Worst hometown TCs...post your data here!

[MiamiensisWx]

As the peak of the storm season approaches, I believe what is needed is a thread on local hazards based upon local storm history. The aim of this thread is to get local data about the worst storm impacts where each member lives...i.e., what was the most rainfall, highest storm-tide or -surge water mark, strongest winds, lowest pressure, greatest flooding, or otherwise worst impact (and why) either you, your neighbors, or your area have experienced? Without being too specific, posting personal locations based on latitude and longitude, along with the locality (i.e., ‟Bronx, NY”), a description of the area’s features (elevation above sea level, nearby water bodies, terrain, trees), and a general modifier denoting directional location (i.e, ‟East Bronx, NY”), can really help posters know the worst their area has had in recent and historical times and thus get some idea as to their risk. While this thread should by no means decide whether one should evacuate or prepare, it would be great for purposes of research, curiosity, and reminiscence about personal storm encounters.

I will start...mine should give a good example as to what type of information and for which purpose this thread is dedicated to.

East Boca Raton, FL (LAT 26.4˚N, LON 80.1˚W) - On the Atlantic Coastal Ridge east of I-95, in a neighborhood first developed in the early 1950s; historical vegetation was high scrub pine and oak, as seen on aerial images in Small Town, Big Secrets, a book by Sally J. Ling about the army air field that occupied the area just west of Dixie Highway; area never flooded then, but is currently just west of the Cat. evacuation zone in Boca; canals on the Intracoastal to the east were built in the 1960s; elevation is about 3 to 5 ft (0.92 to 1.52 m) above mean sea level.

1926 September 18 (the Great Miami hurricane, struck about 40 mi south of Boca as Cat. 4, 145 mph) - Area apparently had Cat. 1 winds as photos from Delray Beach Historical Society show frame homes partially destroyed with palm branches and leaves damaged and downed; beach photo in 1927 taken north of Boca Inlet shows palms frayed, evidently from the storm the preceding year. According to Naval Oceanographic Hurricane Handbook, Ft. Lauderdale had storm tide or water mark of 12.6 ft (3.84 m), either at Port Everglades or Bahia Mar Yacht Club site...no details were given as to whether the reading included wave action. Many buildings in Ft. Lauderdale were either unroofed or totally destroyed, especially shops with plate-glass windows and frail outhouses, though well-built buildings had tile damage and many palms were snapped or stripped and downed...all suggestive of near-Cat. 2 winds in that city. (A book on the Hillsboro Lighthouse near Pompano Beach quotes a light keeper log as saying that winds of 132 mph...at an unknown elevation but probably above sea level, not representative of surface winds...were measured there...suggesting perhaps 90-mph winds at the surface.) Also, an old Sun-Sentinel article of mine quotes an NHC official or scientist as saying that hurricane-force winds stretched from south Dade County, about Homestead or Key Largo, to West Palm Beach or even a bit further north.

1928 September 16 (Okeechobee hurricane / San Felipe Segundo to Caribbean neighbors, direct hit on West Palm Beach [actually Lake Worth according to a book called Black Cloud] as Cat. 4, 145 mph) - Damage somewhat worse than in 1926 storm with many more buildings destroyed...as the city was just south of the southern eye wall, according to the Black Cloud book, which liberally quotes the NHC and 1928 weather officials. Near-Cat. 2 winds probably occurred in Boca then. The NWS Miami in Past Event Gallery has a page with good photos showing damage in the Palm Beach area, which was only a tad lighter than in the hardest-hit areas of the 1926 storm.

1933 September 4 (Cat. 3, 125 mph at Jupiter) - There were 50-mph winds at most in Ft. Lauderdale and only 1004 mb according to the local paper then...as I remember from my readings. The eye passed about 45 mi to the north, at Jupiter, where the pressure was 948 mb in the eye...so this system was rather small. Boca probably had only TS winds as West Palm only reported Cat.-1 winds on a wind instrument along with 977 mb. There was some flooding according to Palm Beach County records...whether from rain or tides I do not know. The effects may be among the worst, but then again, they may be not.

1947 September 17 (the local big one, called George by the Weather Bureau...landfall just south of Pompano, Cat. 4, 155 mph) - Wikipedia offers some great data on this storm...which I unabashedly compiled from the local historical archives. Tides were among the biggest I could confirm in mainland South FL besides the 16-ft / 4.88-m tide (and nearly 17-ft / 5.18-m surge) at the now-defunct Burger King headquarters in Cutler, Dade County, after Andrew, 1992...areas from Ft. Lauderdale to Palm Beach had 11-ft (3.35-m) tide estimates, one such measured at the Hillsboro Lighthouse...the fact that West Palm had measured 100-mph, Cat.-2 winds more than 25 mi from the eye shows how large the storm was. In photos I have seen, West Palm and Delray seemed to have worse wind damage than Boca did, with pockets of lighter damage in between and to the south of Boca...although Hillsboro Lighthouse had a gust of 155 mph...which translates from a 27-second wind to a 1-minute value of perhaps 145 mph...about 120 ft above sea level (meaning high Cat. 3 or low Cat. 4 at the surface). So in my view, this storm had a double eyewall or double wind maxima at landfall, much like Katrina or Ivan on the Gulf Coast...which again accounts for the fact that practically half of A1A was under five feet of sand, ruined, or washed out between Miami Beach and Palm Beach. This was the end game of the 1947 Fort Lauderdale hurricane. This storm and an October hurricane were probably the only storms whose rainfall might have well flooded my neighborhood.

