Portal:Tropical cyclones/Featured article/Hurricane Juan



Hurricane Juan was a significant hurricane that struck much of Atlantic Canada in late September 2003. It was the tenth named storm and the sixth hurricane of the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season. Juan formed southeast of Bermuda on September 24, 2003 out of a tropical wave that tracked into the subtropical Atlantic Ocean. It strengthened gradually in the warm waters of the Gulf Stream, reaching Category 2 strength on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale on September 27 while continuing to track northward. It peaked at 105 mph (165 km/h) as it rapidly approached the coast of Nova Scotia, losing little intensity over the cooler waters. Juan made landfall on the coast of the Halifax Regional Municipality early on September 29 while still a Category 2 hurricane, and remained a hurricane across Nova Scotia and onto Prince Edward Island, weakening to a tropical storm over the island. It was absorbed by another extratropical low later on September 29 near Anticosti Island in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.

The storm left extensive damage across central Nova Scotia and into Prince Edward Island, with lesser damage east and west of the storm centre. Most of the damage was as a result of the high winds that whipped across the region. Juan resulted in eight fatalities and over $200 million (2003 USD) in damage. It was described as the worst storm to hit Halifax since 1893.

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