Tidal Flooding From Isabel

October 03, 2003

Isabelflooding


Provided by: Bill Taylor
Summary authors & editors: Bill Taylor; Jim Foster

The above photo was taken the day after Tropical Storm Isabel (formerly Hurricane Isabel) roared through the Chesapeake Bay area (September 19, 2003). It was captured on the grounds of the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Many cities and communities along the shores of the Chesapeake, (including Baltimore) were partially submerged by record water levels as a result of Isabel's tidal surge -- over 9 ft (3 m) in some areas. Even though Isabel made landfall in North Carolina as a category 1 hurricane (on the Saffir-Simpson Scale), the tidal surge in the Chesapeake Bay was comparable to a category 3 storm.

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