1949 August 26 (150 mph, Cat. 4, again Lake Worth à la 1928) - Cat. 1 in Boca...based upon Cat.-2 sustained winds at Hillsboro Lighthouse...suggesting Cat. 1 at the surface.

Nothing really, definitively serious occurred here until Wilma...Irene 1999 barely produced TS winds here, but it was the second TC to really flood this area...though Gordon 1994 may well have done so.

2005 Wilma - Solid low-end Cat. 1 was my estimate...all strictly visual. No flooding to speak of.

[Bocadude85]

Great analysis of Boca Raton's hurricane history MiamiensisWx. I have a few things I would like to add. The hurricane of 1928 southern eyewall extended as far south a Pompano Beach which would have placed Boca Raton in the southern eyewall and calm of the eye for a period of time. http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/337/21928.jpg/
Also I disagree with your analysis of the 1949 hurricane. Wind gusts in Boca Raton were reported to be in the 120-130mph range which would mean sustained winds in the 95-100mph range which would equate to Cat 2 conditions.

In 1945 a cat 4 hurricane made landfall in Miami-Dade county and produced cat 1 conditions in Boca Raton. Winds of 83mph were observed in Boca Raton during this hurricane.

In 1964 both Hurricane Cleo and Isabell affected Boca Raton with cat 1 conditions.

[MiamiensisWx]

Great analysis of Boca Raton's hurricane history MiamiensisWx. I have a few things I would like to add. The hurricane of 1928 southern eyewall extended as far south a Pompano Beach which would have placed Boca Raton in the southern eyewall and calm of the eye for a period of time. http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/337/21928.jpg/
Also I disagree with your analysis of the 1949 hurricane. Wind gusts in Boca Raton were reported to be in the 120-130mph range which would mean sustained winds in the 95-100mph range which would equate to Cat 2 conditions.

In 1945 a cat 4 hurricane made landfall in Miami-Dade county and produced cat 1 conditions in Boca Raton. Winds of 83mph were observed in Boca Raton during this hurricane.

In 1964 both Hurricane Cleo and Isabell affected Boca Raton with cat 1 conditions.

Yes, you are indeed correct in your judgment as to the eye in 1928. Delray Beach did report a fifteen-minute lull as it was clearly inside the radius of maximum winds and therefore technically in the eye...so Boca, at least northern Boca, likely was, too.

Where did you locate your local wind data for 1949 and 1945?

[MiamiensisWx]

Great analysis of Boca Raton's hurricane history MiamiensisWx. I have a few things I would like to add. The hurricane of 1928 southern eyewall extended as far south a Pompano Beach which would have placed Boca Raton in the southern eyewall and calm of the eye for a period of time. http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/337/21928.jpg/
Also I disagree with your analysis of the 1949 hurricane. Wind gusts in Boca Raton were reported to be in the 120-130mph range which would mean sustained winds in the 95-100mph range which would equate to Cat 2 conditions.

In 1945 a cat 4 hurricane made landfall in Miami-Dade county and produced cat 1 conditions in Boca Raton. Winds of 83mph were observed in Boca Raton during this hurricane.

In 1964 both Hurricane Cleo and Isabell affected Boca Raton with cat 1 conditions.

Yes, you are indeed correct in your judgment as to the eye in 1928. Delray Beach did report a fifteen-minute lull as it was clearly inside the radius of maximum winds and therefore technically in the eye...so Boca, at least northern Boca, likely was, too.

Where did you locate your local wind data for 1949 and 1945?

Bump!

[MiamiensisWx]

1900-PRESENT: SOUTH FLORIDA* MAJOR HURRICANES

RED = Reanalyzed intensity based upon 1944-1953 hurricane paper by Landsea, Chris, PhD, Andrew Hagen, et al. (2012)
Other estimates based upon HURDAT and NOAA data

*South Florida refers to mainland Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties

1906 10/18--105 kt (120 mph)/953 mb--Downtown Miami
1926 09/18--125 kt (145 mph)/930 mb--Deering Estate, near South Miami
1928 09/16--125 kt (145 mph)/929 mb--Palm Beach & Canal Point
1941 10/06--105✝ kt (120 mph)/??? mb--Goulds, near Homestead
1945 09/15--115 kt (130 mph)/949 mb--Homestead
1947 09/17--115 kt (130 mph)/945 mb--Lauderdale-by-the-Sea
1948 10/05--110✝ kt (125 mph)/975 mb--Homestead
1949 08/26--120 kt (140 mph)/954 mb--Boynton Beach
1950 10/18--115 kt (130 mph)/955 mb--Downtown Miami (KING)
1965 09/12--110 kt (125 mph)/952 mb--Key Largo (BETSY)
1992 08/25--145 kt (165 mph)/922 mb--Biscayne Nat. Park, near Homestead (ANDREW)

