Hurricane Juan

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This article is about the 2003 hurricane; there was also a Hurricane Juan during the 1985 Atlantic hurricane season.

Template:Infobox hurricane Hurricane Juan was an Atlantic hurricane that struck Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island in September 2003.

1 Storm history
2 Impact
3 Aftermath
- 3.1 Retirement
4 Images
5 References
6 See also
7 External links

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Storm history

Template:Storm path

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Organizing

Juan formed on September 24, 2003 as a tropical depression southwest of the Azores; it was measured at 1200 UTC at 28.2ºN 62.4ºW with a wind speed of 30 mph (50 km/h). Over the next day, the depression tracked first in a westerly direction toward Bermuda, then on Thursday September 25, the depression began to organize and turned northwest<ref></ref>, being influenced by the leading edge of an unusual south-north dip in the jet stream that was currently tracking along the eastern seaboard.

Reaching 28.4ºN 62.0ºW at 6:00 pm ADT, September 25<ref></ref>, Juan had intensified into a tropical storm with winds measuring 40 mph (65 km/h) and by 6:00 am ADT, Friday September 26<ref></ref> had winds measuring 65 mph (100 km/h). At this time the storm was crossing the waters of the Gulf Stream, which were unusually warm for this time of year in this part of the northwest Atlantic. 6 hours later at 12:00 pm ADT September 26<ref></ref>, Juan was classified as a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale and the storm's track was wavering slightly to the northeast.

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Course change

At 12:00 am ADT Saturday, September 27<ref></ref>, Juan changed course and came under increasing influence of the northerly flowing jetstream, with a projected track placing it on course for landfall in central Nova Scotia; its winds being measured at 80 mph (130 km/h). Warning broadcasts on local media in Atlantic Canada were changed accordingly and the public and emergency officials in the expected landfall area were told to make preparations for a potential disaster. At 6:00 pm ADT, Saturday, September 27<ref></ref>, Juan's winds were measured at 105 mph (170 km/h), and the storm was reclassified as a stronger category 2 hurricane. The storm maintained this intensity through 6:00 ADT, Sunday, September 28<ref></ref> and was moving directly north toward the western urban core of the Halifax Regional Municipality. Media warnings continued, largely unheeded by the general public, many of whom were not taking the threat seriously, or were not listening to broadcast media over the weekend.

At 12:00 pm ADT September 28<ref></ref>, Juan's winds were downgraded slightly to 100 mph (160 km/h) and maintained this category 2 strength until it made landfall at Prospect, Nova Scotia, 20 miles (30 km) southwest of Halifax Harbour at 12:10 am ADT, Monday September 29, 2003.<ref></ref>

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Landfall

Upon making landfall on the central Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, the storm continued to move to the north extremely rapidly, the eye moving over Mount Uniacke, Nova Scotia at approximately 1:00 am ADT September 29<ref>http://www.atl.ec.gc.ca/weather/hurricane/juan/track_e.html</ref> with winds measuring 85 mph (140 km/h), downgrading it to a strong category 1 hurricane.

During the next hour, the storm moved across western Hants County and crossed the cooler waters of the Minas Basin, and was north of Bass River, Nova Scotia at 2:00 am ADT September 29<ref>http://www.atl.ec.gc.ca/weather/hurricane/juan/track_e.html</ref> with winds measuring 80 mph (130 km/h).

By 3:00 am ADT September 29<ref>http://www.atl.ec.gc.ca/weather/hurricane/juan/track_e.html</ref>, Juan had completely crossed peninsular Nova Scotia and was in the Northumberland Strait northwest of Pugwash, Nova Scotia with winds measuring 75 mph (120 km/h).

Roughly 20 minutes later, the storm made a second landfall on Prince Edward Island passing over the Confederation Bridge and hitting west of Borden-Carleton, Prince Edward Island. The storm tracked rapidly over the eastern part of Prince County and completely crossed that part of the province into the Gulf of St. Lawrence within 40 minutes. Western sections of Prince County were virtually unaffected by Juan. Juan was measured at 4:00 am ADT September 29<ref>http://www.atl.ec.gc.ca/weather/hurricane/juan/track_e.html</ref> in the Gulf of St. Lawrence north of Kensington, Prince Edward Island with winds measuring 70 mph (110 km/h) and was downgraded to a tropical storm.

Crossing the much colder waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence that morning, Juan made its third landfall on the southeastern shore of Anticosti Island around 8:00 am ADT September 29<ref></ref> and was north of that island in the Jacques Cartier Strait by 9:00 am ADT, after which the storm was further downgraded to a tropical depression. Juan rapidly became extratropical as the depression moved across the eastern part of Labrador.

