On September 7, 1999 at 21Z, TD8 formed about 1000 miles east of Martinique in the Lesser Antilles. Less than 2.5 days later, the storm had reached Category 1 intensity.

The storm continued WNW and gained strength, eventually reaching a maximum intensity during the morning of Sep 13 with winds of 155mph and a central pressure of 921mb. The circulation associated with Floyd was over 1400 miles in diameter. He was a borderline CAT5 hurricane... and still headed toward the US east coast.

On the afternoon of Sep 14, Floyd went right over the northern Bahama islands with 140mph sustained winds, causing tremendous damage there. Shortly after this encounter, the hurricane began to head more northwesterly, threatening residents in FL, GA, SC, and NC. It was at this time that the "largest peacetime evacuation in the country's history" took place... 2.6 million coastal residents fled their homes for a safer inland location.

A more northerly motion began as the storm passed east of Jacksonville, FL, taking it toward Savannah, Charleston, and Wilmington. Buoys off the southeastern seaboard were recording wave heights of 30, 40, and up to 55 feet. In the early morning hours of Sep 16, Floyd made landfall on Cape Fear, NC with 110mph sustained winds. Flooding rains proved to be the largest impact the hurricane had on the United States... 16 states suffered some form of flash flood damage (some parts of SC and NC received about 2.5 feet of rain). Areas closer to landfall also had to contend with damaging winds and isolated tornadoes. In the end, Floyd was repsonsible for 56 American fatalities.

* FLOYD Updates, Forecasts, and Reports.


* Floyd's Aftermath. Photos by Allan Detrich.

	A GOES-8 image (enhanced IR, 4km res) of Floyd during peak intensity. Sustained winds were 155mph and the MSLP was 921mb. (Image courtesy of UW-CIMSS)
	A 3-channel composite of Floyd at peak intensity. Uses GOES Ch4 as red, Ch1 as green, and Ch2 for blue.
	A 3-channel composite of Floyd at peak intensity. Uses GOES-8 Ch2 for red, Ch1 for green, and Ch4 for blue.
	A 3-channel composite of Floyd as he passed directly over Abaco Island in the Bahamas. Uses AVHRR Ch1 for red, Ch2 for green, and Ch4 for blue. (Image courtesy of UW-Madison)
	GOES-8 infrared imagery just hours before Floyd made landfall on Cape Fear, NC on the morning of Sept 16. (Image courtesy of NASA GHCC)
	Base reflectivity from Wilmington's NEXRAD during Floyd's landfall. (Image courtesy of WSI Corp.)
	A national base reflectivity mosaic during Floyd's landfall. (Image courtesy of WSI Corp.)
	An IR (GOES-8 Ch4) image of Floyd just one hour after making landfall on Cape Fear, NC.
	A plot of Floyd's track... in PostScript format (zipped for space considerations).

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