✝Based upon estimated peak winds

36% CAT. 3, 64% CAT. 4, 9% CAT. 5

AVG. MAX. WIND ≈117 kt (135 mph)
AVG. SPEED………≈13 kt (15 mph)

STRONGEST WINDS MEASURED, 1900-PRESENT:

1992 Andrew--154 kt/177 mph @ Perrine, Dade Co.
1947 09/17--135 kt/155✝ mph @ Hillsboro Lighthouse, Broward Co.
1949 08/26--133 kt/153 mph* @ Jupiter Lighthouse, Palm Beach Co.
1947 09/17--130 kt/150 mph☨ @ Deerfield Beach, Broward Co.
1950 King---130 kt/150 mph @ Miami Weather Bureau office in Downtown Miami, Dade Co.

✝Gust recorded about 35 meters (115 feet) above sea level, according to NCDC and 1947 records at NHC
*Sustained wind for one minute; Barnes (1998) book mentions gusts to Category 5 intensity @ Stuart during eye wall
☨Mentioned in 1947 newspaper; Ling (2005) book estimated gusts as high as 157 kt (180 mph) at Boca Raton Airport, then an army base

All other winds noted are gusts unless stated otherwise.

Links:

1926 Miami hurricane
1928 Palm Beach hurricane
1945 Homestead hurricane
1947 Lauderdale-by-the-Sea hurricane
Hurricane Betsy (1965)

Here is a rare image of the Deering Estate, just a few miles from the RMW during Hurricane Andrew, after surviving likely strong Category 4 winds:

Deering Estate (1992)

Having been constituted of adobe construction and hip-like roof, the house aptly weathered near-Category 5 winds and only suffered interior damage, albeit devastatingly, due to the 16.5-foot (4.9-m) storm surge in the vicinity.

[Hybridstorm_November2001]

Not sure of the worst ever (no doubt either the storm of 1635 or 1769 hold that title), however since detailed records have been kept would certainly seem to be the infamous Saxby Gale of 1869:

http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/almanac/arc2010/alm10oct.htm

The above link contains an excellent description of the hurricane based upon the recent HURDAT Re-analysis, and old news paper articles from 1869.

[jinftl]

Great data!

Wow..the 1940s to 1950 were a crazy decade for major hurricanes here! I shudder to think what would happen if any one of those storms hit the same area today at the same intensity. Beat Andrew in damage $ very easily given they had much larger wind fields and would be impacting higher population density areas now.

1900-PRESENT: SOUTH FLORIDA* MAJOR HURRICANES

RED = Reanalyzed intensity based upon 1944-1953 hurricane paper by Landsea, Chris, PhD, Andrew Hagen, et al. (2012)
Other estimates based upon HURDAT and NOAA data

*South Florida refers to mainland Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties

1906 10/18--105 kt (120 mph)/953 mb--Downtown Miami
1926 09/18--125 kt (145 mph)/930 mb--Deering Estate, near South Miami
1928 09/16--125 kt (145 mph)/929 mb--Palm Beach & Canal Point
1941 10/06--105✝ kt (120 mph)/??? mb--Goulds, near Homestead
1945 09/15--115 kt (130 mph)/949 mb--Homestead
1947 09/17--115 kt (130 mph)/945 mb--Lauderdale-by-the-Sea
1948 10/05--110✝ kt (125 mph)/975 mb--Homestead
1949 08/26--120 kt (140 mph)/954 mb--Boynton Beach
1950 10/18--115 kt (130 mph)/955 mb--Downtown Miami (KING)
1965 09/12--110 kt (125 mph)/952 mb--Key Largo (BETSY)
1992 08/25--145 kt (165 mph)/922 mb--Biscayne Nat. Park, near Homestead (ANDREW)

✝Based upon estimated peak winds

36% CAT. 3, 64% CAT. 4, 9% CAT. 5

AVG. MAX. WIND ≈117 kt (135 mph)
AVG. SPEED………≈13 kt (15 mph)

STRONGEST WINDS MEASURED, 1900-PRESENT:

1992 Andrew--154 kt/177 mph @ Perrine, Dade Co.
1947 09/17--135 kt/155✝ mph @ Hillsboro Lighthouse, Broward Co.
1949 08/26--133 kt/153 mph* @ Jupiter Lighthouse, Palm Beach Co.
1947 09/17--130 kt/150 mph☨ @ Deerfield Beach, Broward Co.
1950 King---130 kt/150 mph @ Miami Weather Bureau office in Downtown Miami, Dade Co.

✝Gust recorded about 35 meters (115 feet) above sea level, according to NCDC and 1947 records at NHC
*Sustained wind for one minute; Barnes (1998) book mentions gusts to Category 5 intensity @ Stuart during eye wall
☨Mentioned in 1947 newspaper; Ling (2005) book estimated gusts as high as 157 kt (180 mph) at Boca Raton Airport, then an army base

All other winds noted are gusts unless stated otherwise.

