What County in FL Gets Hit Most by Major Hurricanes?

[Stormtrack03]

Be nice to see the Dolphins get in the red zone this season.

It be Nice to see the Bucs score 20 points this season in a game .

[vacanechaser]

What was Floyd when it made landfall in that area?

Floyd made landfall near Wilmington with winds near 105mph.. But the track took Floyd inland and west of Hatteras.. If I remember correctly, Hatteras dodged the core to the east.. Plus, the trough was stretching Floyd out and most of the strongest winds were over the Atlantic by the time it pulled even with Hatteras to the west.. Here in the Norfolk area we were to see 80mph winds as it was still an 80mph hurricane but at best we saw 50mph as the core passed over us...



Jesse V. Bass III
http://www.vastormphoto.com
Hurricane Intercept Research Team

[vacanechaser]

the outerbanks would not exist if a cat 4 ever did make landfall there. I am not even sure if they can survive a marginal category 3 landfall based upon how Isabel washed large portions of the islands away and leveled nearly everything else

I would have to agree with that assestment for sure.. Isabel did tons of damage as far north as Virginia Beach just in the area where Izzy came ashore.. That long onshore fetch and the battering waves hammered away at the dune line early on... And with seeing what Alex could do passing to the east, the soundside flooding and wash over could be just as bad from a northward moving hurricane over the islands from a major hurricane as Izzy did coming from the southeast..

I have a feeling we will be back there agin this year... Been there every year since 2002..

Jesse V. Bass III
http://www.vastormphoto.com
Hurricane Intercept Research Team

[Derek Ortt]

Emily in 1993 produced about a 10 foot surge from the sounds. However, I believe that the fact that the sounds are very shallow (took a boat tour on the sounds, found that except for a couple of artificial cuts, the sounds are a whole 2-3 feet deep), there is not the wave action like we saw on the ocean. Still is very bad for the OBX though

[HurricaneBill]

I remember when Isabel weakened from a Category 5 to a Category 2, lots of people began writing her off as a dud.

I think Isabel was a lot more destructive than people thought she would be.

[vacanechaser]

I remember when Isabel weakened from a Category 5 to a Category 2, lots of people began writing her off as a dud.

I think Isabel was a lot more destructive than people thought she would be.

True... I had to ask my friends and family here in the Norfolk area as we were in Atlantic Beach covering the storm... The lower levels of the storm dried out a bit... We went through the western eyewall but the rain was less than impressive and the highest wind gust was 69mph... But of course the RFQ saw winds gusting to near 80mph in a few location....


Jesse V. Bass III
http://www.vastormphoto.com
Hurricane Intercept Research Team

[StormChasr]

http://www.e-transit.org/hurricane/welcome.html

This is from the Landfall project with Dr. Gray. I found it a great read.

[Blown Away]

I made the following observations from the"Landfalling Hurricane Project" graphic, regarding the point of landfall for major hurricanes in South Florida:

Palm Beach & Martin County (Approx. 68 miles of coast):
(5) - 1928, 1933, 1947, 1949, 2004

Broward & Dade (Approx. 70 miles of coast):
(3) - 1926, 1945, 1992

Monroe (Approx. 110 miles of Keys):
(5) - 1919, 1935, 1948, 1960, 1965

I know it's just a point and Monroe receives most of the
Cat 1 & 2 storms, primarily from the SW.

[StormChasr]

Monroe tends to get brushed and swiped a lot. Look at Cartaret, and how many landfalls there. As Derek Ortt put it, a Cat 4 into the outer banks would be a devastating event, as most of the landfalls there have been lesser storms, or brushes.

[cyclonaut]

I made the following observations from the"Landfalling Hurricane Project" graphic, regarding the point of landfall for major hurricanes in South Florida:

Palm Beach & Martin County (Approx. 68 miles of coast):
(5) - 1928, 1933, 1947, 1949, 2004

Broward & Dade (Approx. 70 miles of coast):
(3) - 1926, 1945, 1992

Monroe (Approx. 110 miles of Keys):
(5) - 1919, 1935, 1948, 1960, 1965

I know it's just a point and Monroe receives most of the
Cat 1 & 2 storms, primarily from the SW.

What happen to 1947 when Broward County was walloped by a huge almost CAT 5 cane.I think you gave that 1 to Palm Beach County but it should be Broward.I did miss that 49 Palm Beach storm with my earlier post.Also this Landfalling Hurricane Project which you got your data from didnt mention that in October 1941 Miami was hit by a CAT 3 hurricane which struck from the east (rare for Oct).Was this hurricane re-analized & downgraded or what.I'm getting my info from Unisys so I am depending on their accuracy.

