Hurricane Mitch
1998
This
powerful hurricane
began developing
over the
southwestern
Caribbean Sea on 22
October. It drifted
westward and became
a tropical storm
later that day, then
turned northward and
became a hurricane
by the 24th. Mitch
then turned westward
again and rapidly
strengthened,
becoming a Category
5 hurricane with a
central pressure of
905 mb on the 26th.
After passing over
Swan Island on the
27th, a weakening
Mitch moved slowly
southward near the
coastal Islands of
Honduras. It made
landfall over
northern Honduras on
the 29th as a
Category 1
hurricane. Mitch
gradually turned
westward after
landfall, and the
surface center
dissipated neat the
Guatemala-Honduras
border on 1
November.
The remnant
circulation aloft
reached the Bay of
Campeche on 2
November and began
developing again.
The re-born Mitch
became a tropical
storm on 3 November,
then moved
northeastward across
the Yucatan
Peninsula on the
4th. Mitch crossed
south Florida as a
tropical storm on
the 5th and then
became extratropical
later that day. The
extratropical
cyclone remained
strong as it crossed
the Atlantic,
eventually affecting
the British Isles
and Iceland on the
9th and 10th.
Mitch ravaged the
offshore islands of
Honduras with high
winds, seas, and
storm surge. However
the greatest impact
was widespread heavy
rains and severe
floods in Honduras,
Nicaragua,
Guatemala, and El
Salvador. Mitch
caused an estimated
9,000 deaths in
Central America with
another 9,000
missing. Thirty-one
people died when the
schooner Fantome sank
as it encountered
the high winds and
seas associated with
the hurricane. Two
people died in the
Florida Keys when a
fishing boat
capsized. Mitch
caused tremendous
property,
infrastructure, and
crop damage in
Central America, and
an additional $40
million in damage in
Florida. |
Hurricane Andrew
1992
The
most destructive
United States
hurricane of record
started modestly as
a tropical wave that
emerged from the
west coast of Africa
on August 14. The
wave spawned a
tropical depression
on August 16, which
became Tropical
Storm Andrew the
next day. Further
development was
slow, as the
west-northwestward
moving Andrew
encountered an
unfavorable
upper-level trough.
Indeed, the storm
almost dissipated on
August 20 due to
vertical wind shear.
By August 21, Andrew
was midway between
Bermuda and Puerto
Rico and turning
westward into a more
favorable
environment. Rapid
strengthening
occurred, with
Andrew reaching
hurricane strength
on the 22nd and
Category 4 status on
the 23rd. After
briefly weakening
over the Bahamas,
Andrew regained
Category 4 status as
it blasted its way
across south Florida
on August 24. The
hurricane continued
westward into the
Gulf of Mexico where
it gradually turned
northward. This
motion brought
Andrew to the
central Louisiana
coast on August 26
as a Category 3
hurricane. Andrew
then turned
northeastward,
eventually merging
with a frontal
system over the
Mid-Atlantic states
on August 28.
Reports from private
barometers helped
establish that
Andrew's central
pressure at landfall
in Homestead,
Florida was 27.23
inches, which makes
it the third most
intense hurricane of
record to hit the
United States.
Andrew's peak winds
in south Florida
were not directly
measured due to
destruction of the
measuring
instruments. An
automated station at
Fowey Rocks reported
142 mph sustained
winds with gusts to
169 mph (measured
144 ft above the
ground), and higher
values may have
occurred after the
station was damaged
and stopped
reporting. The
National Hurricane
Center had a peak
gust of 164 mph
(measured 130 ft
above the ground),
while a 177 mph gust
was measured at a
private home.
Additionally,
Berwick, LA reported
96 mph sustained
winds with gusts to
120 mph.
Andrew produced a 17
ft storm surge near
the landfall point
in Florida, while
storm tides of at
least 8 ft inundated
portions of the
Louisiana coast.
Andrew also produced
a killer tornado in
southeastern
Louisiana.
Andrew is
responsible for 23
deaths in the United
States and three
more in the Bahamas.
The hurricane caused
$26.5 billion in
damage in the United
States, of which $1
billion occurred in
Louisiana and the
rest in south
Florida. The vast
majority of the
damage in Florida
was due to the
winds. Damage in the
Bahamas was
estimated at $250
million. |
Hurricane Donna 1960
One
of the all-time
great hurricanes,
Donna was first
detected as a
tropical wave moving
off the African
coast on August 29.
It became a tropical
storm over the
tropical Atlantic
the next day and a
hurricane on
September 1. Donna
followed a general
west-northwestward
track for the
following five days,
passing over the
northern Leeward
Islands on the 4th
and 5th as a
Category 4 hurricane
and then to the
north of Puerto Rico
later on the 5th.
