Hurricane Frances

Hurricane Frances was the second of four Atlantic hurricanes to lash Florida during the 2004 season. A deadly and destructive tropical cyclone, it also struck the Bahamas and other portions of the Southeastern United States. A Cape Verde hurricane and the sixth named storm of the season, it formed on August 25 from a tropical wave. By late the next day, Frances attained hurricane status, and it strengthened further to a major hurricane by August 27. On the following day, it became a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, and Frances attained maximum sustained winds of 145 mph while passing about 135 mi north of Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. The hurricane slowed and weakened dramatically as it moved across the Bahamas, striking several small islands. Wind gusts reached 120 mph on San Salvador. Across the archipelago, Frances left about US$125 million in damage, with 6,682 homes damaged to some degree. Two people died in the Bahamas, one related to drowning and the other due to electrocution.
Ahead of the hurricane's landfall in Florida, about 2.8 million people were under evacuation orders across 41 counties, which was the state's largest evacuation ever. On September 5, Frances moved ashore Florida as a Category 2 hurricane, producing wind gusts of 108 mph in Fort Pierce. It was the second hurricane of the season to hit the state, three weeks after Hurricane Charley. Statewide damage totaled over $5 billion, with at least 73,000 homes damaged. Across the state, 4.2 million people lost power, with outages as far west as the Florida panhandle, where Frances made a second, weaker landfall. Frances made a second weaker landfall along the Florida panhandle before moving across the eastern United States. The highest rainfall in the United States was on Mount Mitchell in North Carolina, including recorded on September 8. Across the United States, Frances led to 48 fatalities, of whom six died due to the hurricane's direct impacts. Nationwide damage totaled $9.507 billion, most of it in Florida. Frances transitioned into an extratropical cyclone as it moved across the northeastern United States, producing flooding across portions of eastern Canada. The storm also produced floods across Canada before dissipating over the Gulf of St. Lawrence on September 10.
Frances also produced one of the largest tornado outbreaks related to a tropical cyclone, spawning 103 twisters from Florida to Maryland. The strongest was rated F3 on the Fujita scale, which touched down near Camden, South Carolina, destroying several buildings. It was one of 45 tornadoes in the state, setting a new daily tornado record previously held by 1994's Tropical Storm Beryl.

Meteorological history

A strong tropical wave moved off the west coast of Africa on August 21. It proceeded westward across the Atlantic Ocean, steered by the Azores High, or a ridge of high pressure. Over the next few days, the wave's convection, or thunderstorms, became better organized. On August 23, the National Hurricane Center first noted the potential for tropical cyclogenesis, or formation, within a day or two. At 00:00 UTC on August 25, Tropical Depression Six formed about 755 mi west-southwest of the Cape Verde islands. With favorable conditions including low wind shear and warm water temperatures, the depression continued to organize, as it developed pronounced outflow. Around 18:00 UTC on August 25, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Frances, while located approximately east of the Lesser Antilles. On the next day, the track shifted more to the west-northwest. By 09:00 UTC on August 26, Frances was producing an eye feature in the center of the storm, a sign of its intensification. At 18:00 UTC that day, Frances attained hurricane status, or maximum sustained winds of 75 mph.
On August 27, Frances' track slowed and shifted more to the northwest, as an approaching upper-level trough weakened the subtropical ridge to the storm's north. During that time, Frances rapidly intensified, becoming a major hurricane, or Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, late on August 27. It underwent an eyewall replacement cycle, in which a larger eye replaced its original eyewall. Late on August 28, Frances reached its first peak as a Category 4 hurricane, reaching winds of 135 mph, as the track shifted back to the west-northwest. Another eyewall replacement cycle began on August 29, causing a brief period of weakening in conjunction with an increase in wind shear. By August 30, the hurricane's maximum sustained winds fell to 115 mph, but it subsequently began restrengthening. On August 31, Frances reached peak winds of 145 mph while passing about 135 mi north of Saint Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Additional eyewall cycles again caused weakening, but Frances remained a Category 4 hurricane between August 31 through September 2, during which time it attained a minimum barometric pressure of. Also during this time, the NHC repeatedly forecast that Frances would move ashore Florida as a Category 4 hurricane. Meanwhile, the storm underwent a reduction in its forward speed, gradually arcing northwestward as it wobbled toward the northwestern Bahamas.
On September 2, Frances again reached peak winds of 145 mph. Starting that day, an increase in wind shear caused the hurricane to weaken appreciably, shedding two Saffir–Simpson categories in 24 hours; Frances would never recover its former intensity. At 19:30 UTC on September 2, Frances started moving through the Bahamas as it hit San Salvador Island with winds of 125 mph. Over the next two days, the hurricane also struck Cat Island, Eleuthera, and Grand Bahama, the last two as a Category 2 hurricane. A building ridge to Frances' west caused the hurricane to meander across the Bahamas, with a large eye about 50 mi in diameter. The storm drifted for several hours near Grand Bahama before resuming a west-northwest motion toward Florida's Treasure Coast. At 04:30 UTC on September 5, Frances made landfall in southeastern Florida at the southern end of Hutchinson Island, with winds of about 105 mph. It weakened rapidly while moving across the state, emerging into the Gulf of Mexico on September 6 as a tropical storm. By that time, the storm had a large circulation with little inner core. At 18:00 UTC on September 6, Frances made another landfall on the Florida panhandle near St. Marks, with winds of about 60 mph. The storm moved northward and later northeastward, weakening into a tropical depression near the border of Alabama and Georgia. Frances continued through the southeastern United States, producing a prolific tornado outbreak. On September 9, it transitioned into an extratropical cyclone while over West Virginia, and briefly re-attained gale force winds as it moved through New York. The remnants of Frances crossed over southeastern Canada and northern New England, dissipating over the Gulf of St. Lawrence on September 10.