Links:

1926 Miami hurricane
1928 Palm Beach hurricane
1945 Homestead hurricane
1947 Lauderdale-by-the-Sea hurricane
Hurricane Betsy (1965)

Here is a rare image of the Deering Estate, just a few miles from the RMW during Hurricane Andrew, after surviving likely strong Category 4 winds:

Deering Estate (1992)

Having been constituted of adobe construction and hip-like roof, the house aptly weathered near-Category 5 winds and only suffered interior damage, albeit devastatingly, due to the 16.5-foot (4.9-m) storm surge in the vicinity.

[MiamiensisWx]

Here is some early storm history that I would like to share based upon books, old newspapers, and other data I have seen...you will not find this information on Google:

1888 08/16--110 kt (125 mph)/945 mb--Oleta River (south of Ft. Lauderdale)...14-foot storm surge supposedly occurred on the beaches near Fort Dallas (Miami)...but there is no specific evidence, to my knowledge, as to how the surge was reported as there were few settlements in South Florida, though it probably was on Biscayne Bay near House of Refuge at Haulover Inlet. (Strangely, the keeper did not mention the storm in an excerpt from his log, but focused instead on a visit the next day.) Nearby Miami apparently avoided significant effects as a pioneer in the area did not mention the storm in his memoirs but recalled the October 1876, Category-2 hurricane, which caused a storm tide of up to ten feet on Biscayne Bay...even though it struck nearest present-day Everglades City. The 1888 hurricane was a rather small system as Jupiter only reported 1016 mb (perhaps not the lowest pressure there) and TS winds. The storm was reanalyzed as a strong Category-3 in South Florida based upon the reported surge...but due to the scarce details...whether it was a surge, tide, or high wave(s) could mean the storm was much weaker at landfall.

1903 09/11--75 kt (85 mph)/976 mb--Pompano area (at West Palm Beach, peak NE winds between 21Z on 09/11 and 01Z on 09/12)...officially hit Ft. Lauderdale, but the damage and wind reports show winds in all directions at Pompano, so the eye probably passed over that town. Nearly all buildings were destroyed and the trees defoliated or broken at Pompano and Delray, according to the Tropical Sun newspaper...and the storm surge likely reached about four feet on Lake Worth as the west shore was flooded and interiors of buildings damaged. Many trees were snapped near ground level, uprooted, or twisted at West Palm Beach, and coconut palms were uprooted completely at the famous Royal Poinciana Hotel on Palm Beach...and many of the then-new hotels suffered damage. The hurricane may have been a Category-2, but most of the destroyed buildings were packinghouses or warehouses...although many, many homes were blown off their foundations or unroofed from Pompano to north of Stuart...suggesting hurricane-force winds extending 80 miles or more from the center. Jupiter Inlet itself reported a storm tide of eight feet during the hurricane. The storm was then the worst in the history of the West Palm Beach settlement (circa 1880-1903), which had just been incorporated as a city days before the storm hit. The poorly built, Black section of the town, then segregated by custom to the west of the Florida East Coast (F.E.C.) Railroad, was severely damaged and only one church remained standing.

1906 10/18--105 kt (120 mph)/953 mb--This was probably the first known hurricane to produce winds of Category-2+ intensity in Downtown Miami...the worst since the area was incorporated as a city in 1896, just after Henry Flagler extended the F.E.C. Railroad to the settlement. (The area was formerly known by the old Fort Dallas, dating to the late 1820s or so.) West Palm Beach only had 35-kt (40-mph) winds in the storm, resulting in broken windows and signs and high tides...but in Miami, the storm razed dozens of buildings, including stone entryways and churches, and damaged hundreds of others. The pressure in the city dropped to 953 mb...as the eye passed directly overhead. The storm had previously made landfall at Long Key in the Florida Keys, where it destroyed crops and snapped coconut palms...and caused more than 100 railroad-camp workers to perish aboard a houseboat there. The steamer St. Lucie sunk off Elliott Key with more than one-third (35%) of her crew lost. Despite having made landfall at Long Key, the storm was apparently rather small, as vegetation was reportedly not damaged within 20 miles of the eye...suggesting a very small, possibly near-Category 4 (110-kt/125-mph) storm in the Keys. (Winds also decreased very quickly within just a few hours of the center over Miami.)

***Overestimated Storm: October 5, 1941***

The official intensity in the best-track database is 105 kt/120 mph without a central pressure at landfall in South Florida...yet Fowey Rocks, less than 10 miles from the center, recorded only TS winds and 992 mb...and as the station was a lighthouse, the winds and the pressure were probably about 80-100 feet above sea level. Pressure normally rises 1 mb for every 10 meters closer to sea level, so the real pressure was likely 994-995 mb at Fowey Rocks; indeed, the pressure at nearby Miami was 995 mb. Nearby Dinner Key, about 7 miles southwest of Downtown Miami and nearly due west of Fowey Rocks, reported a pressure of about 995 mb...which better matches the hypothesis above, namely, that the pressure at Fowey Rocks was actually about 995 mb. Dinner Key also reported the only confirmed, official hurricane-force winds in South Florida--about 80 kt/90 mph with gusts to 107 kt/123 mph. If the site was in the maximum winds, then the central pressure in the eye would have been near 985 mb...which, even though the system was small and fast-moving, would not support a major hurricane, or even, perhaps, winds of Category 2 intensity.

