Hurricane Irma: Herndon's 4 Worst Tropical Storms In The 21st Century

Hurricane Irma is currently churning down in the Caribbean as a massive category 5 hurricane, threatening to strike Florida very soon. And although its track is uncertain, it's possible it could suddenly veer north and head toward the Herndon area. Here's the four worst tropical storms that struck the D.C. region in the 21st century, and how they affected our area.

1. Hurricane Isabel (2003)

Isabel remains to date the costliest disaster in the history of Virginia, causing $1.85 billion in damage. It made landfall on the Outer Banks of North Carolina Sept. 18, 2003, and entered Virginia as a category 1 hurricane, moving straight toward the D.C. area. Isabel caused a huge storm surge of 9.5 feet in Alexandria, although rainfall was fairly light in the region between 1 and 3 inches. A total of 160 homes and 60 condos in Fairfax County were washed out, and another 2,000 units were damaged from flooding. Flooding and downed trees destroyed two houses and damaged 192 more in Arlington County, with the storm surge flooding a parking lot at Reagan National Airport. Damage in Fairfax County totaled $18 million.

2. Hurricane Ivan (2004)

Ivan slammed into the Gulf Coast near the Florida/Alabama state line as a category 3 hurricane in September 2004, and then moved along the Appalachian Mountains until it rolled into the D.C. area. The storm spawned 40 tornadoes in Virginia, including in the D.C. suburbs. It was a record single-day outbreak of tornadoes for the state, beating the previous record of 31.

3. Tropical Storm Lee (2011)

A very wet August thanks to some rainfall from the edge of Hurricane Irene created big problems for the D.C. area when Tropical Storm Lee, which developed in the Gulf of Mexico and hit the coast of Louisiana, rolled through the region in early September 2011. Heavy rainfall of 2 to 3 inches per hour struck the area on Sept. 7 -- one rain gauge in Bowie, Md. recorded 4.57 inches of rain in three hours. A day later, the heaviest rain band from Lee brought torrential downpours throughout the day to the western suburbs of D.C., with one gauge near Franconia, Va. recording 5.47 inches in three hours, and a staggering 6.57 inches in Reston in six hours. Two people died in floodwaters in Fairfax County. A total of 34 Flash Flood Warnings were issued by the Baltimore Washington Forecast Office.

4. Hurricane Sandy (2012)

Hurricane Sandy is best known for its devastating impact on New Jersey and New York, but it also prompted D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray to declare a state of emergency on Oct. 26. All federal offices in the D.C. area were closed on Oct. 29-30, and the Metro was canceled on Oct. 29 because of expected high winds and power outages.

Main image: Hurricane Ivan via NASA