Hurricane Gaston
| Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Hurricane Gaston shortly after moving ashore on August 29
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| Formed | August 27, 2004 |
|---|---|
| Dissipated | September 3, 2004 |
| (Extratropical after September 1) | |
| Highest winds |
1-minute sustained: 75 mph (120 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 985 mbar (hPa); 29.09 inHg |
| Fatalities | 8 direct, 1 indirect |
| Damage | $130 million (2004 USD) |
| Areas affected | South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts |
| Part of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Hurricane Gaston was a minimal hurricane that made landfall in South Carolina on August 29, 2004. It then crossed North Carolina and Virginia before exiting to the northeast and dissipating. The storm killed nine people – eight of them directly – and caused $130 million (2004 USD) in damage. Gaston produced torrential downpours that inundated Richmond, Virginia. Although originally designated a tropical storm, Gaston was reclassified as a hurricane when post-storm analysis revealed it had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 km/h).
On August 22, 2004, a cold front—the same front which eventually spawned Tropical Storm Hermine—moved off the coast of the Carolinas and drifted southward before stalling on August 24. On August 25, Surface observations indicated that a broad low pressure area developed along the deteriorating frontal boundary. Convection remained sporadic and disorganized, until thunderstorm activity began to increase and the system developed banding structure on August 26. At 1200 UTC on August 27, the low organized, and was designated as Tropical Depression Seven while located about 130 mi (210 km) east-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina.
Because steering currents were initially weak, the depression was nearly stationary in movement, although forecasts predicted a ridge to the northeast of the system would gradually steer it to the west. The cyclone was situated over warm ocean waters and contained good anticyclonic flow, leading forecast models to predict at least moderate intensification. Later that same day, it gradually drifted southwest and convective banding continued to increase. At 1100 UTC on August 28, the depression was upgraded to Tropical Storm Gaston. An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters aircraft completed a flight into Gaston, revealing that the intensity was higher than previously reported. At the time, it was believed that Gaston had reached peak intensity of 70 mph (110 km/h), placing it very close to hurricane status. However, during post-season analysis, it was discovered that Gaston had briefly attained Category 1 Hurricane intensity at 1800 UTC on August 28.
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