Hurricane Irene (2005)

Hurricane Irene

Hurricane Irene approaching peak intensity on August 15
Meteorological history
Formed	August 4, 2005
Dissipated	August 18, 2005
Category 2 hurricane
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS)
Highest winds	105 mph (165 km/h)
Lowest pressure	970 mbar (hPa); 28.64 inHg
Overall effects
Fatalities	1 direct
Damage	None
Areas affected	East Coast of the United States
IBTrACS
Part of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season

Hurricane Irene was a long-lived Cape Verde hurricane during the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm formed near Cape Verde on August 4 and crossed the Atlantic, turning northward around Bermuda before being absorbed by an extratropical cyclone while situated southeast of Newfoundland. Irene proved to be a difficult storm to forecast due to oscillations in strength. After almost dissipating on August 10, Irene peaked as a Category 2 hurricane on August 16. Irene persisted for 14 days as a tropical system, the longest duration of any storm of the 2005 season. It was the ninth named storm and fourth hurricane of the record-breaking season.

Although there were initial fears of a landfall in the United States due to uncertainty in predicting the storm's track, Hurricane Irene never approached land and caused no recorded damage; however, swells up to 8 ft (2.4 m) and strong rip currents resulted in one fatality in Long Beach, New York.