| Category 4 major hurricane (SSHWS/NWS) | |
|---|---|
 Emily at peak intensity on September 14 | |
| Formed | September 11, 2023 |
| Dissipated | September 24, 2023 |
| (Extratropical after September 18) | |
| Highest winds | 1-minute sustained: 250 km/h (155 mph) Gusts: 270 km/h (165 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 920 hPa (mbar); 27.17 inHg |
| Fatalities | 447 confirmed, 12 missing |
| Damage | $112.43 billion (2023 USD) |
| Areas affected | Cuba, Southeastern United States, Northeastern United States, Atlantic Canada |
| Part of the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Hurricane Emily was an extremely powerful and devastating hurricane that struck Cuba and the United States in September 2023, becoming one of the costliest-tropical cyclones on record. It was the fifth named storm, third hurricane, as well as the second and final major hurricane of the otherwise relatively quiet 2023 Atlantic hurricane season. It originated from a tropical disturbance situated in the Caribbean, with its prior origin unclear. The system consolidated into a tropical storm and received the name Emily on September 11. The system was slow to strengthen initially, though on September 14 it entered a pool of extremely warm sea surface temperatures. This seeded the storm with the energy it needed to strengthen, and therefore it became a hurricane early on September 15. Only 6 hours later, it had already further strengthened to a category 3 major hurricane, becoming the second major storm to develop after Arlene in August. Another 12 hours later, Emily had strengthened to gain max 1-min sustained winds of 155 mph (250 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 920 mbar (hPa). This made Emily one of the fastest-intensifying tropical cyclones in recorded history.
The storm made its first landfall as a category 4 hurricane east of Carapachibey, Cuba, during the afternoon of September 15. Strong storm surge battered coastal regions of several Cuban regions as it brought torrential rainfall to the area. Emily only slightly-weakened during its passage across Isla de la Juventud, and eventually struck the main island of Cuba near El Pinar. Emily slowly weakened to a category 3 storm after emerging overseas, later passing directly over the Dry Tortugas National Park early the next day. Afterwards, it weakened rather quickly to a category 1 hurricane as it began to turn towards Florida. Emily's eye slowly degraded and the storm grew larger in size. It made its landfall around 2300Z September 16 near Fort Myers, Florida. Due to moving overland, it weakened slowly as it sped across the state, though retained hurricane status. A weakened Emily would emerge off of the eastern Floridian coast on September 17. The replenished source of warm ocean water allowed the storm to once again become a category 1 storm as its eye reformed. It reached category 2 hurricane status for a second and final time on September 18 while approaching North Carolina. Twelve hours after landfall in North Carolina, the NHC stopped issuing advisories, classifying the storm as post-tropical. Emily's remnants would move through the Chesapeake Bay while weakening. The cyclone would traverse the Atlantic at high-latitudes after passing south of Atlantic Canada. It later dissipated southwest of Portugal.
Over 395 people perished in the storm's wake in Cuba, mostly due to floods and storm surge that drowned, suffocated, and trapped people in debris of fallen buildings. An estimated 15,000 homes were either damaged or destroyed by the storm, as well as estimated damages of $7.9 billion USD. This means that Emily was the costliest hurricane in Cuban history, surpassing the previous holder of Hurricane Ike in 2008 that caused $7.3 billion USD in damages. It was described by officials as "one of the worst storms to hit our country on record." Emily's damage in Florida was significantly less severe than what was expected, because the storm had weakened to a category 1 hurricane prior to landfall, though effects were still widespread and devastating. Governor Ron DeSantis described the damages as "unbelievable", and had previously issued a state of emergency for the approach of the storm, similarly to how he previously handled the disasters of Hurricane Ian a year prior. Emily's impact was catastrophic, and exacerbated the damages caused by Ian. Several coastal areas reported massive swathes of wind gusts and the Everglades flooded causing an estimated 3,500 trees to be damaged or destroyed. In the Northeastern United States, particularly the Carolinas and Virginia where the storm struck as a category 2, and brought storm surge up the Neuse River and the Chesapeake Bay. Widespread rain occurred across several states, mostly near coastal areas. Governor Roy Cooper issued a state of emergency for North Carolina a day before Emily's landfall.
On March 25, 2024, during the joint 44th session of the RA IV Hurricane Committee in the spring of 2024, the World Meteorological Organization retired the name Emily due to the catastrophic damages it caused, replacing it with Edythe for the 2029 season. No other names were retired during the 2023 Season.
Meteorological history[]
Map plotting the track and the intensity of the storm, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale.
