page_title: Hurricane Alex (2004)
section_title: Impact
hierarchical_section_title: Hurricane Alex (2004) / Impact
caption_attribution_description: The MODIS instrument onboard NASA's Terra satellite captured this true-color image of Hurricane Alex on August 3, 2004 at 12:00 PM EDT. At the time this image was taken Alex had maximum sustained winds of 100 mph with higher gusts. Storm surges of 2-4 feet, heavy surf, and rip currents are expected to affect the entire Atlantic shoreline. According to the Tropical Prediction Center, Alex is moving towards the northeast at 15 mph and is expected to maintain that course over the next 24 hours. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions and formats.
context_page_description: Hurricane Alex was one of the northernmost major hurricanes on record, and whose formation marked the fifth-latest start to a season on record. The first named storm, the first hurricane, and the first major hurricane of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season, Alex developed from the interaction between an upper-level low and a weak surface trough on July 31 to the east of Jacksonville, Florida. It moved northeastward, and strengthened to attain winds of 100 mph before passing within 10 miles of the Outer Banks coast. Alex strengthened further and reached a peak of 120 mph winds while off the coast of New England, one of only six hurricanes to reach Category 3 status north of 38° N. Alex caused a scare of a hurricane-force direct hit in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, which had been devastated by Hurricane Isabel less than a year earlier.
  The hurricane produced light damage in the Outer Banks, primarily from flooding and high winds. Over 100 houses were damaged, while numerous cars were disabled from the flooding. Damage totaled about $7.5 million. Alex produced strong waves and rip tides along the East Coast of the United States, causing one death and several injuries.
context_section_description: While drifting off the coast of Florida, Alex produced rip currents and strong waves along the North Carolina coast resulting in nine lifeguard rescues from the surf. Upon moving by the Outer Banks, a storm surge of up to 6 feet (1.8 m) occurred on the Pamlico Sound side of Buxton and Ocracoke Village. The flooding on Ocracoke Island was the worst since Hurricane Gloria nineteen years earlier. Elsewhere on the Outer Banks, waters rose 2–4 feet (0.6–1.2 m) above normal. Rainfall directly along the coast amounted to over 5 inches (127 mm), while Ocracoke experienced 7.55 inches (192 mm). Maximum sustained winds peaked at 88 mph (124 km/h), and gusts peaked at 115 mph (169 km/h) in Morehead City. Beach erosion was minor along much of North Carolina's coastline, with the exception of Ocracoke Island where erosion was significant.
  Cape Fear experienced minor beach erosion. The erosion, combined with high waves, washed out a portion of a roadway. The heavy rainfall in the Outer Banks disabled over 200 cars and flooded nearly 500. Strong wind gusts left around 10,000 buildings without power. Many places were not restored for two to three days after the storm. Wind and storm surge damaged over 100 houses and buildings. Damage amounted to about $7.5 million (2004 USD). Two days after the storm passed, a man drowned off of Nags Head from strong rip currents and waves. This was the only direct casualty from the storm.
  Alex's outer rainbands produced heavy rainfall across Virginia, peaking at over 7 inches (178 mm) in the center of the state. The rainfall caused localized flooding, but there was no reported damage in the state. In Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, rip currents produced by the storm injured three people. A few young children had to be rescued when they were trapped by a jetty. In New Jersey, the strong surf and rip currents hospitalized at least five swimmers.
  Alex's extratropical remnants sank the Pink Lady, a rowboat carrying four British rowers attempting to break the record for fastest crossing from St. John's, Newfoundland to Falmouth, Cornwall. They were rescued by a Danish cargo ship, and injuries were limited to a mild concussion and a case of hypothermia. The rowers were roughly two weeks and 370 miles (595 km) from their destination. The group had been on track to break the 1896 record of 54 days by 10 days.
caption: Hurricane Alex near Outer Banks on August 3
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