Preparations

The threat from Hurricane Frances prompted widespread tropical cyclone warnings and watches, beginning on August 29. In the Caribbean, tropical storm warnings were issued as far south as Guadeloupe, and westward to the northern coast of the Dominican Republic. Schools and government offices in the United States Virgin Islands closed during the hurricane's passage. Cruise lines were diverted, and ferry service was halted between St. Thomas and St. John. In Puerto Rico, schools, courts, and casinos closed, while more than 14 flights were canceled.
The Turks and Caicos Islands and the Bahamas issued hurricane warnings on August 31, ultimately covering the latter country by September 2. In the Turks and Caicos, the local Red Cross provided sandbags and opened emergency shelters. Across the Bahamas, more than 1,500 people stayed in shelters during the hurricane. The country's main radio station, ZNS-1, informed residents where to seek shelter. The Bahamas Electricity Corporation shut off power lines across most of the Bahamas as a precaution. This limited the eventual power restoration time.
On September 2, the NHC issued hurricane warnings for Florida's east coast from Florida City to Flagler Beach, including Lake Okeechobee. Hurricane warnings were later issued for Florida's west coast from Anna Maria Island to Destin. Tropical storm warnings also covered the state as far north as Fernandina Beach and the southern portion of the state, including the Florida Keys. Ahead of the hurricane, Governor Jeb Bush declared a state of emergency for the state. Ultimately, about 2.8 million people were under evacuation orders across 41 counties, which was the state's largest evacuation ever. A traffic death occurred during evacuations near Micanopy, Florida, when a man on I-75 hit a tree. About 108,000 people stayed in one of the hundreds of shelters set up in Florida, Alabama, and Georgia. Several airlines canceled flights in and out of the state, and nine cruise lines had their itineraries altered. Both Kennedy Space Center and Walt Disney World closed during the hurricane, the latter on its fourth time to date. The entire Major League Baseball series between the Florida Marlins and Chicago Cubs was postponed. Three college football games were also postponed.
Various National Weather Service offices issued flood or flash flood warnings from Florida to Kentucky, and northeastward to New York. After Frances moved inland and weakened, the Storm Prediction Center issued a tornado watch from Georgia to Pennsylvania. Schools across Georgia were closed. Flights were delayed at Dulles International Airport due to the storm.

