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Hurricane Floyd facts for kids

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Hurricane Floyd
Category 4 major hurricane (SSHWS/NWS)
A view of Hurricane Floyd from Space on September 13, 1999. The storm is mature and well-defined, with a pronounced eye feature. Floyd is located over the Atlantic Ocean, and to the north and east of Cuba and Florida, respectively.
Hurricane Floyd at peak intensity on September 13 north of the Dominican Republic
Formed September 7, 1999 (1999-09-07)
Dissipated September 19, 1999
Highest winds 1-minute sustained: 155 mph (250 km/h)
Lowest pressure 921 mbar (hPa); 27.2 inHg
Fatalities 57 direct, 20–30 indirect
Damage $4.5 billion (1999 USD)
Areas affected The Bahamas, U.S. East Coast from Florida to Maine (particularly North Carolina), Atlantic Canada
Part of the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season

Hurricane Floyd was a very powerful and damaging storm that hit in 1999. It was the strongest, most expensive, and deadliest hurricane of the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season. At first, it looked like Hurricane Floyd was heading straight for Florida. It was a huge storm, about twice the size of Hurricane Andrew, which had caused a lot of damage before. If Floyd had hit Florida, it could have been even worse than Andrew.

But instead of Florida, Hurricane Floyd turned and struck North Carolina. It caused a lot of flooding from North Carolina all the way up to some states in New England. The storm left about $4.5 billion in damage across many states, from Florida to Maine. Sadly, Hurricane Floyd also caused the deaths of about 76 to 86 people in the United States. One person also died in The Bahamas.

Retirement of the Name Floyd

See also: List of retired Atlantic hurricane names

When a hurricane causes a lot of damage or deaths, its name is often "retired." This means the name won't be used again for another storm. The name Floyd was retired in the spring of 2000 because of how much destruction it caused. A new name, Franklin, was used instead in 2005 for a different storm.


Tropical cyclones of the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season
F
Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale
TD TS C1 C2 C3 C4 C5

Images for kids

  • Floyd1999NCLandfall

    Radar image of Hurricane Floyd hitting North Carolina.

  • Andrew-Floyd

    Visual comparison of Hurricane Floyd with Hurricane Andrew. They are shown at similar spots and strengths.

  • Floyd- Traffic

    People evacuating on Interstate 26 to escape the storm.

  • Floyd- Property Damage

    Damage to buildings near the coast at Pine Knoll Shores, North Carolina.

  • Floydfranklin

    Flooding in Franklin, Virginia, after the hurricane.

  • Floyd1999 accumulations bilingual

    Rainfall amounts in the United States and Canada from Floyd.

  • Ts-floyd-19990916-2345utc

    Tropical Storm Floyd over New England on September 16.

  • Floyd Tar River Flooding

    Flooding in Greenville, North Carolina along the Tar River.

  • Floyd runoff

    Water runoff after the hurricane.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Huracán Floyd para niños

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