| Category 3 major hurricane (SSHS) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Duration | |
| Formed | November 16, 2018 |
| Dissipated | November 24, 2018 |
| Strength | |
| Highest winds | 115 mph (1-minute sustained) |
| Lowest pressure | 953 mbar |
| Impact | |
| Damages | $1.2 billion |
| Direct fatalities | {{{direct fatalities}}} |
| Areas affected | Bahamas, United States East Coast |
| Part of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season | |
HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE, if you live in the United States! This is a storm that I would hope that wouldn't happen on Thanksgiving, but Thanksgiving is still in hurricane season after all.
Hurricane Sara was a major hurricane that struck the mid-Atlantic United States on Thanksgiving Day. Sara was the 19th named storm, 11th hurricane, and 5th major hurricane of the active 2018 Atlantic hurricane season. Sara formed near the Bahamas and rapidly intensified after exiting the islands, becoming a category 3 hurricane briefly before weakening to a Category 1 hurricane at landfall.
Meteorological History[]
The track of Sara. Sara was one of the rare storms to make a westward turn, similar to Hurricane Sandy.
On November 13, the NHC began monitoring an upper-level low east of the Bahamas for possible tropical cyclogenesis. The low slowly organized itself over the next few days. Due to the system's improved circulation, the NHC designated the system Tropical Depression Twenty-One on November 16. One was named Tropical Storm Sara on November 17. Sara remained a tropical storm for two days while it passed over the Bahamas due to land interaction and moderate wind shear, but after the system exited the Bahamas on November 19, low wind shear allowed the storm to enter rapid intensification, becoming a category 1 hurricane by early on November 20. On November 20, Sara intensified from 80 mph winds at 4am to 115 mph winds at 10pm. Due to increasing shear, Sara weakened back to a category 2 on November 21. Early on November 22, Sara weakened to a category 1 hurricane with 85 mph winds. Sara made landfall later that day, Thanksgiving Day, near Washington, DC, causing the annual turkey pardoning celebration to be canceled. Sara caused 17 deaths during its path, most of which were in Maryland and Virginia. Sara dumped several inches of rain in the mid-Atlantic, while North Carolina southward and New Jersey northward was mostly spared from the storm.
Impact[]
The name Sara was not retired. It was available for re-use in future years.