Hurricane Austin

Austin started as a tropical wave that left Africa on September 21. It quickly developed into a tropical depression then a tropical storm on September 22. In midst of a very favorable environment it explosively intensified into a Category 5 hurricane in a day. However it underwent a eyewall replacement cycle and weakened to a Category 3 hurricane on September 24 as its 6 mile wide eye dissipated and was being replaced with a 28 mile w ide eye. It then strengthened under a continuing favorable environment to reach Category 7 status as it was heading northwest towards the United States. It held this intensity until making landfall in North Carolina as a 245 mph Category 7 hurricane, over land it gradually fell apart weakening below hurricane status in West Virginia then below tropical storm strength in Ohio and it finally dissipated completely in Michigan.