Hurricane Isabel formed at the African coast on September 1st, 2003. After reaching category 5 strength 10 days later, Isabel was said to be the strongest hurricane to hit the Atlantic for 5 years.
On September 18th and 19th of 2003, Isabel hit the eastern cost of the United States. Though her wind field was weakening, Isabel managed to flood the Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States, with 8 feet of water.
Meteorologists claimed that a storm like Isabel only comes around about once every century. ABC News later reported that Isabel would end up costing $1 billion on insurance claims.
