HURRICANE ALEX, 2004 - REPORT, PHOTOS AND LINKS
HURRICANE ALEX HEADS OUT TO SEA
High Surf and Rip Currents
Wednesday, August 4, 2004(CNN) - Alex, the first hurricane of the 2004 North Atlantic season, headed out to sea Tuesday night after brushing North Carolina's Outer Banks...
But the National Hurricane Center urged residents to use caution until wind and seas subside and warned that high surf and rip currents could affect coastal areas for the next day or so. Alex changed direction Tuesday afternoon after strengthening to a Category 2 storm with winds near 100 mph.
At 11 p.m. ET, Alex's center was about 175 miles (285 kilometers) east-northeast of Cape Hatteras, the center said. Maximum sustained winds were near 90 mph, with higher gusts...
Hurricane force winds extended up to 35 miles from the storm's center. Winds of tropical storm force -- at least 39 mph -- extended up to 105 miles (165 kilometers), posing problems for area shipping.
Weatherflow Inc., a private firm, measured a five-minute sustained wind of 75 mph at 1:35 p.m. ET at Avon Pier on Hatteras Island, the hurricane center said.
CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said that nearby Cape Hatteras reported gusts up to 90 mph. "But this probably won't be considered a landfalling hurricane because that eyewall is just skimming the coast," he said...
IVAN JEANNE KARL LISA MATTHEW NICOLE
PHOTOS: CHARLEY FRANCES IVAN JEANNE
2004 Hurricane Briefs