Donna turned
westward on
September 7 and
passed through the
southeastern
Bahamas. A
northwestward turn
on the 9th brought
the hurricane to the
middle Florida Keys
the next day at
Category 4
intensity. Donna
then curved
northeastward,
crossing the Florida
Peninsula on
September 11,
followed by eastern
North Carolina
(Category 3) on the
12th, and the New
England states
(Category 3 on Long
Island and
Categories 1 to 2
elsewhere) on the
12th and 13th. The
storm became
extratropical over
eastern Canada on
the 13th.
Donna is the only
hurricane of record
to produce
hurricane-force
winds in Florida,
the Mid-Atlantic
states, and New
England. Sombrero
Key, Florida
reported 128 mph
sustained winds with
gusts to 150 mph. In
the Mid-Atlantic
states, Elizabeth
City, North Carolina
reported 83 mph
sustained winds,
while Manteo, North
Carolina reported a
120 mph gust. In New
England, Block
Island, Rhode Island
reported 95 mph
sustained winds with
gusts to 130 mph.
Donna caused storm
surges of up to 13
ft in the Florida
Keys and 11 ft
surges along the
southwest coast of
Florida. Four to
eight ft surges were
reported along
portions of the
North Carolina
coast, with 5 to 10
ft surges along
portions of the New
England coast. Heavy
rainfalls of 10 to
15 inches occurred
in Puerto Rico, 6 to
12 inches in
Florida, and 4 to 8
inches elsewhere
along the path of
the hurricane.
The landfall
pressure of 27.46
inches makes Donna
the fifth strongest
hurricane of record
to hit the United
States. It was
responsible for 50
deaths in the United
States. One hundred
and fourteen deaths
were reported from
the Leeward Islands
to the Bahamas,
including 107 in
Puerto Rico caused
by flooding from the
heavy rains. The
hurricane caused
$387 million in
damage in the United
States and $13
million elsewhere
along its path. |
Florida Keys
Labor Day Hurricane
1935
This
system was first
detected east of the
central Bahamas on
August 29. Moving
westward, it passed
near Andros Island
on September 1, at
which time it
reached hurricane
strength and turned
west-northwestward.
Phenomenal
strengthening then
occurred, and when
the storm reached
the middle Florida
Keys on September 2,
it was a Category 5
hurricane. After
roaring through the
Keys, the hurricane
turned gradually
northward almost
parallel to the
Florida west coast
until it again made
landfall near Cedar
Key as a Category 2
hurricane on the
4th. A northeastward
motion took the
storm across the
southeastern United
States to the
Atlantic coast near
Norfolk, Virgina on
September 6. It
continued into the
Atlantic, becoming
extratropical on the
7th and last being
detected on the
10th.
No wind measurements
are available from
the core of this
small, but vicious
hurricane. However,
a pressure of 26.35
inches measured at
Long Key, Florida
makes this the most
intense hurricane of
record to hit the
United States and
the second most
intense hurricane of
record in the
Atlantic basin
(surpassed only by
the 26.22 inches
observed in
Hurricane Gilbert in
1988).
The combination of
winds and tides were
responsible for 408
deaths in the
Florida Keys,
primarily among
World War I veterans
working in the area.
Damage in the United
States was estimated
at $6 million
|
San
Felipe-Okeechobee
Hurricane 1928
This
classic Cape Verde
hurricane was first
detected over the
tropical Atlantic on
September 10,
although it likely
formed several days
earlier. It moved
westward through the
Leeward Islands on
the 12th. It then
turned
west-northwestward,
scoring a direct hit
on Puerto Rico on
the 13th (the feast
of San Felipe) as a
Category 4
hurricane. The
hurricane continued
west-northwestward
through the Bahamas
and made landfall
near Palm Beach,
Florida on September
16. It turned
north-northeastward
over the Florida
Peninsula on the
17th, a motion which
brought the remains
of the storm to
eastern North
Carolina on the
19th. It then turned
northward and merged
with a non-tropical
low over the eastern
Great Lakes on
September 20.
No reliable wind
readings are
available from near
the landfall area in
Florida. However,
Palm Beach reported
a minimum pressure
of 27.43 in, making
this the fourth
strongest hurricane
of record to hit the
United States. In
Puerto Rico, San
Juan reported 144
mph sustained winds,
while Guayama
reported a pressure
of 27.65 inches.
Additionally, a ship
just south of St.
Croix, United States
Virgin Islands (USVI)
reported a pressure
of 27.50 inches,
while Guadeloupe in
the Leeward Islands
reported a pressure
of 27.76 inches.