Some meteorologists expressed concern for the NHC's initial forecasts, which had the storm passing into an area that contained adequate conditions for rapid intensification. This area had sea surface temperatures of around 30°C (86°F), low wind shear, and plenty of moist air. This seeded the storm with the energy it needed to strengthen, and therefore it was upgraded hurricane early on September 15 as its appearance rapidly improved with extremely cold cloud tops. Only another six hours later, it had already further strengthened to a category 3 major hurricane, and later a category 4 storm with winds of 155 mph (250 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 920 mbar (hPa). This made Emily one of the fastest-intensifying Atlantic tropical cyclones in recorded history, with its pressure falling from 997 to 920 mbar (hPa) in 24 hours. This sets it as the second-fastest intensifying storm in the basin on record, behind Hurricane Wilma of 2005. The storm made its first strike as a category 4 storm just east of Carapachibey, Cuba, during September 15. The storm slightly-weakened during its passage across Isla de la Juventud, and eventually made landfall on the main island of Cuba near El Pinar. Due to land interaction, it weakened to a category 3 hurricane late on September 15 southwest of the Florida Keys, and it later passed directly over Dry Tortugas National Park early the next day. Afterwards, it weakened quickly to a category 1 storm as it began to turn towards Florida. Emily's eye slowly degraded and the storm grew larger in size. It made its landfall around 2300Z September 16 near Fort Myers, Florida. Due to moving overland, it weakened slowly as it sped across the state, though retained hurricane status due to a weak instance of the brown ocean effect.
A weakened Emily would emerge off of the eastern Floridian coast around 1200Z on September 17 as a strong tropical storm. The replenished energy source of warm ocean water allowed the storm to once again strengthen to a category 1 storm as its eye reformed. Moist air allowed the storm to continuously intensify, it reached category 2 hurricane status for a second time on September 18 while approaching North Carolina. Though this intensity was rather short-lived as it entered colder waters before it made landfall in North Carolina later that day. Twelve hours after landfall, the NHC terminated advisories, classifying the storm as post-tropical, passing the responsibility to the Weather Prediction Center (WPC). Emily's remnants would traverse through the Chesapeake Bay while weakening, and later the WPC stopped issuing advisories after it stopped effecting the United States. The remnant cyclone would traverse the Atlantic at high-latitudes after passing south of Atlantic Canada. It later dissipated southwest of Portugal on September 24.
Preparations[]
SPC categorical outlook on September 17.
Cuba[]
Prior to Emily's approach, officials in Cuba, including Miguel Díaz-Canel, advised civilians to evacuate to higher areas in case of destructive storm surge that would wash away trees and buildings.
Florida[]
The National Hurricane Center issued tropical storm warnings and hurricane watches for Monroe, Miami-Dade, Sarasota, Manatee, Collier, Hillsborough, Hardee, Pinellas, Lee, Charlotte, and Desoto counties on September 15. Tropical storm watches were also issued for Pasco, Polk, Pasco, Highlands, Glades, Hendry, and the rest of Southern Florida. The public was ensured that local officials would handle the aftermath of the impending storm. Several stores across many counties were completely empty of necessary supplies such as bottled water and canned foods. The hurricane watch was later upgraded to a hurricane warning on September 16 as it became more likely for hurricane conditions to effect those areas. Governor Ron DeSantis issued a state of emergency for the state of Florida in response to Emily's approach, which was later approved by president Joe Biden.
It was advised that civilians board up as many windows as possible, bring outside equipment indoors, and otherwise do anything to make themselves feel safe. The NHC also noted that possibility for weak tornadoes to occur during the storm. The school districts of several counties closed in response to the storm, and several universities announced they were canceling classes. Many airports across the state closed operations and opened space for hurricane evacuees. Several sites in the Florida Keys and Everglades were closed due to storm surge threats. Attractions in Walt Disney World also closed operations, and some areas were opened to the homeless people unable to evacuate. National parks in the state closed operations in wake of the storm.
Elsewhere[]
As Emily approached the Carolinas, officials noted the possibility of tornadoes and damaging winds. The school districts of several coastal counties closed in North Carolina and South Carolina. Several attractions and recreational sites were closed in Charleston and other coastal cities such as New Bern and Myrtle Beach. Governor Roy Cooper advised that civilians take necessary precautions to keep themselves and loved ones safe in North Carolina. Emily was expected to make a near direct hit close to Wilmington, thus evacuation orders were issued to move inland or away from the storm's projected center area. Several campsites opened to evacuees across North Carolina.