[MiamiensisWx]

Historic (sustained, hurricane-force) wind data I have researched, based upon archival sources and National Weather Service records, 1900-1950:

1903 September 11 (26.3°N 80.1°W)---75 mi from center
1906 October 16 (24.8°N 80.2°W)-----35 mi from center
1926 September 18 (25.6°N 80.3°W)--110 mi from center
1928 September 16 (26.7°N 80.0°W)---75 mi from center
1929 September 28 (24.9°N 80.5°W)---40 mi from center
1933 September 4 (27.0°N 80.2°W)----40 mi from center
1935 November 4 (25.8°N 80.2°W)-----15 mi from center
1941 October 6 (25.4°N 80.4°W)-------15 mi from center
1945 September 15 (25.2°N 80.4°W)----75 mi from center
1947 September 17 (26.2°N 80.1°W)----95 mi from center
1949 August 26 (26.6°N 80.0°W)-------60 mi from center
1950 October 18 (26.7°N 80.2°W)------55 mi from center

Red = Category 3 or higher at landfall.
Bolded red = 125 knots (145 mph) or greater at landfall.

Peak tides (feet)--if coastal values unknown, Lake Okeechobee data used instead:

1949 August 26-----24.0 * ✠
1950 October 18----19.0 *
1926 September 18--13.7 ✝ ☦
1945 September 15--13.7
1947 September 17--11.0 ☨
1929 September 28--10.5
1928 September 16--9.8 ☦ ☩
1903 September 11--8.0

* On Lake Okeechobee.
✠ Unofficial report of 8.5 feet on the coast near Stuart, Florida.
✝ Measured at Dinner Key, but 15.0 ft estimated at Coconut Grove and 12.6 ft at Ft. Lauderdale.
☨ Higher value of 21.6 ft observed at Moore Haven, on Lake Okeechobee.
☦ Tides up to 18.0 ft or more on Lake Okeechobee.
☩ 9.8 ft was recorded at Palm Beach, the landfall point. Tides were likely higher north of the eye, at Jupiter Inlet.

[MiamiensisWx]

Complete list of South Florida (Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-Palm Beach metro) hurricanes, 1900-1964

Key

Date of impact...LAT / LON coordinates of landfall or pass overhead...landfall / exit point...max. sustained wind / pressure (mb) at landfall or closest pass

1903 September 11 (26.3°N 80.1°W)---Pompano / Longboat Key..........................................75 kt / 976 mb
1906 October 16 (25.8°N 80.2°W)-----North Miami............................................................105 kt / 953 mb ☆
1924 October 21 (25.9°N 80.3°W)-----Opa-locka.................................................................60 kt / 986 mb ★ ♠
1926 September 18 (25.6°N 80.3°W)---Perrine / Punta Rassa..............................................125 kt / 930 mb
1928 September 16 (26.7°N 80.0°W)---South Palm Beach / JAX ♦ Beach..............................125 kt / 929 mb
1929 September 28 (25.1°N 80.4°W)---Tavernier................................................................100 kt / 948 mb ♣
1933 September 4 (27.0°N 80.2°W)----Jupiter / Weeki Wachee...........................................110 kt / 948 mb
1935 November 4 (25.8°N 80.2°W)----Haulover Inlet Park (Miami Beach)..............................85 kt / 973 mb
1941 October 6 (25.4°N 80.4°W)------Goulds / Bonita Springs..........................................105 kt / 975 mb ♤
1945 September 15 (25.2°N 80.4°W)---Homestead / JAX Beach..........................................115 kt / 949 mb
1947 September 17 (26.2°N 80.1°W)---Lauderdale-by-the-Sea / Bonita Springs................115 kt / 945 mb
1947 October 12 (26.3°N 80.1°W)-----Deerfield Beach.........................................................75 kt / unknown mb ♡
1948 September 22 (27.2°N 80.2°W)---Stuart.......................................................................75 kt / 964 mb ♧
1948 October 5 (24.9°N 80.2°W)------Ojus..........................................................................80 kt / 975 mb
1949 August 26 (26.6°N 80.0°W)------Lantana, between Boynton & Lake Worth................115 kt / 954 mb
1950 October 18 (26.7°N 80.2°W)-----Downtown Miami, near Musa Isle Indian Village......110 kt / 955 mb
1960 September 10 (24.7°N 81.0°W)---Conch Key / Ormond Beach...................................115 kt / 930 mb ☂
1964 August 27 (25.9°N 80.1°W)------Hallandale Beach.......................................................90 kt / 968 mb
1964 October 15 (26.9°N 80.1°W)-----Juno Beach...............................................................110 kt / 977 mb

☆ First made landfall at Long Key (24.8°N 80.8°W) in the Florida Keys, but passed over the Miami area as a major hurricane.
★ First made landfall at Caxambas (25.7°N 81.7°W) in Southwest Florida, but passed over land near Opa-locka.
♠ Weakened to a tropical storm just before exiting South Florida but caused hurricane winds there.
♦ JAX = Jacksonville.
♣ Made landfall in the Florida Keys but produced hurricane-force winds as far north as Cutler (storm tide 10.5 feet), south of Miami.
♤ Pressure estimated based upon official list of U.S. hurricane strikes.
♧ Originally made landfall south of Chokoloskee (25.7°N 81.7°W) as a major hurricane.
♡ Likely below 982 mb based upon barometer at Ft. Lauderdale, near the center.
☂ Made landfall in the Florida Keys but produced hurricane-force winds in the Miami area.

