Hurricane Diana (1984)

Hurricane Diana

Category 4 major hurricane (SSHWS/NWS)
Hurricane Diana near peak intensity on September 11
Formed	September 8, 1984
Dissipated	September 16, 1984
Highest winds	1-minute sustained: 130 mph (215 km/h)
Lowest pressure	949 mbar (hPa); 28.02 inHg
Fatalities	3 indirect
Damage	$65.5 million (1984 USD)
Areas affected	The Bahamas, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Canada
Part of the 1984 Atlantic hurricane season

Hurricane Diana was the fourth tropical storm, the first hurricane, the first major hurricane, and the strongest storm of the 1984 Atlantic hurricane season. Diana was the first major hurricane to hit the U.S. East Coast in nearly 20 years. Watches and warnings were issued for the storm along the East coast between eastern Florida and Virginia. It caused moderate damage in North Carolina while it looped offshore and after it made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane. Forming on September 8, Diana moved northward and wandered across North Carolina for a couple of days during mid-September, dropping heavy rainfall. Once it left the state and accelerated east-northeast, Diana quickly evolved into an extratropical cyclone. Damages to the United States totaled $65.5 million (1984 USD). Three indirect fatalities were caused by the cyclone.

The origins of Hurricane Diana can be traced back to a stalled out area of low pressure just north of the Bahamas along the tail end of a cold front on September 6. Shower and thunderstorm activity began to increase the next day but was generally disorganized. Around 1200 UTC on September 8, a ship in the vicinity of the low reported a sustained wind speed of 40 mph (65 km/h). A few hours later, based on satellite observations, the low was designated Tropical Storm Diana. With weak steering currents, Diana gradually intensified as it slowly moved towards the west over the next day, coming within 50 miles (85 km) of Cape Canaveral, Florida, before taking a sharp turn towards the north-northwest. As Diana neared Saint Augustine, Florida, it turned towards the northeast and intensified into a hurricane.