Hurricane Gustav was a Category 2 hurricane that paralleled the

East Coast of the United States The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Eastern United States meets the North Atlantic Ocean. The eastern seaboard contains the coa ...

in September 2002 during the

2002 Atlantic hurricane season The 2002 Atlantic hurricane season was a near-average Atlantic hurricane season. It officially started on June 1, 2002, and ended on November 30, dates which conventionally limit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones deve ...

. It was the seventh named storm and first hurricane of the season. Initially a subtropical depression north of the

Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...

, Gustav passed just to the east of the

Outer Banks The Outer Banks (frequently abbreviated OBX) are a string of barrier islands and spits off the coast of North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, on the east coast of the United States. They line most of the North Carolina coastline, separating ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

as a tropical storm before traveling northeastward, making two landfalls in

Atlantic Canada Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (french: provinces de l'Atlantique), is the region of Eastern Canada comprising the provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec. The four provinces are New Brunswick, Newfoundlan ...

as a Category 1 hurricane. The storm was responsible for one death and $100,000 in damage, mostly in North Carolina. The interaction between Gustav and a non-tropical system produced strong winds that caused an additional $240,000 (2002 USD) in damage in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

, but this damage was not directly attributed to the hurricane. Gustav spent the early part of its existence as a subtropical storm, and was the first such storm to be named from the current lists by the

National Hurricane Center The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is the division of the United States' NOAA/National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting tropical weather systems between the Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian west poleward to the 3 ...

. Previously, subtropical storms were not given names. The cyclone was also the latest-forming first hurricane of the season since 1941.

Meteorological history

An area of disturbed weather in association with a weak surface trough and an upper-level trough between the

and

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = " Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , e ...

developed on September 6. High pressure ridging strengthened by Tropical Storm Fay caused the trough to become more organized and close off into a broad non-tropical low on September 7. By September 8, the system had developed enough convection near its center of circulation to be classified as subtropical depression Eight while located southeast of

Cape Hatteras Cape Hatteras is a cape located at a pronounced bend in Hatteras Island, one of the barrier islands of North Carolina. Long stretches of beach, sand dunes, marshes, and maritime forests create a unique environment where wind and waves shape ...

, North Carolina. Later that day, data from a Hurricane Hunter reconnaissance aircraft indicated that the system had strengthened into Subtropical Storm Gustav. Gustav moved erratically to the west-northwest toward the North Carolina-

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

border over the next two days. During this time it slowly strengthened, acquiring more tropical characteristics. On September 10, a poorly organized band of stronger winds developed around the center, and Gustav was designated a fully tropical storm Gustav then began to curve toward the north,brushing

, before accelerating toward the northeast and away from the coast. On September 11, while under the influence of a non-tropical system over New England, Gustav quickly strengthened into a hurricane. Gustav reached its peak intensity of 100 mph (160 km/h) later that same day. By early September 12, the hurricane had begun to slowly weaken and lose tropical characteristics, as it moved over colder waters and encountered increasing

wind shear Wind shear (or windshear), sometimes referred to as wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere. Atmospheric wind shear is normally described as either vertical or horizontal ...

. However, the storm was moving quickly enough to make landfall over

Cape Breton Cape Breton Island (french: link=no, île du Cap-Breton, formerly '; gd, Ceap Breatainn or '; mic, Unamaꞌki) is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18. ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

as a Category 1 hurricane. Later that morning, Gustav made a second landfall in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

and became

extratropical Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of p ...

shortly after. The extratropical low continued moving slowly to the northeast before dissipating over the

Labrador Sea The Labrador Sea (French: ''mer du Labrador'', Danish: ''Labradorhavet'') is an arm of the North Atlantic Ocean between the Labrador Peninsula and Greenland. The sea is flanked by continental shelf, continental shelves to the southwest, northwest, ...

on September 15.

