The 2011 Atlantic hurricane season presented a significant challenge to the United States East Coast, testing the preparedness of several states, including Virginia. The Commonwealth, with its long coastline and extensive river systems, is inherently vulnerable to tropical systems that track up the Mid-Atlantic. This year brought an event that profoundly impacted the region, disrupting coastal communities and leading to substantial issues far inland through high winds, storm surge, and widespread heavy rainfall.
Identifying the 2011 Storm
The storm that hit Virginia in late August 2011 was Hurricane Irene. While it was a Category 3 hurricane at its peak over the Bahamas, it weakened before reaching the Mid-Atlantic coast. It made its first United States landfall as a Category 1 hurricane near Cape Lookout, North Carolina, on the morning of August 27.
As the storm moved north, its center tracked parallel to the coastline, passing near the Virginia border. The system re-emerged into the Atlantic Ocean from southeastern Virginia, scraping the Hampton Roads area. Although it was a minimal Category 1 hurricane or a strong tropical storm while affecting Virginia directly, its sheer size meant hurricane-force winds extended far from the center, magnifying its overall influence on the state.
Primary Effects on the Commonwealth
The most immediate effects were felt across the coastal plain and the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. State and local authorities issued mandatory evacuation orders for low-lying areas, including parts of Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and the Eastern Shore. This action aimed to protect residents from the expected storm surge and high winds.
Widespread power outages quickly became a major indicator of the storm’s intensity, with over 900,000 outages reported among Dominion Resources customers in Virginia and North Carolina. High winds downed numerous trees and power lines, with gusts reaching 71 miles per hour at Richmond International Airport, demonstrating the storm’s reach far from the coast. In coastal areas, the storm generated significant wave action and surge, with water coming over seawalls and into the streets of Virginia Beach.
Inland Flooding and Associated Events
The most lasting and costly impact for Virginia stemmed from the tremendous amount of rainfall delivered by the storm. Areas of southeastern Virginia recorded significant rain totals, with Suffolk receiving approximately 11 inches and localized spots reporting up to 16 inches. This heavy precipitation quickly saturated the ground and overwhelmed local drainage systems and smaller streams.
The substantial rainfall led to extensive inland flooding, damaging agricultural areas and infrastructure far from the immediate coast. As the water moved through the watershed, many rivers crested at high levels in the days following the hurricane. This flooding was severely compounded less than two weeks later by the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee.
Lee tracked over the Mid-Atlantic region, dumping additional heavy rain onto soil already saturated by Irene. This sequential rain event led to historic flooding in the region, with the remnants of Lee producing a record rainfall total of 20.96 inches in Colonial Beach, Virginia. The combined effect of the two storms caused some streamflow systems to reach all-time record discharge levels.