Hurricane Isidore (2002)

Basin

North Atlantic

Dates

September 14, 2002 to September 27, 2002

Peak strength

Category 3, 110 kt (127 mph)

Lowest pressure

934 mb (27.58 inHg)

Landfall

Yes

Accumulated cyclone energy

17.8

Tropical-storm-force wind reached

300 nmi (556 km, 345 mi) from the center at its widest

Eyewall radius at its peak

10 nmi (19 km, 12 mi)

Overall size

400 nmi (741 km, 460 mi) to the outermost closed isobar

Fastest the center moved

50 kt (58 mph)

Identifier

AL102002

Radar at KHDC as it neared land, Sep 26, 06:00 UTC

The sources count different things and are not added together.

Landfall points the US agencies flagged in the best track. The nearest town is named from the site’s gazetteer, not from the report.

NOAA’s Storm Events database, the record National Weather Service offices compile months after a storm, as compiled March 2026.

Deaths

3 (3 direct, 0 indirect)

Injuries

3

Property damage

$163 million

Crop damage

$3.7 million

Events recorded

273 in 39 reports from 15 states and marine areas

State by state

What was recorded

96 strong wind, 63 tropical storm, 46 flash flood, 39 heavy rain, 19 flood, 5 high wind, 2 rip current, 2 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind.

2 tornadoes recorded in the United States, strongest first.

The Weather Prediction Center attributes 2,874 rain gauge totals over the contiguous United States to this storm. The wettest reached 18.50 inches (470 mm).

WPC’s storm rainfall file, 1900 to 2020, compiled by David Roth.

The strongest winds National Weather Service offices recorded with this storm. An estimated figure is a forecaster’s judgment from the damage, not an instrument reading.

From the Storm Events narratives, unedited.

A 60 year old male German tourist lost his life as a result of rip currents while swimming with his wife in the Gulf of Mexico. Relatively large waves of three to five feet were found at the Manatee County Public Beach as a result of Hurricane Isidore spinning over Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Tides of one to two feet above astronomical normals combined with the wave action to produce rip currents. Lifeguards were flying caution flags warning of rough surf.

Manatee, Florida · Rip Current · Sep 22, 19:20 UTC

Large swells from Hurricane Isidore, located in the extreme southeast Gulf of Mexico, caused rip tide conditions along the southeast Louisiana coast. A group of people swimming off the beach at Port Fourchon were caught in a rip tide. A 41 year old man drowned.

Lafourche, Louisiana · Rip Current · Sep 22, 21:00 UTC

Hurricane Isidore produced large swells over the Gulf of Mexico, which eventually led to heavy surf and coastal flooding over South Padre Island. The tides were 2-4 feet above normal high tide levels, and caused some flooding of roads in the area.

Cameron, Texas · Flood · Sep 22, 21:30 UTC

A weak tornado blew down trees and power lines and did minor roof damage to a couple of homes and also damaged a couple of outbuildings near Florosa. The storm that spawned the tornado moved in from the Gulf of Mexico ahead of Tropical Storm Isidore.

Okaloosa, Florida · Tornado · Sep 25, 19:30 UTC

Heavy rains from Tropical Storm Isidore caused high water along parts of U. S. Highway 49 south of Wiggins. The inside lane of the highway had to be closed for more than an hour due to the standing water.

Stone, Mississippi · Flash Flood · Sep 26, 07:35 UTC

Heavy rainfall over the county resulted in the flooding of numerous roads. Street flooding, causing vehicles to stall, was reported on US Highway 80 and on Luckney Road, both near Brandon. Water was also reported over the road on Old Brandon and Old Fannin Roads in Flowood.

Rankin, Mississippi · Flash Flood · Sep 26, 14:00 UTC

The Union Recorder of Milledgeville reported that strong winds, essentially associated with the remnants of Tropical Storm Isidore, blew an electrical pipe from the side of a home. The resultant sparking of the wires and the pipe against the wood siding of the house started a fire. The fire was put out in short order before much damage was done to the house.

Baldwin, Georgia · Strong Wind · Sep 26, 21:00 UTC

The Gwinnett Daily Post newspaper of Lawrenceville reported that significant flooding occurred to two offices, one housing the Gwinnett Daily Post Winder bureau and the other an Automation Packaging plant. The Gwinnett Daily Post suffered the most damage with standing water up to one foot deep in part of the building. A concrete slab, five inches thick, was floating in the water and 2,300 sections of paper and advertisements were soaked. Mud and other debris was also reported in the two buildings. The water was the result of runoff from a neighboring construction site and overnight heavy rain, associated with the remnants of Tropical Storm Isidore.

Barrow, Georgia · Flood · Sep 27, 05:30 UTC

The remnants of Tropical Storm Isidore moved slowly north from the Louisiana coast, passing through central Kentucky around daybreak on the 27th. Rainfall amounts were in the 2 to 4 inch range across Warrick County. A spotter reported 3.8 inches of rain at Boonville, causing minor flooding of streets, yards, and flood-prone areas. The region was in the midst of a drought, which allowed the ground to soak up the rainfall efficiently.