Preparations

On September 8, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center predicted that Gustav would approach the

coast, and issued a

tropical storm watch Tropical cyclone warnings and watches are alerts issued by national weather forecasting bodies to coastal areas threatened by the imminent approach of a tropical cyclone of tropical storm or hurricane intensity. They are notices to the local popul ...

from Cape Fear to the North Carolina –

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

border. The tropical storm watch was upgraded to a tropical storm warning on September 9, and a new tropical storm watch was issued later that day for areas of southeastern Virginia, from the North Carolina – Virginia border to

New Point Comfort New Point Comfort is a point of land located in Mathews County at the tip of Virginia's Middle Peninsula in the lower Chesapeake Bay in the United States. It is the site of the New Point Comfort Natural Area Preserve and the New Point Comfort Ligh ...

. The new watch was upgraded to a tropical storm warning on September 10. As Gustav began to turn to the northeast and away from the Mid-Atlantic coast, the tropical storm warnings were gradually discontinued. The last warning was discontinued on September 11. As Gustav approached Atlantic Canada,

Environment Canada Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC; french: Environnement et Changement climatique Canada),Environment and Climate Change Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of the Environment ( ...

and the

Canadian Hurricane Centre The Canadian Hurricane Centre (CHC; french: Centre canadien de prévision des ouragans) is an organisation that monitors and warns of the threat of tropical cyclones such as hurricanes and tropical storms. CHC is a division of the Meteorological Se ...

issued heavy rain and wind warnings for southern

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...

, and

Impact

The Carolinas and Virginia

Although the center of Gustav passed just to the east of Cape Hatteras, areas of North Carolina and southeastern Virginia experienced heavy rain and tropical storm force winds. Parts of the Outer Banks received 2–5 inches (50–125 mm) of rain and winds of up to 50 mph (80 km/h), and the

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...

station at Cape Hatteras reported a wind gust of 78 mph (125 km/h). The storm produced

storm surge A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the n ...

s of 3– along the

, and 1– along the southeastern coast of Virginia. These surges, combined with strong winds and high sea swells, resulted in minor flooding, mainly in Ocracoke and Hatteras Village, North Carolina. A weak

waterspout A waterspout is an intense columnar vortex (usually appearing as a funnel cloud, funnel-shaped cloud) that occurs over a body of water. Some are connected to a cumulus congestus cloud, some to a cumuliform cloud and some to a cumulonimbus clou ...

also touched down on Silver Lake near Ocracoke and moved onshore, but only minor roof damage was reported. Sporadic power outages were also reported. One person died at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina after suffering injuries in the high surf, and 40 other people had to be rescued from riptides and storm surges. Damage in North Carolina amounted to $100,000 (2002 USD).

New Jersey

Although the center of Gustav remained well offshore, the difference in pressure between it and a

high pressure area A high-pressure area, high, or anticyclone, is an area near the surface of a planet where the atmospheric pressure is greater than the pressure in the surrounding regions. Highs are middle-scale meteorological features that result from interpl ...

located over the central

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, caused strong winds in areas of

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

on September 11. Wind gusts ranged from 35–45 mph (55–70 km/h), with stronger winds reported near the coast. A maximum wind gust of 60 mph (100 km/h) was reported at Keansburg. The strong winds downed trees and power lines throughout the eastern half of the state, damaging homes and blocking streets. At least 14,000 homes in the vicinity of

Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...

and Ocean Counties were left without power. In West Windsor Township, a man was killed when the upper section of a concrete wall he was working on blew over and crushed him. The other death occurred in

West Amwell Township West Amwell Township is a township in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 3,840, reflecting an increase of 1,457 (+61.1%) from the 2,383 counted in the 2000 Census, wh ...

, where a tree limb fell on two elderly women, killing one and injuring the other. Elsewhere, while there were reports of trees falling on vehicles, no other serious injuries or deaths were reported.