[Blown Away]

Based on the graphic, the 1947 storm landfalled near Boca. I had always thought that storm came in near Lighthouse Point

[MiamiensisWx]

I decided to bring this topic back up for anyone searching for data for major hurricane landfalls from 1900 to 2006 from Martin County southward to Monroe County (southeast and southwest Florida when including the Florida Keys and mainland Monroe).

Palm Beach and Martin counties (approx. 68 miles of coast):
(4) - 1928 (C4)*, 1933 (C3)**, 1949 (C3)***, 2004 (Frances C2, Jeanne C3)

NOTE - The September 1928 storm likely landfalled in Palm Beach County in the vicinity of PBI and Lake Worth Inlet, contrary to the Unisys data which indicates the landfall point near Fort Pierce (no lull was reported at Jupiter or points further north per records and Eliot Kleinberg in 2003). The estimated RMW and other data also supports a Palm Beach County landfall. The 1933 Category Three hurricane that made landfall in the vicinity of Jupiter (near the Palm Beach/Martin border) with a measured pressure of approximately 947 millibars at Jupiter Inlet likely was similar to Frances and Jeanne (2004) and crossed the coastline on the Treasure Coast in Martin County near Hobe Sound and Stuart. The 40-minute lull reported at Jupiter Inlet and lesser damage further south in West Palm Beach (and higher pressure of 974 millibars) also indicates the center of the eye may have made landfall in Martin County. Serious damage was reported along the Treasure Coast from Olympia Beach (near Hobe Sound) to Stuart and Fort Pierce. The 1949 storm is officially listed as an upper-end Category Three at Palm Beach landfall despite Unisys listing the storm as a 130KT Category Four at landfall (in my opinion the estimated windfield size and pressure gradient and minimum pressure near the eye center recorded at 954 millibars does not support the Unisys estimate).

Broward and Dade counties (approx. 70 miles of coast):
(5) - 1926 (C4), 1945 (C3)*, 1947 (C4)**, 1950 (King C3)***, 1992 (Andrew C5)

NOTE - Although it is officially listed as a Category Three storm, due to the estimate pressure gradient and tight core (and accounting for filling between the Key Largo and Homestead landfalls indicated in best track) the September 1945 115KT Category Four estimate for landfall near Homestead estimated in Unisys may be accurate. Despite Unisys indicating a landfall in south Palm Beach County in the vicinity of Delray Beach and Boca Raton, the observed one-hour lull at Fort Lauderdale (lowest pressure was 955 millibars) and possible secondary outer RMW (and lowest pressure of 947 millibars observed in the vicinity of Hillsboro Beach) supports a landfall location south of the Boca Raton Inlet in Broward County for the September 1947 hurricane. 1950's King is officially listed as a Category Three for it's Miami landfall despite Unisys indicating it weakened to Category Two status. The Unisys data mistakenly lists King's lowest pressure of 955 millibars prior to southeast Florida landfall; in reality the pressure was recorded at landfall in Miami. It is likely the Unisys data misplaced King's peak over water prior to Miami landfall when the contracting eye and decreasing RMW (reported in the Monthly Weather Review) supports intensification before Florida landfall.

Monroe (mainland and approx. 110 miles of Keys):
(9) - 1906 (C3), 1909 (C3), 1910 (C3 Keys, C2 mainland), 1919 (C4), 1929 (C3)*, 1935 (C5), 1948 (C3), 1960 (Donna C4), 1965 (Betsy C3)

NOTE - The 1929 hurricane made landfall in the vicinity of Key Largo as a Category Three hurricane (per official data) despite Unisys indicating it weakened to Category Two status before landfall. The observed pressure of 954 millibars (lowest pressure estimated at 948 millibars) in the Keys near the center and estimated gradient and RMW for a slowly weakening or steady south Florida landfalling hurricane in my opinion supports a marginal Category Three hurricane for the Keys.

The intensity listings are based on the 2005 updated list for the deadliest and costliest United States landfalling hurricanes and tropical cyclones.

[gtalum]

Be nice to see the Dolphins get in the red zone this season.

The Bucs, too!

[baygirl_1]

I think people forget about the Outer Banks because most of their hits come from the south; thus, the storm surge is not severe.

