 from Fire Island, New York. The hurricane remained far enough from these locations to cause little, if any damage. In Ocean City, Maryland, 2.8 inches of rain were reported, while Sussex County Airport reported only .01 inches of precipitation.

See also

• List of North Carolina hurricanes
• Other storms of the same name

External links

• Hurricane Emily 1993 report
• Hurricane Emily 1993
• Hurricane Emily (USGS)
• Hurricane Emily 1993 hazard costs
• Daily Press Hurricane Emily 1993

Tropical cyclones of the 1993 Atlantic hurricane season
1 A B C D E F G H 10		Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale TD TS C1 C2 C3 C4 C5