| Category 5 hurricane (SSHS) | |
|---|---|
 Hurricane Eduardo, as a weak category one hurricane. | |
| Formed | June 8 |
| Dissipated | June 20 |
| Fatalities | 3,000 |
| Damage | $150 billion (2020 USD) |
| Areas affected | Much of the Mid-Atlantic States, Delaware, Maryland, Washington, D.C., [1], |
| Part of the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season (Disasters GoOn's version) | |
Hurricane Eduardo was a major Category 5 hurricane that hit the Mid-Atlantic States full-force on June 17, 2020. The 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season was already devastating with Hurricanes Aaron, which devastated the Bahamas, and Hurricane Danielle, which devastated Belize City.
Meteorological History[]
Hurricane Eduardo started out as a normal tropical depression off the Cape Verde Islands on June 8. The hurricane took two days to ascend into a tropical storm, and when it did, it was a weak tropical storm, with 45 mph (72 km/h) winds. The hurricane reached hurricane status on June 12, and then reached Category 2 strength on June 14. By the end of June 15, the hurricane was a Category 3, with winds reaching 115 mph (185 km/h).
On June 16, the hurricane was measured to be a Category 5, with winds up to 160 mph (255 km/h). By June 17, the hurricane was at its strongest point, just 600 miles (960 km) east of Florida, with winds reaching 190 mph (305 km/h), a pressure of 893 millibars, and a wind swath that was bigger than Hurricane Danielle, with hurricane-force winds extending 90 miles (145 km) from the eye, and tropical-storm-force winds extending 200 miles (320 km) from the 20-mile-wide eye, with a radius of maximum winds estimated to be 25 miles across. Later that day, the hurricane was caught in a jet stream, which carried it north, toward the northern Atlantic States, particularly Virginia, Maryland, and New Jersey, and increased the hurricane's forward speed, from 15 mph (24 km/h) to 25 mph (40 km/h).
On June 19, at approximately 2133 hours EST, Hurricane Eduardo struck Norfolk and Virginia Beach as a Category 5, with a pressure of 908 millibars and a sustained wind reaching 175 miles per hour (280 km/h), with gusts pushing 210 mph (335 km/h). It moved inland at a speed of 25 mph, sustaining Category 4-force as far as Washington, D.C.
By June 20, the hurricane had dissipated over parts of Pennsylvania, finally ending the destruction of Eduardo.
Impact[]
At sometime around 9:33 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on June 19, Eduardo made landfall just 20 miles south of Virginia Beach. The hurricane moved inland, producing winds of 175 mph (280 km/h) and a recorded storm surge of 26 feet (8 meters). The hurricane moved inland at a speed of up to 25 mph (40 km/h).
When Eduardo hit Virginia, the hurricane hit with the force of an atomic bomb, destroying thousands of structures with high winds. Chesapeake, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach reported winds of 175 mph, and Chesapeake reported a gust of 211 mph (337 km/h). The hurricane brought with it a storm surge of over 26 feet (8 meters), flooding over 50,000 structures and killing hundreds more. At the Norfolk City Hall, a barometer recorded a pressure of 908 millibars (26.82 inHg), indicating that Eduardo is one of the most intense landfalling hurricanes in US history. The hurricane continued northwest, toward Washington, D.C., where the hurricane hit with 145 mph (233 km/h) winds, and it complicated matters even more by bringing with it a storm surge of 23 feet, which lead to massive amounts of flooding in Washington, D.C., killing over 500 there. Hundreds more died in Baltimore, Richmond, Arlington, and other major cities. Many died from major tornadoes that touched down during the storm, the worst being an EF5 tornado that traveled a 25-mile-long path and slammed into Baltimore with winds exceeding 225 mph (360 km/h), killing over 250 people and causing $5 billion in damage. Dozens more died in locations as far north as Delaware and even New Jersey, due to the storm's enormous circulation.
Eduardo had killed a total of 3,000 people. Of that number, 2,000 died in Norfolk and Virginia Beach. Another 1,000 died in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and other cities. Damages exceeded $150 billion, and since Washington, D.C. was affected by the hurricane, the government was forced to abandon the White House for over a month.
Aftermath[]
When Eduardo hit the state of Virginia, many towns in the Tidewater Region were evacuated, but thousands were still trapped in many of the cities. The storm system left much of Washington, D.C. underwater, and since the Capital, White House, and many other essential government structures were damaged in the region, the capital was temporarily moved to Charleston, West Virginia. It remained the capital for about three weeks until the government structures could be repaired. The storm left much of the region devastated. It will likely be years for the region to return to normal, and it's predicted that the region's recovery will be hampered by the rapidly rising sea levels.