Hurricane Cristobal

Hurricane Cristobal was a moderately strong Atlantic tropical cyclone that affected multiple landmasses from Puerto Rico to Iceland in late August and early September 2014. Slow to develop and inhibited by unfavorable wind shear for most of its duration, the storm formed on August 23 near the Caicos Islands from a long-tracked tropical wave. Moving generally northward, Cristobal gradually intensified despite a ragged appearance on satellite imagery, and passed midway between Bermuda and North Carolina on August 27. The next day, while accelerating northeast, Cristobal achieved its peak strength as a Category 1 hurricane. A colder environment transitioned Cristobal into an extratropical cyclone on August 29, but it retained much of its strength as it sped across the northern Atlantic and struck Iceland on September 1. Before its classification as a tropical cyclone, the disturbance that would become Cristobal dropped heavy rain over Puerto Rico, locally reaching 13.21 in (336 mm). Widespread flooding and scattered landslides affected the territory, with 19 large rivers exceeding minor flood stage. The system went on to douse the island of Hispaniola with torrential rain, leading to at least four drowning deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Floodwaters damaged or destroyed over 800 houses and temporarily isolated 23 communities in the Dominican Republic, while about 640 families were displaced in Haiti. Another person was killed by floodwaters in the Turks and Caicos. The hurricane generated strong surf and dangerous rip currents along the U.S. East Coast, killing two swimmers in Maryland and New Jersey and leading to many lifeguard rescues. Later, the extratropical remnants of Cristobal buffeted Iceland with heavy rain and gusty winds, causing flooding around the capital city of Reykjavík.