Hurricane Francine was a devastating, and catastrophic Cape Verde hurricane that is the most recent hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. state of Georgia. Francine, the fifth named storm, second hurricane, and the first major hurricane of the catastrophic 2002 Atlantic hurricane season, most notably affected Georgia, and parts of Northern Florida, as well as almost wiping out the entire island of Trinidad and Tobago.
| Category 4 major hurricane (SSHWS/NWS) | |
 Francine near peak intensity nearing Trinidad and Tobago | |
| Formed | August 24, 2002 |
|---|---|
| Dissipated | September 11, 2002 |
| (Post-tropical after September 9) | |
| Highest winds | 1-minute sustained: 155 mph (250 km/h) Gusts: 200 mph (325 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 929 mbar (hPa); 27.43 inHg |
| Fatalities | 1,267 |
| Damage | $38.9 billion (2002 USD) |
| Areas affected | Georgia, East Coast of the United States, Greater Antilles, Venezuela, Northern Florida, Trinidad and Tobago |
| Part of the 2002 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Meteorological History
On August 23, the NHC began monitoring an extratropical low moving off the coast of Africa nearing the Cape Verde Islands. The low pressure area began to disorganize, and dissipated later that day. But, the next day, on August 24, the low had accelerated southward nearing the Southern Atlantic cyclone region, but had remained in the Atlantic basin, and the low intensified over warm water into Tropical Depression Five. The depression slowed down and began to strengthen while nearing South American and the Greater Antilles. On August 25, the storm became Tropical Storm Francine, and began rapidly strengthening. On August 26, it became Hurricane Francine, and reached Category 3 status by the end of the day. Then on the 27th, the storm became a Category 4 storm, nearing its peak intensity, and then hitting it at 155 MPH on August 28. The storm again slowed down, but didn't strengthen because of wind shear and colder water. On August 29, Francine underwent an eyewall replacement cycle, which allowed it to weaken to a Category 3 hurricane. On the 30th, Francine re-intensified to 145 MPH winds, and made landfall near Morne Cabrito, on the Trinidad and Tobago islands. The storm weakened rapidly, and emerged northward from the island as a weak Category 1 hurricane,