In the Mid-Atlantic region, recreational sites were closed as the remnant of Emily was forecast to move over those states and eventually into Atlantic Canada. The use of bottled water and non-perishable foods was advised for the areas in the path of the storm in case of severe and prolonged power outages. On September 16, the Weather Prediction Center noted a potential high risk of torrential rainfall for a large area of North Carolina.
Impact[]
| Costliest U.S. Atlantic hurricanes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Hurricane | Season | Damage |
| 1 | Katrina | 2005 | $125 billion |
| Harvey | 2017 | ||
| 3 | Ian | 2022 | $113 billion |
| 4 | Maria | 2017 | $90 billion |
| 5 | Ida | 2021 | $75 billion |
| 6 | Sandy | 2012 | $65 billion |
| 7 | Irma | 2017 | $52.1 billion |
| 8 | Emily | 2023 | $37.3 billion |
| 9 | Ike | 2008 | $30 billion |
| 10 | Andrew | 1992 | $27 billion |
Cuba and Jamaica[]
Emily struck as a category 4 hurricane east of Carapachibey, Cuba, on September 15. Strong storm surge as a result of the storm caused catastrophic damage to several Cuban villages as it brought torrential rainfall to the areas. The storm eventually struck the main island of Cuba near El Pinar, causing further damage and fatalities. A mudslide outside of Havana killed 83 of the total 395 deaths associated with the storm in Cuba alone. Additionally, another 13 were critically injured. Most of the damage from Emily was situated in urban areas closer to Havana, however it effected the entirety of western Cuba. An estimated 15,000 homes were either damaged or destroyed by the storm, as well as an estimated total of $7.94 billion USD in damages. This means that Emily was the costliest hurricane in Cuban history, surpassing the previous title of Hurricane Ike in 2008.
The Cuba Institute of Meteorology located in Havana stated that the damage was much worse than expected initially. Before Emily's rapid intensification cycle began, the storm caused moderate rainfall in Jamaica, causing an estimated damage total of around $1.5 million. No deaths were associated with the storm, though several injuries occurred near the coast.
Florida[]
An estimated 1.85 million lost power in Florida after heavy rain knocked power grids down. Less deaths occurred than initially expected during the storm, most of which in Sarasota County. Eleven people had been trapped on a sinking boat which later crashed into a small sand bar offshore, killing 6 of the 11 occupants. Fourteen recorded tornadoes touched down from the storm, though most were relatively weak except an EF2 tornado that struck Boca Raton. The Florida Keys were battered with very high storm surge according to the Key West International Airport. Several streets were inundated by floodwaters making travel difficult for people. Heavy winds caused major damage to structures in many counties including Okechobee and Polk. Several weaker tornadoes were recorded in the Miami Metro Area, most of which causing little to no damage. A man in Boca Raton was impaled with a metal spear from the storm, which caused heart failure.
Strong storm surge washed up in low-lying areas causing catastrophic failure of structures. A large portion of land was flooded near Moore Haven, due to a microburst occurring. This caused the destruction of property and trees. Several weak tornadoes caused damages around Fort Myers. Heavy winds in southeastern Arcadia and Hull destroyed over 35 buildings and injured 47. A wind gust of 105 mph (170 km/h) was recorded near Lakeland, which was then followed by a less powerful gust that caused a tree to fall over the device. Over 1,500,000 homes lost power because of the electrical grid failure caused by the wind. In Key West, an extremely high storm surge of up to 12 ft was recorded. Parts of US 17 were completely inundated in up to 6 inches of water at times, causing many vehicles to get stuck. Low visibility from the intense rainfall caused several traffic accidents along major roads, prolonging time before rescue efforts could access their area. Many coastal residences were destroyed, with an estimated 410 being severely damaged.
Total damage from the state of Florida was estimated to be $29.8 billion USD according to a damage survey ordered by DeSantis. Most of this damage was concentrated around Fort Myers and Sarasota, however severe damage occurred throughout much of the southern portion of the state.
Elsewhere[]
Eleven people died in Virginia, mainly due to flooding, as well as 4 in Georgia and North Carolina. Three died in New Jersey after a strong wave swept a boat out to sea. Two maintenance workers in New York were electrocuted after attempting to fix an electrical issue in an apartment complex. Delaware, Massachusetts and South Carolina also reported a single death.
Heavy rain came down over Newark and Philadelphia from the remnants of the storm.
| Florida | 25 |
| Virginia | 11 |
| Georgia | 4 |
| North Carolina | 4 |
| New Jersey | 3 |
| New York | 2 |
| Delaware | 1 |
| Massachusetts | 1 |
| South Carolina | 1 |
| Total | 52 |
|---|---|
| Missing | 7 |