Impact

Caribbean

While Frances passed north of the Lesser Antilles, it produced winds to at Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas. The hurricane also produced scattered rainfall on the islands. In Puerto Rico, rainfall reached at Carite Lake. The hurricane left about 17,000 people without power and 15,000 people without water. Strong waves caused beach erosion and damage to coastal houses in northern Dominican Republic. The storm destroyed six houses, and forced around 50 people to evacuate their houses.
Hurricane Frances also passed about 40 mi northeast of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Grand Turk Island recorded wind gusts of. The island lost power during the hurricane. More than a dozen homes sustained damage in the Turks and Caicos. One person was rescued after the roof blew off her residence.
The hurricane took a slow three-day path through the Bahamas, leading to $125 million in damage and two fatalities. One was an electrocution involving a generator in the capital city Nassau, and the other was a drowning on Grand Bahama amid the hurricane's storm surge, or rise in ocean waters. Floodwaters reached deep on the island. On the island of Mayaguana, the storm surge reached an estimated. Frances also produced strong winds throughout the Bahamas. Shortly after hitting San Salvador, Frances produced wind gusts of 120 mph on the island. Rainfall on the island totaled. The hurricane also produced sustained winds of 100 mph in North Eleuthera. Across the Bahamas, Frances damaged 6,682 homes to some degree, resulting in $103.5 million in housing damage. This included 671 homes that were destroyed and 1,851 buildings that sustained enough damage to make them temporarily unusable. More than 800 people were forced to leave their houses, and around 300 people required rescue from rooftops by boat or trucks. Several schools sustained damage, with the worst damage on New Providence and Grand Bahama. The hurricane also caused more than $12 million in infrastructure damage, including docks, roads, and seawalls. About 75% of the island chain lost power for a few hours during the storm. Around 1,300 power poles were knocked down or damaged. The Bahamas also sustained about $45 million in damage to the agriculture and fishing industries. All cool-season vegetable plantings, and the entire banana crop, were lost during Frances. The pineapple crop was significantly impacted by wind damage in Eleuthera, while the entire fruit crop was lost for similar reasons. The corn crop in Long Island and Cat Island was completely lost. Significant poultry losses were experienced.
On Mayaguana, the hurricane damaged roads, power lines, and the roofs of houses. Along the coast, two boats and a dock were damaged. The island of Inagua lost power service. Crooked Island lost telephone access during the hurricane. Two houses were wrecked on Acklins, and the island's medical clinic had damage to its roof. On Long Island, floodwaters inundated several houses. Across Acklins, Long, and Crooked Islands, the floods damaged schools and government buildings. About 70% of the houses on Rum Cay had damage to shingles. On San Salvador Island, the hurricane destroyed five homes and damage the roofs of another 60 houses. Power lines were also knocked down. Also on the island, the hurricane damaged at least 13% of the non-native Australian pine, primarily from snapping or salt spray. On Cat Island, two houses were destroyed, and most of the island's houses had either shingle damage or power outages.
On Eleuthera, strong winds knocked down power lines and caused structural damage. Governor's Harbour was flooded. On New Providence, home to the capital Nassau and the Bahamas' most populous island, the winds knocked down trees and power lines. Princess Margaret Hospital, the country's largest hospital, had to evacuate patients due to damage. The roof of a shelter was damaged during the storm, forcing the evacuees to move. The streets of Nassau were littered with falling trees and satellite dishes. At nearby Cable Beach, a grocery store completely lost its roof. In the Andros islands, the hurricane damaged power lines, roofs, and a dock. Similar damage occurred in the Berry Islands. Approximately 50% of residences in Coopers Town and North Abaco on the Abaco Islands sustained damage. Several buildings lost parts of their roofs, including a government building. About 20 homes were flooded in Marsh Harbour. Two buildings at the Marsh Harbour Airport were flooded. Several people suffered injuries when the roof of a hospital collapsed in South Abaco; patients were evacuated to Nassau by helicopter. Floodwaters inundated the Grand Bahama International Airport deep, washing away parts of the airport and causing $12 million in damage. Strong winds knocked down trees and damaged roofs on the island. The Rand Memorial Hospital on Grand Bahama had to be evacuated when the roof was damaged. Around 3,000 people in West End were left without water and power. Bahamian member of parliament Obie Wilchcombe joined others in rescuing approximately 70 people who became trapped after storm surge entered their residences on the west end Grand Bahama. In the Bimini islands, the hurricane caused damage to tree limbs.

