This Day in Henrico History: Sept. 18 – Hurricane Isabel pounds Henrico and the Richmond region

On Sept. 18, 2003, Hurricane Isabel swept through Virginia, bringing destructive winds, heavy rain, widespread power failures and thousands of fallen trees to the Richmond region.

The storm had once reached Category 5 strength over the Atlantic before weakening to a Category 2 hurricane at landfall in North Carolina. It then continued northwest through Virginia.

Henrico Police's historical account described Isabel as producing strong winds and drenching rain Sept. 18, with widespread power outages and thousands of large trees downed. Dominion Virginia Power reported that more than 1.4 million customers lost electricity, including more than 365,000 in the Richmond area.

A National Weather Service official described Isabel as a storm of historic proportions. The storm's effects across Virginia ultimately included extensive property damage and prolonged power disruptions.

For Henrico, Isabel became one of the defining natural disasters of the early 21st century and required a substantial countywide recovery effort.

Sources: Henrico County Police Division historical records; National Weather Service; National Hurricane Center historical records.