The hurricane made landfall in southwestern Florida at peak intensity, the strongest hurricane to hit the United States since Hurricane Andrew twelve years prior. Before Charley, Disney had only closed its parks once before, ahead of Hurricane Floyd in 1999. Three people in Maryland died due to a plane crash related to the storm. [13] Light rainfall and gusty winds extended into the New York metropolitan area. August 11, 2004: Charley is designated as a Category 1 hurricane with a location south of Jamaica. Hurricane Charley was the second hurricane to threaten the East Coast of the United States within a year's timeframe, after Hurricane Gloria of 1985. For residents in the state of Florida, it’s a hurricane season that will be remembered for a lifetime. It reached peak intensity, with sustained winds of 150 mph, just before making landfall on Cayo Costa, just west of Fort Myers. Damage on the island $75,000 (1986 USD). [8], As Charley moved across eastern North Carolina, hurricane warnings were extended northward, first to Virginia Beach; they were later extended to Cape Charles, then to the Maryland/Delaware border, and ultimately as far north as Sandy Hook, New Jersey. "[10] Initially, the storm was not expected to affect land. [8] In New Jersey, a hurricane force wind gust was reported on Long Beach Island, and 1.3 in (33 mm) of rainfall was reported in Atlantic City. More: Hurricane Charley anniversary: Storm's devastation recalled 15 years later. [14] As it moved ashore, the storm generated high tides reaching 5.78 feet (1.76 metres) at the Duck Coe fishing pier. It gradually weakened ove… The storm also left roads blocked by fallen trees and power lines. [6] In Wales, Charley produced record-breaking daily rainfall, which surpassed 4 inches (100 mm) in Dyfed. But only weeks after Charley, Disney and other Orlando theme parks would shut down again for Hurricane Jeanne. As the storm passes Grand Cayman, Hurricane Charley is upgraded to a Category 2 storm, then a Category 3 storm as it approaches Cuba. On August 13, Charley made landfall on Florida’s southwest coast as a strong Category 4 hurricane. [19], After Charley became extratropical, the United Kingdom Met Office issued weather alerts prior to the arrival of the storm, noting the potential for "extremely heavy rainfall [which would] cause local flooding. August 13, 2004: Hurricane Charley begins heading north-northeast toward the southwest region of Florida. The following image from NASA shows Hurricane Charley just south of Cuba on August 11, 2004: The following image shows Hurricane Charley as it approaches Florida on August 13, 2004 just before reaching category 4 status. [24] The passage of the storm left heavy crop damage, part of a larger period of poor agriculture in the country. [21] Throughout the country, the storm caused at least thirteen deaths, four of which were drownings in flooded rivers; one death was caused by a heart attack while being evacuated from flooding. Then, Hurricane Frances made landfall in the state of Florida at Hutchinson Island on September 5. When Charley hit Orlando later, the storm had weakened and had winds of roughly 85 mph, however wind gusts of up to 105 mph were reported at the Orlando International Airport. Charley existed during the timeframe of August 9 to August 15 during the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season. It hit several Caribbean countries as a category 5 storm before causing significant damage to both Alabama and Florida in the Gulf of Mexico. Charley later attained hurricane status before moving across eastern North Carolina. Cuba sustained significant damage as well as a handful of deaths. [13] Rainfall in Virginia was fairly light, including a 24-hour total of just over 1 in (25 mm) in Norfolk. "[9] In the United Kingdom, the threat of the storm resulted in the cancellation of ferry service between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, as well between Great Britain and France. [6] Within 12 hours of reaching peak intensity, however, the hurricane weakened to tropical storm status. [10], Thunderstorms to the north of the circulation brought moderate rainfall to Maryland; the same thunderstorms caused a light aircraft to crash near Baltimore, resulting in the death of its three occupants. It was the most powerful storm to hit Orlando in years. Orlando’s theme parks, Including Walt Disney World and SeaWorld, were forced to close early. [1], Officials issued gale warnings through Chatham, Massachusetts, including Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. The storm weakened as it approached the Florida panhandle and eventually made landfall at Gulf Shores, Alabama with winds of 120 mph. After pummeling Southwest Florida, Charley moved inland. Hurricanes Frances, Ivan and Jeanne would follow Charley in 2004, making that year Florida’s most destructive hurricane season on record. [8] The hurricane's passage left roads and bridges flooded with up to 3 ft (0.91 m) of water, including a portion of North Carolina Highway 12 on Hatteras Island. After moving off the coast of South Carolina, the system transitioned into a tropical cyclone and intensified into a tropical storm on August 15. The third tropical storm and second hurricane of the season, Charley formed as a subtropical lowon August 13 along the Florida panhandle. 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, which was less intense than Charley at landfall, brought storm surge of over 20 feet to some parts of the Mississippi coast. [14] The system also produced light to moderate rainfall across Georgia and South Carolina,[14] which proved beneficial as the region was in a major drought. The resulting storm was a very large and fairly strong gale that gradually moved across the northern Atlantic Ocean. Charley was a category 4 hurricane with winds up to 145 mph when it hit the state of Florida near the Punta Gorda / Port Charlotte area of Southwest Florida. Altamonte Springs recorded a gust of 101 mph. [15] The cyclone dropped rainfall along the coastline, amounting to over 7 in (175 mm) near Manteo. Charley lasted from August 9 to August 14, peaking as a 150 mph (240 km/h) Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. Charley was a category 4 hurricane with winds up to 145 mph when it hit the state of Florida near the Punta Gorda / Port Charlotte area of Southwest Florida. In the country, the rainfall caused widespread flooding, causing two rivers to exceed their banks. Charley passes over the Dry Tortugas with winds of roughly 110 mph. When Hurricane Charley neared Florida, many on the western coast of the state assume the storm would make landfall in or near the Tampa region (in fact, many Tampa residents fled the area and moved inland toward the Central Florida region which then got hit by the storm! [16] Near Cape Hatteras, a woman drowned while attempting to drive through a flooded roadway. An hour later, Hurricane Charley strikes Punta Gorda with 145 mph winds before passing through Port Charlotte. Hurricane Charley was a small but powerful hurricane. [15] Strong waves destroyed 250 ft (76 m) of Harrison's Pier in Norfolk. [8], Moving across eastern North Carolina as a minimal hurricane, Charley produced locally strong wind gusts, peaking at 80 mph (130 km/h) in Frisco.