United States

Throughout the United States, Hurricane Frances led to 48 fatalities, of whom six died due to the hurricane's direct impacts. Nationwide damage totaled $9.507 billion, making it the nation's eighth costliest hurricane at the time. Frances produced one of the largest tornado outbreaks ever spawned by a tropical cyclone in the United States, with 106 tornadoes confirmed from Florida to Virginia between September 4-8. The outbreak was only surpassed by Hurricane Beulah in 1967 with 115 tornadoes, while Hurricane Ivan later in 2004 produced 127 tornadoes. An attendant frontal boundary, originally positioned offshore on September 5, lifted northward across the region over subsequent days. Moderate convective available potential energy, plentiful moisture, and strong low-level wind shear culminated in the development of several long-lived supercell thunderstorms and tornadoes within the outer rainbands of Frances, mostly northeast of the center.

Florida

While making landfall on Florida's east coast, Frances produced hurricane-force winds across much of southeastern Florida, although power outages disrupted many anemometers. The highest wind gust in the state was 108 mph, recorded in Fort Pierce. Along the east coast of Lake Okeechobee, the United States Army Corps of Engineers's Port Mayaca station recorded sustained winds of 85 mph, which was the highest sustained wind in the state. Frances also produced tropical storm force winds across southern Florida. Prior to Frances weakening to a tropical storm, hurricane-force winds in Florida extended up to a width of from the cyclone's center. Frances also produced heavy rains in the state, peaking at in Kent Grove, near Spring Hill. Large portions of west-central and northeast Florida also reported precipitation amounts of at least. Significant storm surge impacted both coasts, estimated as high as. The highest recorded storm surge was above mean sea level recorded at the St. Lucie Lock. The hurricane produced severe beach erosion along the Atlantic coast from Vero Beach to Cocoa Beach, including along inland riverways, washing away of dunes in some areas. Erosion affected coastal areas as far north as Daytona Beach. The hurricane's waves also caused shoaling along inlets, which reduced boat navigation, closing Port Canaveral for a week.
Across Florida, Frances led to 37 fatalities, of which 5 were directly related to the hurricane's impacts. Statewide damage totaled over $5 billion, with at least 73,000 homes damaged, including dozens that were destroyed, mostly mobile homes. The heaviest damage was in Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River counties, each of which experienced more than $1 billion in damage, with hundreds of buildings destroyed. Frances damaged areas previously affected by Hurricane Charley a few weeks earlier, especially in the central portion of the state. Across the state, Frances produced a variety of impacts due to its waves, rainfall, winds, and tornadoes, leading to downed trees and flooded areas. A total of 4,270,583 customers lost electricity throughout the storm, with power outages as far west as the Florida panhandle. Additionally, wind damage to citrus groves led to a near total loss near the coast of east-central and southeast Florida between Boca Raton and Melbourne, with lesser damage farther to the west across the Kissimmee River basin. Between Hurricanes Charley and Frances, citrus losses totaled $2 billion.
Along the Atlantic coast, Frances's waves damaged a beach road, piers, boats, marinas, and seawalls. Near the immediate coast, the hurricane damaged 546 buildings. In the city of Cape Canaveral, the waves destroyed two lifeguard stands and damaged beach walkways. A bridge carrying State Highway A1A was washed away and destroyed on Hutchinson Island. In Fort Pierce, the hurricane destroyed the municipal marina, as well as several hangars at the Treasure Coast International Airport. Golf courses along the Treasure Coast generally lost 300–500 trees per course. Across Martin County, 1,129 dwellings became uninhabitable, with least 52 homes destroyed. Roughly half of the businesses in Indian River County were damaged. Frances caused about $100 million in damage to space and military facilities around Cape Canaveral. The storm ripped off 820 aluminum panels covering the large Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center. Two external fuel tanks for the Space Shuttle were in the building but seemed undamaged. The Space Shuttle Discovery's hangar was without power.
Significant impacts occurred in parts of South Florida, especially Palm Beach County, where the southern eyewall of Frances crossed as it made landfall farther north. Heavy rains caused a large sinkhole to develop on Interstate 95 in Palm Beach County, closing the highway to traffic. Minor wind and sign damage occurred as far south as Marathon. Frances's circulation flooded downtown Punta Gorda, after producing a negative storm surge. The storm's winds also blew the tarps off the roofs of buildings previously damaged by Charley. Above normal tides also produced flooding in St. Petersburg. During the hurricane, a fertilizer company released about of acidic water into a canal that fed into Hillsborough Bay, as well as surrounding wetlands. Heavy rainfall caused major street flooding in Kissimmee and St. Cloud, while water entered some workplaces and residences. Rivers and streams across northern Florida swelled past their flood stage, which washed out roads and covered portions of I-10. In Hillsborough County, the Hillsborough River swelled to a record flood stage. Several other rivers rose to their highest levels since Hurricane Donna in 1960.
Frances spawned 24 tornadoes across the state, all but one of them rated F0 on the Fujita scale. There was an F1 tornado in Green Cove Springs that destroyed 14 boats, including a houseboat. The first event of the outbreak in Florida was a brief F0 tornado that touched down on September 4 near St. Cloud. Several homes were damaged due to trees knocked down by the tornadoes.