This hurricane
caused heavy
casualties and
extensive
destruction along
its path from the
Leeward Islands to
Florida. The worst
tragedy occurred at
inland Lake
Okeechobee in
Florida, where the
hurricane caused a
lake surge of 6 to 9
ft that inundated
the surrounding
area. 1,836 people
died in Florida,
mainly due to the
lake surge. An
additional 312
people died in
Puerto Rico, and 18
more were reported
dead in the Bahamas.
Damage to property
was estimated at
$50,000,000 in
Puerto Rico and
$25,000,000 in
Florida.
|
Great Miami
Hurricane 1926
The
"Great Miami"
Hurricane was first
spotted as a
tropical wave
located 1,000 miles
east of the Lesser
Antilles on
September 11th. The
system moved quickly
westward and
intensified to
hurricane strength
as it moved to the
north of Puerto Rico
on the 15th. Winds
were reported to be
nearly 150 mph as
the hurricane passed
over the Turks
Islands on the 16th
and through the
Bahamas on the 17th.
Little in the way of
meteorological
information on the
approaching
hurricane was
available to the
Weather Bureau in
Miami. As a result,
hurricane warnings
were not issued
until midnight on
September 18th,
which gave the
booming population
of South Florida
little notice of the
impending disaster.
The Category 4
hurricane's eye
moved directly over
Miami Beach and
downtown Miami
during the morning
hours of the 18th.
This cyclone
produced the highest
sustained winds ever
recorded in the
United States at the
time, and the
barometric pressure
fell to 27.61 inches
as the eye passed
over Miami. A storm
surge of nearly 15
feet was reported in
Coconut Grove. Many
casualties resulted
as people ventured
outdoors during the
half-hour lull in
the storm as the eye
passed overhead.
Most residents,
having not
experienced a
hurricane, believed
that the storm had
passed during the
lull. They were
suddenly trapped and
exposed to the
eastern half of the
hurricane shortly
thereafter. Every
building in the
downtown district of
Miami was damaged or
destroyed. The town
of Moore Haven on
the south side of
Lake Okeechobee was
completely flooded
by lake surge from
the hurricane.
Hundreds of people
in Moore Haven alone
were killed by this
surge, which left
behind floodwaters
in the town for
weeks afterward.
The hurricane
continued
northwestward across
the Gulf of Mexico
and approached
Pensacola on
September 20th. The
storm nearly stalled
to the south of
Pensacola later that
day and buffeted the
central Gulf Coast
with 24 hours of
heavy rainfall,
hurricane force
winds, and storm
surge. The hurricane
weakened as it moved
inland over
Louisiana later on
the 21st. Nearly
every pier,
warehouse, and
vessel on Pensacola
Bay was destroyed.
The great hurricane
of 1926 ended the
economic boom in
South Florida and
would be a $90
billion disaster had
it occurred in
recent times. With a
highly transient
population across
southeastern Florida
during the 1920s,
the death toll is
uncertain since more
than 800 people were
missing in the
aftermath of the
cyclone. A Red Cross
report lists 373
deaths and 6,381
injuries as a result
of the hurricane. |
Atlantic-Gulf
Hurricane 1919
This
fearsome cyclone was
first detected near
the Lesser Antilles
on September 2. It
moved generally
west-northwestward
for several days,
passing near the
Dominican Republic
on September 4 and
into the
southeastern Bahamas
on the 5th and 6th.
At that time it
became a hurricane.
A westward turn on
September 7 took the
center across the
central Bahamas on
the 7th and 8th and
into the Straits of
Florida on the 9th.
The now large
hurricane was of
Category 4 intensity
as the eye passed
just south of Key
West, Florida and
the Dry Tortugas on
September 10. A
continued west to
west-northwestward
motion brought the
center to the Texas
coast south of
Corpus Christi as a
Category 3 hurricane
on September 14. The
cyclone dissipated
over northern Mexico
and southern Texas
the next day.
Although
hurricane-force
winds occurred over
the Florida Keys and
the central and
south Texas coast,
no reliable wind
measurements are
available from near
the center. A storm
surge of up to 12 ft
inundated Corpus
Christ, Texas
causing major damage
to the coastal
areas. A ship moored
near the Dry
Tortugas measured a
pressure of 27.37
inches as the center
passed, and based on
this, the storm is
ranked as the third
most intense to hit
the United States.
The death toll was
estimated at 600 to
900 people. Of
these, more than 500
were lost on ten
ships that either
sunk or were
reported missing.
Damage in the United
States was estimated
at $22 million. |
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