page_title: Timeline of the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season
section_title: September
hierarchical_section_title: Timeline of the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season / Timeline of storms / September
caption_attribution_description: The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument onboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured this true-color image of Hurricane Juan approximately 645 miles south of Halifax, Nova Scotia. At the time this image was taken on September 27, 2003, Juan was packing sustained winds of 85 mph and was moving to the north-northwest at 7 mph.
context_page_description: The 2003 Atlantic hurricane season was an active Atlantic hurricane season with tropical activity before and after the official bounds of the season – the first such occurrence in 50 years. The season officially began on June 1, 2003 and ended on November 30. However, a pre-season storm, Tropical Storm Ana, led to the season starting on April 20, and storm activity continued through December 11. The timeline includes information which was not operationally released, meaning that information from post-storm reviews by the National Hurricane Center, such as information on a storm that was not operationally warned upon, has been included. This timeline documents tropical cyclone formations, strengthening, weakening, landfalls, extratropical transitions, as well as dissipations during the season.
  This season had 21 tropical depressions, of which, 16 became named storms. Of these, 7 strengthened into hurricanes with 3 intensifying into major hurricanes. Hurricane Fabian, Hurricane Isabel, and Hurricane Juan had their names retired due to the impact caused in Bermuda, the eastern United States, and Nova Scotia respectively.
context_section_description: September 1
  2 p.m. AST (1800 UTC) – Hurricane Fabian reaches its peak intensity with winds of 145 mph (230 km/h) while located 310 mi (500 km) northeast of Barbuda.
  September 2
  7 a.m. CDT (1200 UTC) – Tropical Depression Grace dissipates as it gets absorbed by a frontal system.
  September 3
  2 a.m. AST (0600 UTC) – Hurricane Fabian weakens to a Category 3 hurricane.
  2 p.m. EDT (1800 UTC) – Tropical Depression Twelve forms 300 mi (480 km) west of Tampa, Florida.
  8 p.m. AST (0000 UTC September 4) – Hurricane Fabian re-intensifies into a Category 4 hurricane.
  September 4
  2 a.m. AST (0600 UTC) – Hurricane Fabian weakens to a Category 3 hurricane again.
  8 p.m. AST (0000 UTC September 5) – Hurricane Fabian re-intensifies into a Category 4 hurricane.
  September 5
  2 a.m. AST (0600 UTC) – Hurricane Fabian weakens to a Category 3 hurricane once more.
  2 a.m. EDT (0600 UTC) – Tropical Depression Twelve strengthens into Tropical Storm Henri.
  4 p.m. AST (2000 UTC) – Hurricane Fabian makes its closest approach to land, passing 14 mi (23 km) to the west of Bermuda with winds of 120 mph (180 km/h).
  8 p.m. EDT (0000 UTC September 6) – Tropical Storm Henri weakens to a tropical depression.
  8 p.m. AST (0000 UTC September 6) – Tropical Depression Thirteen forms 470 mi (755 km) west-southwest of Brava, Cape Verde.
  September 6
  2 a.m. AST (0600 UTC) – Tropical Depression Thirteen strengthens into Tropical Storm Isabel.
  5 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC) – Tropical Depression Henri makes landfall near Clearwater, Florida with winds of 35 mph (55 km/h).
  8 p.m. AST (0000 UTC September 7) – Hurricane Fabian weakens into a Category 2 hurricane.
  September 7
  8 a.m. AST (1200 UTC) – Hurricane Fabian weakens to a Category 1 hurricane.
  8 a.m. AST (1200 UTC) – Tropical Storm Isabel strengthens into a hurricane.
  September 8
  2 a.m. AST (0600 UTC) – Hurricane Isabel strengthens into a Category 2 hurricane.
  2 a.m. AST (0600 UTC) – Tropical Depression Fourteen forms 290 mi (465 km) southeast of the southernmost Cape Verde islands.
  8 a.m. AST (1200 UTC) – Hurricane Isabel strengthens into a major hurricane.
  2 p.m. AST (1800 UTC) – Hurricane Fabian loses tropical characteristics and becomes extratropical, while retaining hurricane-force winds, over the open waters of the north Atlantic Ocean.
  2 p.m. EDT (1800 UTC) – Tropical Depression Henri loses tropical characteristics and becomes extratropical shortly before dissipating.
  8 p.m. AST (0000 UTC September 9) – Hurricane Isabel strengthens into a Category 4 hurricane.
  September 9
  8 p.m. AST (0000 UTC September 10) – Hurricane Isabel weakens to a Category 3 hurricane.
  September 10
  8 a.m. AST (1200 UTC) – Hurricane Isabel re-intensifies into a Category 4 hurricane.
  2 p.m. AST (1800 UTC) – Tropical Depression Fourteen dissipates.
  September 11
  2 p.m. AST (1800 UTC) – Hurricane Isabel strengthens into a Category 5 hurricane, becoming the strongest storm of the season; winds peak at 165 mph (270 km/h) and the minimum pressure is 915 mbar (hPa; (27.03 inHg). At this time, Isabel is located 560 mi (900 km) northeast of Guadeloupe.
  September 12
  8 p.m. AST (0000 UTC September 13) – Hurricane Isabel weakens to a Category 4 hurricane.
  September 13
  2 p.m. AST (1800 UTC) – Hurricane Isabel re-intensifies into a Category 5 hurricane.
  8 p.m. AST (0000 UTC September 14) – Hurricane Isabel weakens to a Category 4 hurricane again.
  September 14
  2 p.m. AST (1800 UTC) – Hurricane Isabel re-intensifies into a Category 5 hurricane for the third and final time.
  8 p.m. AST (0000 UTC September 15) – Hurricane Isabel weakens to a Category 4 hurricane once more.
  September 15
  8 p.m. EST (0000 UTC September 16) – Hurricane Isabel weakens to a Category 3 hurricane.
  September 16
  8 a.m. (1200 UTC) – Hurricane Isabel weakens to a Category 2 hurricane.
  September 18
  1 p.m. EST (1700 UTC) – Hurricane Isabel makes landfall near Drum Inlet, North Carolina with winds of 105 mph (165 km/h).
  8 p.m. EST (0000 UTC September 19) – Hurricane Isabel weakens to a Category 1 hurricane.
  September 19
  2 a.m. EST (0600 UTC) – Hurricane Isabel weakens to a tropical storm.
  8 a.m. EST
caption: Hurricane Juan on September 27
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