Elsewhere in the United States

As Frances moved inland during its final landfall, it produced wind gusts of 52 mph in Dothan, Alabama. The winds were strong enough to knock down trees, one of which injured a motorist in Elmore County. Rainfall in the state peaked at in Bleecker. There was one indirect fatality related to Frances in Alabama. In neighboring Georgia, the highest recorded rainfall was, recorded in Patterson. There were eight indirect deaths across Georgia, including five related to traffic accidents. Over 500,000 people statewide lost electricity during Frances's passage. Hundreds of homes were damaged by floodwaters in Grady and Thomas counties, with five mobile homes destroyed. Across southeastern Georgia, the heavy rains led to floods, with rivers in the region exceeding flood stage. The floodwaters washed out or inundated dirt and county roads, while also entering homes. Frances produced wind gusts as strong as 68 mph in Albany. The winds knocked down trees and power lines, some of which damaged homes. Two people were injured in Wayne County due to a fallen tree onto their mobile home. The heavy rains knocked down about one-third of the state's pecans, and damaged about 200,000 bales of cotton. Along the coast, the hurricane produced tides above normal, causing beach erosion and flooding a portion of the F.J. Torras Causeway. There were eight tornadoes in the state. Two were rated F1, touching down near Fleming and the town of Thunderbolt, which knocked down trees. The second tornado also crossed into Jasper County, South Carolina. The other F0 tornadoes caused generally minor damage, touching down in Bryan, Bulloch, Candler, Liberty, Lowndes, and McIntosh counties.
Coastal areas in neighboring South Carolina reported wind gusts of during thunderstorms, strong enough to knock down trees. The heaviest rainfall statewide was at Caesars Head in the northernmost portion of the state. The rains caused flash flooding, causing rivers and streams to rise. The floods washed away two bridges in the city of Union, while also forcing residents to evacuate in Berea. Frances spawned 45 tornadoes across South Carolina, setting a new daily record in the state previously held by 1994's Tropical Storm Beryl. The strongest was an F3 tornado that touched down near Camden. It was on the ground for about, destroying several buildings and injuring one person. There were four twisters rated an F2. The first struck Gadsden, which injured three people after destroying three mobile homes and damaging several buildings. A twister hit Sumter and damaged 64 homes, including nine that were destroyed, causing three injuries. In Chesterfield County, a tornado injured five people after destroying two mobile homes and damaging several other buildings. A tornado touched down in York County and crossed into North Carolina, producing F2 damage in Mecklenburg County. A home lost its roof, and several homes and vehicles were damaged by fallen trees. There were 15 tornadoes rated F1 and another 24 rated F0. They caused generally minor damage to fences, power lines, roofs, signs, and trees. One of the F1 tornadoes crossed Shaw Air Force Base, damaging several nearby homes. An F0 tornado in Jasper County knocked a tree limb onto a house, injuring one person.
The heaviest rainfall from Frances in the United States was on Mount Mitchell in North Carolina, including recorded on September 8. Frances damaged 11,107 homes across the state, with another 62 houses destroyed. The heavy rainfall flooded rivers across mountainous areas, including the Little Tennessee, Pigeon, Swannanoa, and French Broad rivers. The French Broad River swelled to reach in Blantyre. In Buncombe County, flood damage reached $40 million, with the heaviest damage near the Biltmore Village in Asheville, in Black Mountain, and in Swannanoa. Flood damage left Asheville without drinking water for a few days. Hundreds of buildings were damaged or destroyed in Tranysylvania County, while people were forced to evacuate. The heaviest damage was in the towns of Clyde and Canton. The floods also washed out roads and bridges in the area. Several dams were damaged in Macon County, while in Jackson County, all dams opened their floodgates, triggering evacuations. Floods from the Little River swept away a home in Burke County, and a mudslide destroyed a home in Watauga County. The floods triggered landslides that closed portions of the Blue Ridge Parkway and I-40, while washing away parts of North Carolina Highway 281. Over 100,000 trout were lost due to floods across four fish hatcheries. The combination of rains and wind gusts over knocked down trees and power lines across the state. A tree fell onto a house in Fayetteville. Crop damage in the state reached more than $54 million. There were 11 tornadoes that touched down in the state. An F1 tornado was on the ground for about, crossing from Columbus County to Robeson County. It destroyed three buildings and damaged four others. An F1 tornado touched down near Morven and destroyed two barns, killing thousands of turkeys. Another F1 twister near Marietta damaged four houses and destroyed a shed. An F0 tornado in Northampton County touched down three times along an intermittent path, which damaged a roof and flipped over a trailer. An F0 tornado damaged the roof of a home in Lee County. There were also brief F0 tornadoes that touched down near Arabia, Barbecue, Carrboro, Lumberton, and Vass.