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Impact

Juan caused widespread damage in central Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Juan claimed more lives (at least 8) in Atlantic Canada and eastern Quebec than any other extreme weather event since the 1959 Escuminac Hurricane killed 35 fishermen in the southwestern Gulf of St. Lawrence on June 20 1959.

Hurricane Juan's maximum sustained wind speed at landfall in Nova Scotia were measured at 100 mph (160 km/h).<ref>http://www.atl.ec.gc.ca/weather/hurricane/juan/track_e.html</ref>; the majority of severe property damage was concentrated in the western urban core of the Halifax Regional Municipality; namely the Chebucto Peninsula and the Halifax Peninsula, areas surrounding the Halifax Harbour and Bedford Basin, areas along the Eastern Shore toward Sheet Harbour, Nova Scotia and areas inland through to southern Colchester County. Less severe property damage was recorded west of the storm's track into St. Margaret's Bay and Mahone Bay, as well as Hants County and Cumberland County, as well as Queens County and Prince County in Prince Edward Island. In addition to Halifax Regional Municipality's urban core, the town of Truro and city of Charlottetown were urban areas which also experienced significant property damage.

The urban concentration surrounding Halifax Harbour bore the brunt of the highest sustained winds and strongest wind gusts during the storm; some unofficial estimates have placed gusts as high as 145 mph (230 km/h). Wave-rider weather buoys off the entrance of Halifax Harbour snapped their moorings after reportedly recording waves in excess of 20 metres (65 feet). Significant erosion occurred on the populated shores of the harbour, particularly in the Bedford Basin where residential properties and railway tracks bore the brunt of wave action. The severity of property damage in the urban core of Halifax Regional Municipality initially led some forecasters to believe that Juan was likely a Category 3 hurricane, however the sustained wind reports did not justify that suggestion; many of the deciduous trees in central Nova Scotia still had leaves, which magnified the effects of wind damage.

Juan was the first hurricane of significant strength since 1893 to pass near Halifax Harbour; in that year a Category 3 hurricane - one of only two to ever hit Canada - made landfall at St. Margaret's Bay. Halifax Harbour did receive a near-direct hit from Category 1 Hurricane Edna on September 11, 1954.

Image:Barrington.jpg Juan left more than 300,000 people without power in both Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. It took up to a week and a half to restore power to the hardest hit rural areas of Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore and the Musquodoboit River valley. Voting in the PEI general election on September 29, 2003 was also disrupted but more than 80% of voters made it to polling stations.

70% of the trees in Halifax's Point Pleasant Park were destroyed, fundamentally changing the character of the large urban park. The Halifax Public Gardens was also badly damaged. Charlottetown's waterfront sustained heavy wave damage to pleasure craft and sea walls, as well as significant damage to the older urban forest in that city's downtown core.

Juan claimed 8 lives in Nova Scotia and Quebec, although those lost in the latter province were actually fishermen from New Brunswick operating near Anticosti Island. Template:Clearleft

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Aftermath

Hurricane Juan spurred residents, governments, utilities, and emergency management agencies throughout Atlantic Canada to improve preparations for devastating events such as natural disasters, particularly with climatological data pointing to increased frequency of major ocean storms and extra-tropical cyclones. (2003 was a bad year for hurricanes impacting Canada. In addition to Juan, three other storms - Fabian, Isabel and Kate - had a significant effect on land or offshore.)

Preparations and planning have been underway since 2003 and were tested most recently when Hurricane Ophelia was forecast to brush near Nova Scotia in early September 2005. Hurricane Juan has also resulted in several changes to the Meteorological Service of Canada's Canadian Hurricane Centre, which has relocated from a vulnerable and exposed office building in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia to a more secure location that can withstand hurricane damage. CHC's hurricane warning system has also been improved; traditionally, CHC did not issue standard hurricane or tropical storm watches or warnings (just high wind and heavy rainfall warnings), which were not heeded by local residents. Beginning in the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season, CHC began using standard hurricane warnings for storms potentially affecting Canada.

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Retirement

Template:Seealso Because of its effects in Canada, the name Juan was retired in April 2004 and will never again be used for an Atlantic hurricane. It was the first time that the Meteorological Service of Canada had specifically requested a hurricane name be retired; most hurricanes which have affected Canada in the past had previously caused damage elsewhere, usually along the US East Coast. The name was replaced by Joaquin for the Template:Tcseason.

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