Frequency of major impacts, 1900-1964...........once every 4.9 years
Frequency of Category 4+ events, 1900-1964...once every 10 years

Major S FL metro impacts since 1964:*

Betsy 1965---110 kt / 952 mb
Andrew 1992-145 kt / 922 mb

*Jeanne 2004 and Wilma 2005 did not produce Category 3+ winds in S FL.

Frequency of major impacts, 1965-2012.........once every 16 years
Frequency of Category 4+...............................once every 24 years

[weatherwindow]

Guess I interpreted the title a little differently...obviously the Keys have a long and storied history of storms, however I want to focus on the worst hurricane that I, pesonally, experienced. Hands down, that would be Georges(1998). Rode out the storm on Lower Sugarloaf Key(mm 20). A timelline is in order. Georges had travelled on a fairly steady WNW course(285) from his birth on 9/15 southwest of the Cape Verde islands across the the tropical Atlantic, between Antigua and Montserrat BWI on 9/21 and landfalling Humacao, Puerto Rico late on 9/21. Georges maintained a fairly steady W to WNW course across the Greater Antilles over the next 3 days. Georges exited the North coast of Cuba near Cayo Coco about 295 miles ESE of Key West late, Thursday afternoon, 9/24. Georges moved on a WNW to NW course over the next 36 hours. Georges strengthened steadily after leaving Cuba as a minimum hurricane. The local weather worsened steadily after midnite Thurs and sustained TS force winds commenced around 200am Friday morning, 9/25. At that time, Georges was approximately 100 miles to our SE and a strong Cat 1 hurr at 90mph. Conditions continued to deteriorate as the storm neared with gusts to hurricane force beginning around 500am. At this time Georges had strenthened to a Cat 2 hurricane with 100mph winds and was approximate 55mi SE of Lower Sugarloaf Key(LSK) and closing. Altho it was just past high tide, the water level in the canal, south of the Overseas Hwy, did not fall but rather began to rise steadily, eventually our dock and deck and ladder had disappeared. The surge continued to build and by 900am water was lapping at the house stilts with a total rise of about 6feet. By 900am winds had increased to sustained hurr force from the E with gusts over 100mph. Australian and Norfolk pines were beginning to uproot/snap and the blue barrel tiles were flying off and severly damaging my neighbors' houses and boats. The steady ESE to E flow was beginning to drive airborne water under my french doors and flooding the first floor of the house with much more to come. A neighbor roof tiles took out two windward window and pierced the roof sheeting with the second floor beginning to flood. Conditions worsened quickly as Georges continued to intensify(105mph sustained) and close the distance to shore. Shortly after 1000am, he was 15mi due south of LSK and I was in the northern eyewall. Winds reached approx 95mph sustained 1min) and gusted to approx 125mph before my neighbor's equipment failed. All debris was airborne along with roof sheathing and lighter lumber. Car a victim of several tile hits along with another window(was housesitting, new home with NO shuttering or panels). By 1100am, Georges was 15mi almost due West near the highway. Now in the eastern eyewall. Winds shifting slowly toward the S and eventually, SE with water now pouring under the french doors and at least 2' deep in parts of first floor. Sustained winds are dropping slightly, estimate 90mph with an occassional gust around 110. Surge maxs out another foot or so up the back stilts. Altogether, 6-7ft including mid tide. The battering continued with the winds slowly dropping and holding in the Souteast for the next about 8hours. Sustained TS force winds continued until about 10pm, gusts to TS force in rainbands until dawn on Saturday....Quite an experience with the Overseas highway closed for 3days and power out for a 2 weeks. Subsisted on Red Cross meals(hot meals cannot be overvalued!) until power was restored. Out of work until Key West reopened for business about 3 weeks later. Remember, for all of our Keys members, this was only a low end Cat 2. just imagine the extent of the impact of a Cat 3 or Cat 4 on our remote, tenuously connected island chain and its tourist-based economy.