In Virginia, rainfall from Frances reached at Upper Serando. The rains generated flash flooding in portions of southwest Virginia, forcing the evacuation of a school, a trailer park, and five homes. The rains closed roads and led to several car accidents. The city of Roanoke was flooded after the Roanoke River swelled past flood stage. Thunderstorms knocked down trees. Frances also spawned 14 tornadoes in Virginia, tying Hurricane Gaston from the same year as the fifth-most-prolific producer in the state. The strongest was an F2 tornado that touched down near Bealeton, which severely damaged two houses. There were three F1 twisters, including one that was on the ground for across three counties. Moving from Caroline to Stafford county, it destroyed several buildings and knocked down trees. An F1 tornado touched down in Fauquier County, which snapped dozens of trees. An F1 twister hit Elkwood, destroying a building and overturning a truck. An F0 tornado touched down in Stafford County and moved into Prince William County, causing minor damage to homes and trees. An F0 twister in Fluvanna County destroyed a mobile home and damaged another home. An F0 tornado damaged several buildings as it moved from Henrico into Richmond. There were also brief F0 twisters in Amelia, Buckingham, Clarke, Chesterfield, Fauquier, Orange, and King William counties.
Heavy rainfall extended farther inland. In Tennessee, the highest precipitation was, recorded in Trade in the state's easternmost region. In neighboring Kentucky, rainfall reached near Middlesboro, causing floods in the city. Parts of Olive Hill had to be evacuated due to floods. Floods or mudslides closed several roads across the state, including state routes 7, 15, 191, 711, and 1010. The flooded roads forced schools in Powell County to close. In West Virginia, rains reached in Berkeley Springs. The rains led to floods along streams and low-lying areas, including in Huntington. Several roads were closed due to floods, and one was closed due to a landslide. In Ohio, rainfall peaked at in Mount Ephraim. Flooding in Newcomerstown swept away and killed a girl. There was another death indirectly related to Frances in the state. Streams and creeks flooded across southeastern Ohio, closing several roads, and a mudslide closed a portion of Route 258. Across the state, the floods damaged at least 671 homes, including five that were destroyed, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate. In the village of Minerva, dozens of people had to be rescued, and the sewage treatment was damaged. The city of Roseville declared a state of emergency due to floods. Frances also produced gale-force winds across parts of Ohio, which knocked down hundreds of trees, with six homes and a vehicle damaged by falling trees. High winds and waves destroyed a pier in Lake County. Rainfall reached as far west as Indiana, reaching in Marshall, and as far north as Michigan, reaching at Selfridge Air National Guard Base.
Frostburg, Maryland recorded of precipitation, the state's highest during Frances. In western Maryland, floodwaters washed away roads and inundated bridges, after creeks and streams overflowed. In Washington County, a landslide covered a portion of Maryland Route 144. Schools closed due to the floods, and around 20 basements were affected by flooding. An F1 tornado touched down in Charles County and had an intermittent path totaling. The twister destroyed parts of a storage facility and damaged several homes. A recreational vehicle was overturned, and dozens of trees fell. Rainfall was light in Delaware, with a peak of recorded in Wilmington. The coast of Delaware and New Jersey experienced rip currents due to Frances' interaction with a high pressure system. Several swimmers had to be rescued. Rainfall in New Jersey reached in Trenton. The rains caused flash flooding in the northeastern portion of the state, which inundated several roads. The Harrison train station was flooded, and several passengers required rescue. A road overpass in Weehawken collapsed due to the floods. Rains in Pennsylvania reached near Meadville. The rains flooded rivers across northwestern Pennsylvania, which damaged at least 1,500 houses and forced hundreds of people to evacuate. At least eight people required rescue from their vehicles. In Edinboro, floodwaters overflowed a dam on Edinboro Lake, forcing the evacuation of residents as well as students at a local university. Floods or landslides damaged 20 roads, including two bridges in Erie County that were destroyed. A railroad bridge in Blair County. Floodwaters reached deep on parts of I-90. Flooding was also reported in Pittsburgh. Minor flooding occurred along the banks of the three rivers, with additional damage reported in river tributaries. Wind gusts reached at the Erie International Airport. The winds were strong enough to knock down trees, and a few homes sustained minor damage.
The highest precipitation in New York was, recorded in Platte Clove. The rains caused floods across central and western New York, and a swollen stream killed a child in Wyoming County. Several roads were closed after rivers exceeded their banks. Flash flooding also affected the New York metropolitan area, closing major highways across the city, and shutting down parts of the New York City Subway. Several people required rescue from their homes or cars. In Cold Spring, the floods washed away parts of a road. In Steuben County, several bridges were washed away, resulting in school closures and a state of emergency. Rainfall in Connecticut reached in Colebrook, causing flash floods and inundating roads. Precipitation from Frances extended across New England, peaking at atop Mount Washington.

