A Look Back at Washington's Past Storms

Even before touching the East Coast, Hurricane Irene has brought about a from Gov. Bob McDonnell, along with his request that residents take the storm seriously.

Officials predict Hurricane Irene will hit the Virginia-North Carolina border Saturday morning as a Category 2 or 3 storm.

But will the storm rank among Washington's most notorious hurricanes and tropical storms? We won't know until after this weekend, but here's a look back at some of the most dangerous storms to hit the area.

Kevin Ambrose, an Oakton resident and writer for the Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang, offers his list of the top five most dangerous hurricanes and tropical storms to have affected the Washington area.

The list of five includes storms that occurred before the hurricane naming system, beginning with a storm from 1896 and ending with Hurricane Isabel in 2003. A photo of Hurricane Isabel's damage to the area shows an uprooted tree that fell on an Oakton home.

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