[MiamiensisWx]

Guess I interpreted the title a little differently...obviously the Keys have a long and storied history of storms, however I want to focus on the worst hurricane that I, pesonally, experienced. Hands down, that would be Georges(1998). Rode out the storm on Lower Sugarloaf Key(mm 20). A timelline is in order. Georges had travelled on a fairly steady WNW course(285) from his birth on 9/15 southwest of the Cape Verde islands across the the tropical Atlantic, between Antigua and Montserrat BWI on 9/21 and landfalling Humacao, Puerto Rico late on 9/21. Georges maintained a fairly steady W to WNW course across the Greater Antilles over the next 3 days. Georges exited the North coast of Cuba near Cayo Coco about 295 miles ESE of Key West late, Thursday afternoon, 9/24. Georges moved on a WNW to NW course over the next 36 hours. Georges strengthened steadily after leaving Cuba as a minimum hurricane. The local weather worsened steadily after midnite Thurs and sustained TS force winds commenced around 200am Friday morning, 9/25. At that time, Georges was approximately 100 miles to our SE and a strong Cat 1 hurr at 90mph. Conditions continued to deteriorate as the storm neared with gusts to hurricane force beginning around 500am. At this time Georges had strenthened to a Cat 2 hurricane with 100mph winds and was approximate 55mi SE of Lower Sugarloaf Key(LSK) and closing. Altho it was just past high tide, the water level in the canal, south of the Overseas Hwy, did not fall but rather began to rise steadily, eventually our dock and deck and ladder had disappeared. The surge continued to build and by 900am water was lapping at the house stilts with a total rise of about 6feet. By 900am winds had increased to sustained hurr force from the E with gusts over 100mph. Australian and Norfolk pines were beginning to uproot/snap and the blue barrel tiles were flying off and severly damaging my neighbors' houses and boats. The steady ESE to E flow was beginning to drive airborne water under my french doors and flooding the first floor of the house with much more to come. A neighbor roof tiles took out two windward window and pierced the roof sheeting with the second floor beginning to flood. Conditions worsened quickly as Georges continued to intensify(105mph sustained) and close the distance to shore. Shortly after 1000am, he was 15mi due south of LSK and I was in the northern eyewall. Winds reached approx 95mph sustained 1min) and gusted to approx 125mph before my neighbor's equipment failed. All debris was airborne along with roof sheathing and lighter lumber. Car a victim of several tile hits along with another window(was housesitting, new home with NO shuttering or panels). By 1100am, Georges was 15mi almost due West near the highway. Now in the eastern eyewall. Winds shifting slowly toward the S and eventually, SE with water now pouring under the french doors and at least 2' deep in parts of first floor. Sustained winds are dropping slightly, estimate 90mph with an occassional gust around 110. Surge maxs out another foot or so up the back stilts. Altogether, 6-7ft including mid tide. The battering continued with the winds slowly dropping and holding in the Souteast for the next about 8hours. Sustained TS force winds continued until about 10pm, gusts to TS force in rainbands until dawn on Saturday....Quite an experience with the Overseas highway closed for 3days and power out for a 2 weeks. Subsisted on Red Cross meals(hot meals cannot be overvalued!) until power was restored. Out of work until Key West reopened for business about 3 weeks later. Remember, for all of our Keys members, this was only a low end Cat 2. just imagine the extent of the impact of a Cat 3 or Cat 4 on our remote, tenuously connected island chain and its tourist-based economy.

This is a great account that I think should show how a long period of onshore winds causes a large storm surge to form due to a prolonged, large fetch. Also, topography certainly plays a significant role in affecting high water levels...during the 1935 Labor Day hurricane on September 2-3, 1935, the railroad-bed filling on the Overseas Railroad between Lower Matecumbe Key and Long Key served to pile up water on the Florida Bay side due to strong northeasterly winds. The bed essentially blocked the water in its passage through the narrow channel separating the Keys. This would turn out to be devastating to the local area, as you probably know due to your emergency-management and other knowledge of the Keys history.

As the Labor Day hurricane was a small, rapidly intensifying storm moving and was moving in from the Atlantic Ocean / Gulf Stream, it was not likely to produce a very large surge as much as immense waves due to deep water depths just off the Keys...also, due to its angle of approach from southeast to northwest, it was not coming in directly over shallower, more surge-prone Florida Bay as Betsy 1965--a much larger major hurricane which moved from east to west and caused significant (10-foot) bayside flooding at Tavernier and on the upper Keys / Key Largo--did. So the 1935 storm was producing less fetch over Florida Bay for a shorter period than in 1965.

(Andrew 1992 was similar in size to the 1935 hurricane and was only slightly larger, but because it was moving west over shallow Biscayne Bay, it was still able to produce a 16.9-foot surge via fetch at the Burger King headquarters in Cutler.)

However, due to the blockage caused by the railroad bed, the surge--at least before the eye and wind shift arrived--was unable to be released from the bay to the ocean, and the pile-up caused very high waves on Florida Bay, northwest of the eye. So the bayside surge, which was probably relatively small and greatly enhanced by large waves (leading to the reports of water marks 18 to 20+ feet above mean sea level), proved devastating northwest of the eye, just as the huge Atlantic waves to the east of the eye, propelled by strong southeast, onshore winds, overturned the ill-fated evacuation train for Overseas Highway workers--former veterans of World War I--and civilians.

