Hurricane Jeanne
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
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| Formed | September 13, 2004 as Tropical Depression Eleven |
| Wind Speed | 100 mph (160 km/h) |
| Category | Two |
| Territories affected | |
Hurricane Jeanne is the tenth named storm and the sixth hurricane of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season. It has affected the United States Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and the south-eastern Bahamas.
Storm history
Tropical Depression Eleven formed from a tropical wave 70 miles (110 km) east-southeast of Guadeloupe in the evening of September 13, and was upgraded to Tropical Storm Jeanne the next day. It passed south of the U.S. Virgin Islands on September 15 and made landfall near Yabucoa, Puerto Rico later the same day. After crossing Puerto Rico it reached hurricane strength on September 16 near the eastern tip of the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola, but fell back to tropical storm strength later that day as it moved inland across the Dominican Republic. Jeanne continued to move slowly over the Dominican Republic on September 17 before finally leaving the island late that afternoon. By that time, Jeanne had declined one more level, to tropical depression strength.
On September 18 while the system was being tracked near Great Inagua a new center formed well to the north-east and the previous circulation dissipated. The new center strengthened again becoming a hurricane on September 20.
Current status
At 11 am AST on September 22 (1500 UTC]), Jeanne was centered about 530 miles (855 km) east of Great Abaco moving south at 5 mph (7 km/h). Jeanne has strengthened to a Category 2 hurricane with winds of 100 mph (160 km/h).
The forecast track has Jeanne continuing its slow anticyclonic loop, curving to the west and then accelerating northwest. Recent advisories have moved the track steadily further west, and Jeanne could be threatening the northern Bahamas and the East Coast of the United States by the weekend. Dangerous surf and rip currents are likely on the US and Bahamas coasts for the next few days.
Impact
Most of the 4 million inhabitants of Puerto Rico were left without power, and 600,000 without running water. Landslides caused a large amount of damage to the exotic vegetation in the Caribbean National Forest. Seven people were reported killed.
During its slow progress over the northern Dominican Republic, the storm damaged many homes in the town of Samaná. At least 18 deaths are attributed to Jeanne in this country.
Heavy rains (totaling about 13 inches (33 cm)) in the northern mountains of Haiti caused severe flooding and mudslides in the Artibonite region of the country, causing particular damage in the coastal city of Gonaïves, where it affected about 80,000 of the city's 100,000 residents. As of late Tuesday, September 21, at least 691 people have been reported dead: 600 in Gonaïves, at least 40 in the neighboring town of Port-de-Paix, and 51 elsewhere in Haiti. [1], [2] [3]. Relief workers expect the total to rise even further, as at least 1,000 people are missing. The flooding occured well after the center of the storm had left Haiti, and outside the areas covered by storm warnings.
External links
- NHC's public advisory on Hurricane Jeanne - official forecasts.
- Hurricane Jeanne Pictures