Howling winds slammed into North Carolina's coast on Thursday. Homes were damaged, and streets were littered with branches and parts of cars. Hurricane Isabel, a storm as big as the state of Montana, had come to call. More than 4.5 million homes lost electricity when Isabel struck power lines. Dangerous winds blew at more than 100 miles per hour, overturning cars and tossing signs and rooftops into the air. Airlines suspended service.
In Washington, D.C., the federal government closed its offices. Many schools and businesses across the region were also shut. Many events were canceled. "People are hunkered down," said Scott Kiser of the National Hurricane Center on Thursday. "They're hoping that wherever they are stays safe from these winds."
Heavy rain and floods followed the storm, causing further damage. In Baltimore, Maryland, and Alexandria, Virginia, waist-high water flooded neighborhoods.
Although Isabel made quite a mess of things, the early warnings from the National Hurricane Center helped to keep down the number of injuries. At least 17 people died of storm-related causes. Because people knew early in the week that the storm was on its way, most took precautions. Some drove hundreds of miles away from the coast and sought shelter. John and Rita Razze left their home in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. "Usually, we stay here and wait it out," said John. "This time, we're going to get out of here."
NEW, IMPROVED STORM TRACKING
Before the storm hit, scientists studied Isabel's behavior. By watching the hurricane's movements, meteorologists could predict the strength of its winds and where it might land.
Until last year, scientists' understanding of the weather allowed them to predict how bad a storm would be only three days into the future. Now, they can estimate a storm's path and strength five days ahead. Last week, the new extra-early warnings gave the U.S. Navy plenty of time to move ships away from the coast to avoid costly damage.
IN THE EYE OF THE STORM
The Hurricane Hunters, a special unit of the Air Force Reserve, helped track Isabel's path. The Hunters have the difficult but important job of flying into the storm to measure it.
On September 13, Major Christa Hornbaker flew into Isabel with her crew. As their plane neared the center of the storm 10,000 feet in the air, winds whipping at nearly 200 miles per hour shook the plane. The turbulence was so bad that Hornbaker had trouble reading her computer screen, where she was entering information. Hornbaker's plane stayed in the air for six hours. "The eye of the storm is an amazing sight to behold," she said. "You look up 50,000 feet into the storm, and it seems like you're standing on the floor of a very big stadium. You feel very small even though you're in a big plane."
Five days after that mission, Isabel hit the coast, just as the Hunters had predicted. Said Hornbaker: "When we fly in the hurricane, our goal is to help save lives."