Warrick, Indiana · Flood · Sep 27, 06:30 UTC

The Green River rose above flood stage at the Paradise Steam Plant in response to very heavy rains from the remnants of Tropical Storm Isidore. About 8 inches of rain was measured by co-operative observers in parts of the Green River basin, including 8.17 inches at the Paradise Steam Plant. The river flooding was minor, cresting at 383.9 feet on September 29. Flood stage is 380 feet. The remnants of Isidore moved north from the Louisiana coast and across central Kentucky.

Muhlenberg, Kentucky · Flood · Sep 27, 09:00 UTC

The remnants of Tropical Storm Isidore tracked into the Ohio Valley during the early morning hours, spreading a large area of heavy tropical rains into southeast Indiana. Rainfall amounts between two and four inches were common over a four to five hour period, causing high water to close several roadways and basement flooding of numerous homes.

Dearborn, Indiana · Flood · Sep 27, 12:20 UTC

The remnants of Tropical Storm Isidore tracked into the Ohio Valley during the early morning hours, spreading a large area of heavy tropical rains into northern Kentucky. Rainfall amounts between two and four inches were common over a four to five hour period, with flooding on several county roadways and in Carrollton.

Carroll, Kentucky · Flood · Sep 27, 12:25 UTC

The remnants of Tropical Storm Isidore tracked into the Ohio Valley during the early and mid morning hours, spreading a large area of heavy tropical rains into southwest and west central Ohio. The heaviest rain fell from just west of Cincinnati north into the Miami Valley and Dayton metropolitan area. Rainfall amounts in these areas were between four and six inches, with a large area of two to four inch rainfall elsewhere. High water caused problems on numerous roadways throughout this region. An antique shop on West Wyoming Road in the western Cincinnati suburbs suffered a roof collapse from water buildup. Two cars were trapped in high water on Somersville-Jacksonburg Road and occupants had to be rescued. Manhole covers throughout Dayton were being blown off due to intense buildup of water pressure.

Champaign, Ohio · Flood · Sep 27, 13:30 UTC

The remnants of Tropical Storm Isidore tracked into the Ohio Valley during the early and mid morning hours, spreading a large area of heavy tropical rains into southwest and west central Ohio. The heaviest rain fell from just west of Cincinnati north into the Miami Valley and Dayton metropolitan area. Rainfall amounts in these areas were between four and six inches, with a large area of two to four inch rainfall elsewhere. High water caused problems on numerous roadways throughout this region. An antique shop on West Wyoming Road in the western Cincinnati suburbs suffered a roof collapse from water buildup. Two cars were trapped in high water on Somersville-Jacksonburg Road and occupants had to be rescued. Manhole covers throughout Dayton were being blown off due to intense buildup of water pressure.

Logan, Ohio · Flood · Sep 27, 15:00 UTC

• Tropical Storm ArthurNorth Atlantic · 2002Tropical Storm50 kt · 992 mb
• Tropical Storm BerthaNorth Atlantic · 2002Tropical Storm35 kt · 1007 mb
• Tropical Storm CristobalNorth Atlantic · 2002Tropical Storm45 kt · 999 mb
• Tropical Storm DollyNorth Atlantic · 2002Tropical Storm50 kt · 997 mb
• Tropical Storm EdouardNorth Atlantic · 2002Tropical Storm55 kt · 1002 mb
• Tropical Storm FayNorth Atlantic · 2002Tropical Storm50 kt · 998 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionNorth Atlantic · 2002Tropical Depression30 kt · 1013 mb
• Hurricane GustavNorth Atlantic · 2002Cat 285 kt · 960 mb
• Tropical Storm HannaNorth Atlantic · 2002Tropical Storm50 kt · 1001 mb
• Tropical Storm JosephineNorth Atlantic · 2002Tropical Storm50 kt · 1004 mb
• Hurricane KyleNorth Atlantic · 2002Cat 175 kt · 980 mb
• Hurricane LiliNorth Atlantic · 2002Cat 4125 kt · 938 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionNorth Atlantic · 2002Tropical Depression30 kt · 1002 mb

A best track is the record a warning agency settles on after the storm, not what it said at the time: position, maximum sustained wind and central pressure every six hours, revised against every observation that came in later. Category is the Saffir-Simpson scale, which runs from Category 1 at 64 kt to Category 5 at 137 kt and reads wind only, so it says nothing about surge or rain. Accumulated cyclone energy adds up the square of the wind through the storm's life, so it counts strength and duration together.

Storm history from NOAA NCEI’s International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS), which merges the official best track of every warning agency. Live storms, cones, watches and warnings from the National Hurricane Center and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Archived radar from NOAA’s Level II archive.

• Tropical cyclone report, National Hurricane Center
• Every advisory and discussion NHC issued while it was live
• Wikipedia article: Hurricane Isidore