After fluctuating in intensity for four days, Isabel gradually weakened and made landfall on the Outer Banks of North Carolina with winds of 165 km/h (103 mph) on September 18.

It quickly weakened over land as it passed through central Virginia, and Isabel became extratropical over western Pennsylvania on September 19.

Strong winds from the hurricane affected 99 counties and cities in the state,[1][2] which downed thousands of trees and left about 1.8 million without power.

[7] The Virginia Emergency Management Agency was activated on September 15, about three days prior to Isabel making landfall and entering the state.

According to a telephone survey conducted by the United States Department of Commerce, the highest participation rate was for residents in the Northern Neck in areas potentially affected by the storm surge from a Category 2 hurricane, of which 41% in the survey stated they left their houses for a safer location.

Most participants in the survey stated they did not hear any sort of evacuation notice from public officials in their location, however.

Most of those in Hampton and Norfolk left for elsewhere in the state, while the majority of those in the Northern Neck evacuated to destinations in their own neighborhood or community.

The evacuation destinations on the Eastern Shore of Virginia were varied, with 23% leaving for Maryland and 46% staying in their own neighborhood or community.

[8] United States Navy officials in Norfolk ordered more than 40 destroyers, frigates, and amphibious ships out to sea to avoid any potential damage from the hurricane.

[12] Officials at the Langley Air Force Base in Hampton ordered about 6,000 workers to evacuate elsewhere, due to its vulnerability to flooding.

Officials closed schools, government offices, and businesses across the eastern portion of the state, leaving usually heavily congested roads as empty streets.

Additionally, officials canceled trains along the Washington Metro, the Virginia Railway Express, and Amtrak lines, and several flights in and out of the Richmond International Airport.

[6] Additionally, Chesapeake Light, located 12 miles (19 km) east of Virginia Beach, reported a peak wind gust of 107 mph (172 km/h).

The hurricane produced heavy rainfall in the Hampton Roads area, reaching 10.6 inches (270 mm) at James City.

[18][19] Strong waves, which reached 20 feet (6.1 m) in height offshore, caused severe beach erosion in Hampton, Newport News, and other locations along the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay.

[16] In Virginia Beach, the 15th Street fishing pier was significantly damaged due to intense wave action.

[9] The strong storm surge surpassed the floodgate to the Midtown Tunnel while workers attempted to close the gate.

About 44 million US gallons (170,000 m3) of water from the Elizabeth River flooded the tunnel entirely in just 40 minutes, with the workers barely able to escape.

[7] Power outages left most traffic lights not working across Hampton Roads, resulting in multiple minor car accidents.

[23] The storm surge washed out 160 homes and 60 condominiums in Fairfax County, with an additional 2,000 units reporting minor to severe damage from the flooding.

One section of CSX Transportation railway tracks in Prince William County collapsed into the Potomac River from the surge.

[8] A power outage in Northumberland County caused the NOAA Weather Radio Station in Heathsville to go off the air during the height of the storm, leaving the transmitter out of service for several days.

[25] The storm surge significantly damaged or destroyed many homes along the James River, particularly in the towns of Claremont and Burwells Bay, Virginia.

In Albemarle County, a popular forest boardwalk that was part of the Monticello property was destroyed by a falling oak tree.

[28] Intense rainbands from Isabel produced heavy rainfall across the Shenandoah Valley,[29] peaking at 20.2 inches (510 mm) in Upper Sherando in Augusta County.

The rainfall also caused extensive surface runoff in higher terrains, which led to flow over emergency spillways.

[7][29][31] On the day of Isabel moving through the state, President George W. Bush declared 18 counties and 14 independent cities as disaster areas, making residents and business-owners there eligible for federal funding.

[33] The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provided hurricane-related bulletins, including safety tips[34] and the method for removing hazardous materials.

More than 350 FEMA inspectors visited homes to verify damages caused by Isabel, and by the end of September 2003 about 12,000 inspections were completed.

In response to the power outages, FEMA installed 28 generators at disaster-affected critical public facilities to support life-sustaining community needs.