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.

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 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.

Some cyclonic turning was evident as the disturbance approached the Leeward Islands by August 21, but a Hurricane Hunters flight tasked with investigating the system did not reveal a strong circulation at the surface.

The system failed to consolidate as it traversed Puerto Rico and Hispaniola, but on August 23, further reconnaissance data confirmed the formation of a tropical depression just south of the Caicos Islands.

[1][2] The depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Cristobal at 06:00 UTC on August 24, while located just north of Mayaguana in the Bahamas,[1] but its structure was vertically tilted and suboptimally broad.

[3][4] Weak steering currents kept Cristobal's forward motion slow and erratic,[5] and the storm remained heavily affected by shear, with most deep convection displaced from the center.

[1] Despite a ragged cloud pattern characterized by an exposed low-level center and a distinct lack of banding features, Cristobal intensified into a Category 1 hurricane at 00:00 UTC on August 26, as indicated by aircraft observations.

[1] An area of relatively warm cloud tops at the center of a central dense overcast gave way to an eye feature evident on visible satellite imagery on August 28.

[12][13] Rapidly gaining latitude, Cristobal reached its peak intensity at 18:00 UTC, with winds of 85 mph (140 km/h), roughly 490 mi (790 km) due south of Halifax, Nova Scotia.

[1] As Cristobal's parent wave moved over Puerto Rico, it engaged with an abnormally moist air mass to produce torrential rain totaling more than 10 in (250 mm).

[30] The offshore hurricane lashed the East Coast of the United States with high swells and rip currents, prompting widespread swimming restrictions and bans.

[33] Another young male drowned at Sandy Hook, New Jersey; a wave reportedly knocked him down in shallow water before a rip current pulled the inexperienced swimmer farther out.

[37] In southern Iceland, the extratropical remnants of Cristobal produced gusty winds and heavy rainfall, leading to extensive flooding in the capital city of Reykjavík.