As we saw from Isabel, they cannot even sustain a category two strike from the east or SE. They are probably the most vulberable portion of the entire hurricane coats, because the OB are not soil based, but instead sand based

I've never been to the Outer Banks, but sounds like they are very similar to our Dauphin Island. The west end of Dauphin Island is extremely vulnerable and has been battered by several hurricanes. I must admit my family had a house on the west end until about 10 years ago. My parents gave up after Georges. Scientists keep warning that one of these days the west end is going to be gone. As it is now, when we have a bad storm, it gets cut in two by the Gulf meeting the Mississippi Sound. It is beautiful down there, but it seems like such a big risk.

Check out these sites for more info about Dauphin Island and hurricanes:
USGS photos of before and after Katrina-
Before and After Comparison: Dauphin Island
and
USA Today 6/5/06: Dilemma on Alabama Island

[CrazyC83]

I remember when Isabel weakened from a Category 5 to a Category 2, lots of people began writing her off as a dud.

I think Isabel was a lot more destructive than people thought she would be.

It didn't help that Isabel went into a highly populated area...if that 140mph storm made landfall at the same point and was transposed over Isabel's path, it would be scary, as I think it would do the following:

-12 to 15 foot storm surge in the Outer Banks and Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds
-15 to 20 foot storm surge into Chesapeake Bay
-8 to 12 foot storm surge into Delaware Bay

-Winds over 130mph over the Outer Banks
-Winds over 100mph for much of eastern North Carolina and southeastern and central Virginia
-Gusts over 100mph for much of Virginia, Maryland and DC
-Gusts to hurricane force into Pennsylvania and western New York

Such a storm could easily do $50 billion or more in damage, take hundreds of lives and cause record power loss (maybe 40 million people!).

[docjoe]

Although it does not give a breakdown by county here is a link from the NHC site. It gives hurricane direct hits on the mainland U.S. coastline and for individual states 1851-2004 by Saffir/Simpson category. Florida is divided into 4 regions..NW, NE, SE, SW.
Although SE FLorida has had more majors it indicates NW FL has had more landfalls of Cat 1 or higher than anywhere else in the state. NW 55 SE 41 S W 36 NE 22. The info is for 1851-2004. Since it doesnt give a county breakdown you cant give specifics. I though it was interesting NW FL had more landfalls. I would assume due to maybe a longer coastline based on how they broke it down.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/paststate.shtml

docjoe

[Derek Ortt]

is the west end of Dauphin Island sand based like the OBX? Or is it a real island?

[baygirl_1]

is the west end of Dauphin Island sand based like the OBX? Or is it a real island?

I'm not sure what you mean by "real island." Dauphin Island is an island in that it is surrounded on all sides by water. It is not coral and limestone based, as the Florida Keys are. I can't find anything definite online to back this up, but I recall that Dauphin Island is sand based. Dauphin Island's west end is not very stable and is the problem area. The eastern section has been inhabited for well over a century and is protected by natural dunes that are quite high. The west end has no such dunes and has also been the victim of man-made problems. Check out this article for info about the man-made problem as well the solution proposed to the dune problem: Western End of Dauphin Island
I hope that gives you the information you requested.

[Derek Ortt]

seems similar to Hat then, an island of sand

Not the place to be in ANY hurricane

[docjoe]

I would assume sand based although the east end may be somewhat soil based as it has a more varying topography and for the most part is more stable. The tendency for barrier islands in the northern gulf is to lose sand on the east and grow on the west...at least I think that is right. I think if you look at older maps from the 1800s you will see that Petit Bois Island...the next barrier island going west, used to be partially if not totally in AL. The entire island now lies in MS.

here is a link http://www.osti.gov/energycitations/pro ... id=5835529

ISLANDS ARE ALWAYS CHANGING
Life is never static on a barrier island. What is here today may be gone tomorrow. Natural forces build and erode shorelines in a subtle, never-ending combination process combining the effects of winds, waves, currents and tides. Sometimes, nature creates awesome effects in fits of raw power. About 150 years ago, hurricane winds cleaved Petit Bois from Dauphin Island, Alabama. This newborn island has since migrated eight miles westward into Mississippi waters.

Between Mexico and Canada, 350 fragile islands once provided homes to hardy groups of plants and animals. In time, people also built homes on these same islands. Today on many islands we find sea ports, refineries, villages and even major cities populated by millions of people. Few islands now offer the unique form of wilderness found on Horn, Petit Bois and Ship Islands.

here is the link http://www.nps.gov/archive/guis/extende ... slands.htm

docjoe