Canada

While Frances was still over the southeastern United States, its circulation contributed to three days of smog across southern Ontario. As the remnants of Frances moved into Canada, it continued to produce heavy rainfall, peaking at in Kingston, Ontario. The nation's capital, Ottawa, recorded of precipitation. The rains led to widespread floods across southeastern Ontario, and insured damage throughout the province totaled over CA$45 million. Elsewhere in the country, Frances' rains also caused floods and washed out roads in Quebec, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland.

Aftermath

Because of the hurricane's effects, the name Frances was retired from the rotating lists of tropical cyclone names in the spring of 2005 by the World Meteorological Organization, and will never again be used for an Atlantic basin tropical cyclone. Frances's retirement was already requested ahead of the season by a delegate from France. The name Frances was replaced with Fiona for the 2010 season.

Bahamas

After the hurricane moved through the Bahamas, officials first focused on clearing roadways and restoring utilities on New Providence. Subsequent surveys for the remainder of the country began on September 5. Around 150 electrical workers assisted in power restoration. Telecommunications were restored to most of the island chain within 24 hours. Food and water was transported by plane to Grand Bahama, where thousands of residents were left without food or water. In Freeport, the Salvation Army provided thousands of meals, along with water and basic supplies. By September 21, electricity had been restored to half of the Bahamians affected by the outages. Western sections of Grand Bahama Island remained without power by the time Hurricane Jeanne struck the island three weeks after Frances. The two hurricanes produced more than $550 million in damage and economic losses, equating to about 10% of the country's gross domestic product. On September 27, 2004, Bahamian Prime Minister Perry Christie declared a state of emergency, and requested international assistance for rebuilding. The Bahamian government spent $1.3 million toward bug and rat control, as well as water and food monitoring. Residents were provided mental health counseling services related to disaster stress management.
The United States Agency for International Development provided $100,000 to the Bahamas for buying emergency supplies and conducting damage assessments. The agency sent three flights from Miami, carrying plastic sheeting, hygiene kits, and a water purification system. The Inter-American Development Bank provided a $50,000 grant toward food, water, and medicine. Catholic Relief Services sent $10,000 to assist in emergency efforts.

