Sep 18, 2003
Hurricane Isabel shut down Washington, DC on Thursday September 18 and Friday September 19. The city had days of preparation and many people including non-emergency government personnel were told to stay home. Tropical storm force winds spread north into the area by 4 pm. Because air temperatures were cool (in the 60s) and the peak of the storm occurred near midnight, the real hurricane force winds were a few hundred feet up. Wind sensors on building tops recorded 70 to 85 mph hour winds. At the
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database (event 5335420). Narrative written by NWS staff at the time of the event.
This event is one of many recorded floods in District Of Columbia County. See the full FEMA flood zone map, NFIP claim totals, and disaster history for the area.