Hurricane Juan

Category 2 Atlantic hurricane in 2003

Hurricane Juan was a category 2 hurricane that hit Halifax and the Nova Scotia area on September 29th, 2003, just after midnight. It caused hundreds of people to have to evacuate their homes as part of a local state of emergency, and there were hurricane warnings issued for the people of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

Hurricane Juan
Category 2 hurricane (SSHWS/NWS)
Hurricane Juan approaching Nova Scotia as a 100mph hurricane
FormedSeptember 24, 2003
DissipatedSeptember 29, 2003
Highest winds1-minute sustained: 105 mph (170 km/h)
Lowest pressure969 mbar (hPa); 28.61 inHg
Fatalities4 direct, 4 indirect
Damage$200 million (2003 USD)
Areas affectedAtlantic Canada (primarily Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island)
Part of the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season

How it formed

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Hurricane Juan started out as a Tropical Depression near Bermuda. Around 6 hours later it was upgraded to a Tropical Storm. 18 hours after that, it became what we know as the devastating Hurricane Juan.

The cause of the hurricane was the temperature of the Atlantic Ocean. Normally, the cool waters of the Atlantic Ocean cause hurricanes to dissipate as they head north, but that day, the water had been 3°C warmer than the average temperature, causing the hurricane to instead, speed up and accelerate, which caused it to hit Halifax and other parts of Nova Scotia with unusually strong gusts of wind reaching over 188 km/h, heavy rain, flying debris, and surf.

Damages

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Hurricane Juan killed eight people (directly and indirectly), left over $200 million in damages, and had 800,000 - 900,000 people without power for just under 2 weeks (13 and a half days). Point Pleasant Park lost roughly 70% of its trees due to the strong wind gusts that swept them away.

Retirement

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Because of the damage that Juan caused, the name was retired. It was the first time Canada had put in a request to retire a storm name. In the 2009 storm season, Juan was replaced with Joaquin.

Tropical cyclones of the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season

Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale
TD TS C1 C2 C3 C4 C5

Resources

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https://novascotia.ca/natr/forestry/programs/ecosystems/juan/#:~:text=The%20Category%202%20hurricane%20hit,sustained%20gusts%20of%20185%20kmph.

https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna3088270

https://www.ec.gc.ca/ouragans-hurricanes/default.asp?lang=en&n=B1A7B85A-1

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/hurricane-juan-remembered-as-violent-destructive-storm-1.1871225

https://globalnews.ca/news/3776504/a-look-back-at-hurricane-juan-14-years-after-it-tore-through-atlantic-canada/