United States

A day after Frances struck Florida, all but three school districts were closed across the state. Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, Palm Beach, Polk, and St. Lucie county schools closed just prior to Frances and did not resume classes until October 4 - more than a month after the hurricane. Kennedy Space Center was closed for 11 days until September 13. The facility was closed and damaged again by Hurricane Jeanne, although a lesser extent. On October 13, President George W. Bush authorized $124 million in funding toward NASA facility repairs. Due to power outages, parts of central Florida were advised to boil water a week after the hurricane's passage. Looting occurred in the storm's aftermath, leading to 11 people being arrested. Around 8,000 members of the National Guard assisted with recovery efforts. The American Red Cross provided more than 5.5 million meals to residents affected by hurricanes Charley and Frances. Federal employees were granted excused absences if they helped with law enforcement and the cleanup. Thousands of portable generators were sent to the state by Home Depot and Lowe's home improvement stores. Damage to the Florida citrus crop caused orange futures to rise 4 ¢ per pound. The collective effects of hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Jeanne damaged about one-third of the state's orange crop and two-thirds of the state's grapefruit. The hurricanes also resulted in increased costs for labor, after the migrant workers shifted from being citrus pickers to working in reconstruction. By ten years after the hurricanes, the citrus industry had not fully recovered, partly due to citrus greening disease. The collective impacts of the 2004 hurricanes led to the United States Army Corps of Engineers installing blue tarpaulins on more than 115,000 damaged roofs statewide.
Trucks delivered water to towns in western North Carolina without water supply. Parts of Asheville and Black Mountain were without water for five days. A week after Frances flooded parts of western North Carolina, the region was flooded again by Hurricane Ivan. The two storms contributed to rainfall records across the western portion of the state. After the floods, Buncombe County cleared debris from of rivers and streams. City and county officials purchased properties along the floodplain using FEMA funding. Following the back-to-back floods, Asheville began requiring that new buildings in potential flood areas be built at least higher. After the 2004 hurricane season, Asheville began keeping water reservoir levels deliberately low during hurricane season as a precaution. The North Carolina state government passed the Hurricane Recovery Act in 2005 to develop new landslide maps.
The response to Hurricane Frances included actions by federal, state, and local governments. President Bush designated the entirety of Florida as a federal disaster area, and the federal government ultimately approved more than $1 billion in aid. This included 229,586 applications approved for individual assistance. On September 10, President Bush declared 33 counties within North Carolina a disaster area, providing nearly $40 million in public and individual aid. President Bush also designated a disaster area for 68 counties across Georgia, in which federal public assistance was available. Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman designated 116 counties as disaster areas, in which loans were provided by the Farm Service Agency. The federal government spent about $15.3 million statewide. A federal disaster declaration covered 28 counties in South Carolina, mainly across the state's northern portion. The federal government provided $7.2 million to the state, with 4,399 people receiving individual assistance. The Federal Emergency Management Agency received criticism for honoring some bogus requests for assistance or haphazardly inspecting damages, which led to some storm victims being greatly overcompensated, particularly in Miami-Dade County. Although FEMA declared a disaster area for the county, local officials stated that Frances caused only minimal damage. On May 18, 2005, the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs held a hearing, which noted that almost 12,600 residents in the county received payments totaling over $31 million. The aid allowed people to replace of thousands of electronic appliances, some of which they may have never even owned. Other residents received payments to repairs replacements almost 800 cars, with some people being compensated for more than their vehicle was actually worth. FEMA also compensated some residents with rental or home repairs assistance, but hastily inspected damage or did not inspect damage altogether. In one instance, a resident collected almost $18,500 from FEMA, but a second inspection of the property revealed no damage at all.
The collective response to hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne represented the largest operations in the history of both the American Red Cross and FEMA. The previous largest FEMA operation was the response to the 1994 Northridge earthquake.