New York and New England

The interaction between Gustav and the non-tropical system caused strong winds that affected areas of coastal New England, mainly in eastern

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. Some areas reported

storm-force The Beaufort scale is an empirical measure that relates wind speed to observed conditions at sea or on land. Its full name is the Beaufort wind force scale. History The scale was devised in 1805 by the Irish hydrographer Francis Beaufo ...

wind gusts of over 55 mph (90 km/h), and a maximum wind gust of 67 mph (108 km/h) was reported by a weather spotter in

Catskill, New York Catskill is a town in the southeastern section of Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 11,298 at the 2020 census, the largest town in the county. The western part of the town is in the Catskill Park. The town contains a v ...

. Wind gusts of up to 50 mph (80 km/h) were reported in areas of Massachusetts. The winds downed trees and power lines, and several homes and cars were damaged by fallen trees. Over 29,000 homes were left without power in eastern New York, and 19,000 homes lost power in Massachusetts. In all, the winds caused $240,000 (2002 USD) in damage, but this damage was not directly attributed to Gustav in the National Hurricane Center's analysis. In the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

area, a peak wind gust of 60 mph (100 km/h) was reported at

John F. Kennedy International Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport (colloquially referred to as JFK Airport, Kennedy Airport, New York-JFK, or simply JFK) is the main international airport serving New York City. The airport is the busiest of the seven airports in the Ne ...

. The winds caused some minor roof damage to buildings, and forced officials in

to cordon off parts of

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

as debris ranging from wrapping paper to crushed soda cans was blown about. This debris injured four people, one critically, and disrupted a

9/11 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...

memorial service, though it continued as planned. Sustained winds of 25–35 mph (40–55 km/h), with gusts up to 55 mph (90 km/h), were reported throughout

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

. Damage on the island was mainly limited to downed trees and power lines, although the

Long Island Power Authority Long Island Power Authority (LIPA, "lie-pah") is a municipal subdivision of the State of New York that owns the electric transmission and electric distribution system serving all of Long Island and a portion of New York City known as the Rocka ...

reported that at least 93,000 homes lost power during the day on September 11. One person was killed when his boat capsized in the

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...

Atlantic Canada

Despite gradually losing its tropical characteristics, Gustav brought heavy rain, storm and hurricane-force winds, and storm surges to areas of

for several days. Strong winds knocked down trees and damaged docks in Nova Scotia, and a wind gust of 75 mph (122 km/h) was reported on

Sable Island Sable Island (french: île de Sable, literally "island of sand") is a small Canadian island situated southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and about southeast of the closest point of mainland Nova Scotia in the North Atlantic Ocean. The island i ...

. Gusts to over 60 mph (100 km/h) were reported in Newfoundland, for several days after the center of Gustav moved out of the area. Rainfall amounts generally ranged from 0.3–2.7 inches (10–70 mm), with a maximum of 4 inches (102 mm) in Ashdale, Nova Scotia. Several locations set new daily rainfall records. Localized flooding was reported in areas of

, and 4,000 people in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...

and

Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlottetown was an unincorporated town until it was incorporated as a city in 1 ...

were left without power. Despite the heavy rain and wind, there were no reports of deaths or significant damage in Atlantic Canada.

Naming and records

Gustav was the first subtropical storm to be given a name from the current name lists by the National Hurricane Center. Prior to the 2002 season, Atlantic subtropical storms were either not named, given a number from a separate numbering list than tropical cyclones, or for a brief period of time, given a name from the

NATO phonetic alphabet The (International) Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet, commonly known as the NATO phonetic alphabet, is the most widely used set of clear code words for communicating the letters of the Roman alphabet, technically a ''radiotelephonic spellin ...

. Normally, an average of three hurricanes form by September 11 of each year. Gustav attained hurricane status on September 11, making it the latest first hurricane to form in any season for 60 years, since the 1941 season, when the first hurricane developed on September 16.

References

{{Featured article

Gustav Gustav, Gustaf or Gustave may refer to: *Gustav (name), a male given name of Old Swedish origin Art, entertainment, and media * ''Primeval'' (film), a 2007 American horror film * ''Gustav'' (film series), a Hungarian series of animated short cart ...

Gustav (2002) Gustav (2002) 2002 natural disasters in the United States