What Was Hurricane Dorian?
Hurricane Dorian was one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes of all time. It was a category 5 storm, the most powerful classification of hurricane according to the Saffir-Simpson scale which measures wind speeds of a storm. Dorian hit several islands within the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, including the Lesser Antilles Islands and The Bahamas. It also struck America, both the mainland and Puerto Rico, and finally impacted Atlantic Canada.
In Canada, Nova Scotia was especially hard hit, being blasted directly by Dorian. In addition to Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, parts of Quebec, and later Newfoundland were also hit by the storm. Although they all received notable damage, none of them were hit as hard as Nova Scotia.
The hurricane did enough damage in Canada, America and small island nations that the name was retired, and its name was to be replaced by “Dexter” in the name rotation for Atlantic hurricanes.
When Was Hurricane Dorian?
Hurricane Dorian formed on August 24, 2019, and became powerful enough to reach hurricane strength four days later on the 28th. It lasted well into September of that year.
How Did Hurricane Dorian Form?
The storm that would become Hurricane Dorian was first seen by the National Hurricane Center on August 19 as an area of low pressure within a monsoon trough that was heading over Senegal and Guinea, which are two countries that are located in Northeastern Africa.
The storm began to head out towards the Atlantic, with the amount of low pressure increasing, with thunderstorms beginning to develop on August 23rd, and finally becoming a named storm the next day when it was strong enough to gain the label of a tropical storm. It gradually became more powerful as it approached the mainland United States, hitting places including the Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, The Virgin Islands and The Bahamas. It strengthened quickly, becoming a category 4 storm by August 31, and a category 5 storm the following day before hitting the mainland United States and then maintaining hurricane strength until hitting Atlantic Canada.
How Long Did Hurricane Dorian Last?
Hurricane Dorian lasted from August 24th until September 10th, 2019, lasting a total of 18 days. It was able to maintain hurricane strength from August 28th until September 7th, which was a total of 11 days.
How Powerful Was Hurricane Dorian?
Hurricane Dorian was the most powerful hurricane of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season. At its peak, it was a category 5 hurricane, with winds of 295 km/h (185 mph). Since it made landfall in the Bahamas with this absolutely brutal wind speed, it was, at the time, tied with the Labour Day hurricane of 1935 for the highest windspeed of all time.
What Path Did Hurricane Dorian Take Before It Hit Nova Scotia?
After crossing the Atlantic and becoming a named storm and hitting the Caribbean Sea. It hit the Caribbean Sea, smashing the Lesser Antilles Islands with the full force of a category 5 hurricane at its maximum windspeed. The storm then travelled through the Bahamas, slightly north of Cuba, brushed near the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico and struck the Virgin Islands directly. It then brushed by Florida, close enough to make parts of the state experience tropical storm-level winds.
The storm then moved up to the Carolinas, still having great strength. The storm also spawned 25 tornadoes in North Carolina and two in South Carolina. Places impacted by the storm included Onslow County, Sampson City, Little River Myrtle Beach and Cedar Island. The storm then continued to travel north until it hit Atlantic Canada.
What Did Hurricane Dorian Do To Nova Scotia?
The storm hit Halifax, Nova Scotia on September 7th as a category 1 hurricane, quickly falling to tropical storm status, although winds just off the coast were able to reach category 2 status for brief periods of time, with similar gusts being recorded on land. Still, these gusts were not sustained for long enough to be able to give the storm category 2 status. Rooves were ripped off of buildings, and numerous trees were knocked over.
Damage done to the province was extensive, especially to the power grid. Over 400,000 homes were left without power, and almost $40 million worth of damage was done to the power grid, with over $100 million worth of total insurance losses. The damage was much less than it could have been, as Dorian came in during low tide. High tide would have created a much larger storm surge. Despite this, the CBC still called it the most destructive storm in Nova Scotia’s history.
Where Else Did Hurricane Dorian Hit?
Winds were felt over much of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, as well as the Magdalen Islands, which are considered part of Quebec and within the St. Lawrence Gulf. Many customers in all three places were left without power, with portions of PEI being evacuated pre-emptively.
By the next day, Hurricane Dorian had moved on to Newfoundland, although unlike hurricane Igor, it had weakened to the point where it was not able to do any damage.
How Many People Did Hurricane Dorian Kill?
Hurricane Dorian killed a total of 84 people, 74 of whom were in the Bahamas, with 10 Americans also killed. Luckily, nobody in Canada lost their lives to Hurricane Dorian.
How Did Nova Scotia And Other Provinces Recover After Being Hit By Hurricane Dorian?
Schools were closed for the next two days during the recovery efforts in many places. The Canadian Armed Forces were also involved in the cleanup, helping remove dangers such as downed trees and removing dangerous cable lines. The recovery efforts took the cooperation of several parties, as removing trees from power lines was a dangerous move.
Various fundraisers for the Red Cross were also started, with everything from lemonade stands to paid pizza parties with proceeds going to helping the community recover from the extensive damage of Hurricane Dorian. It was a great display of Canadian spirit to see communities come together and recover after such a terrifying storm.