The Atlantic waters were also displaced offshore to the southeast, due to both the blockage and the offshore (NE) winds. As the tiny, six-mile-wide eye passed over Craig Key--site of the famous 892-mb barometer reading by Captain Ivar Olsen that made the storm the most intense to ever hit the mainland United States--and Long Key, which recorded a lull of 55 minutes, the wind shift to the southwest and south caused the waters of Florida Bay to retreat, allowing a large surge of displaced Atlantic water to smash most existing buildings...again likely greatly enhanced by very large, destructive waves.

(J. E. Duanne, the observer at Long Key, was knocked unconscious by water-propelled debris and left in a palm tree well above ground level until the conditions subsided.)

In all, the railroad bed made the already large waves even larger and more destructive, while also increasing the surge heights somewhat.

[MiamiensisWx]

This is a great account that I think should show how a long period of onshore winds causes a large storm surge to form due to a prolonged, large fetch. Also, topography certainly plays a significant role in affecting high water levels...during the 1935 Labor Day hurricane on September 2-3, 1935, the railroad-bed filling on the Overseas Railroad between Lower Matecumbe Key and Long Key served to pile up water on the Florida Bay side due to strong northeasterly winds. The bed essentially blocked the water in its passage through the narrow channel separating the Keys. This would turn out to be devastating to the local area, as you probably know due to your emergency-management and other knowledge of the Keys history.

As the Labor Day hurricane was a small, rapidly intensifying storm moving and was moving in from the Atlantic Ocean / Gulf Stream, it was not likely to produce a very large surge as much as immense waves due to deep water depths just off the Keys...also, due to its angle of approach from southeast to northwest, it was not coming in directly over shallower, more surge-prone Florida Bay as Betsy 1965--a much larger major hurricane which moved from east to west and caused significant (10-foot) bayside flooding at Tavernier and on the upper Keys / Key Largo--did. So the 1935 storm was producing less fetch over Florida Bay for a shorter period than in 1965.

(Andrew 1992 was similar in size to the 1935 hurricane and was only slightly larger, but because it was moving west over shallow Biscayne Bay, it was still able to produce a 16.9-foot surge via fetch at the Burger King headquarters in Cutler.)

However, due to the blockage caused by the railroad bed, the surge--at least before the eye and wind shift arrived--was unable to be released from the bay to the ocean, and the pile-up caused very high waves on Florida Bay, northwest of the eye. So the bayside surge, which was probably relatively small and greatly enhanced by large waves (leading to the reports of water marks 18 to 20+ feet above mean sea level), proved devastating northwest of the eye, just as the huge Atlantic waves to the east of the eye, propelled by strong southeast, onshore winds, overturned the ill-fated evacuation train for Overseas Highway workers--former veterans of World War I--and civilians.

The Atlantic waters were also displaced offshore to the southeast, due to both the blockage and the offshore (NE) winds. As the tiny, six-mile-wide eye passed over Craig Key--site of the famous 892-mb barometer reading by Captain Ivar Olsen that made the storm the most intense to ever hit the mainland United States--and Long Key, which recorded a lull of 55 minutes, the wind shift to the southwest and south caused the waters of Florida Bay to retreat, allowing a large surge of displaced Atlantic water to smash most existing buildings...again likely greatly enhanced by very large, destructive waves.

(J. E. Duanne, the observer at Long Key, was knocked unconscious by water-propelled debris and left in a palm tree well above ground level until the conditions subsided.)

In all, the railroad bed made the already large waves even larger and more destructive, while also increasing the surge heights somewhat.

Another example of topographic influence can be found in the 1926 Great Miami hurricane...a large, powerful hurricane that struck near Cutler, with its 20-mile-wide eye covering the area from Homestead to Oleta River State Park (near northern Miami Beach and Haulover Inlet) and placing Broward County, including Fort Lauderdale, in its northeast quadrant--the strongest part of the eye wall in a storm moving rapidly to the west-northwest. Available records indicate that the storm surge in Fort Lauderdale...at what is now Bahia Mar Yacht Club...was 10.3 to 12.5 feet--with a reading of 9.1 feet near Sylvan Lake, on A1A just north of Port Everglades--with several measurements of 6.5 to 7.7 feet on the New River. The water level was even 6.5 feet high--or more--as far west as the intersection with the Tarpon River, almost exactly where the Las Olas Riverfront lies today. Such high levels would easily flood the lowest rooms and open shops of the apartments and other buildings which now sit on that spot. Most or all of the New River and its tributaries; Las Olas; Port Everglades; the Galleria Mall; and the barrier island from Port Everglades to Hillsboro Inlet would flood...as most of the barrier island, especially all the dredged residential areas, is less than 15 feet above mean sea level (and much lower in several sections, including practically all the dredged residential areas).

(A good source on elevations in Broward County is Living with Florida’s Atlantic Beaches by Bush, David, et al., 2004. It is the source from which I obtained the information on the barrier island and its elevation.)

An account by M. A. Hortt, Gold Coast Pioneer (1953), the storm in Fort Lauderdale snapped coconut palms 40 feet (12.2 meters) high as well as slash pines whose trunks were 1.25 feet (0.38 meters) in diameter, while the New River flooded its banks and flooded the center of downtown Fort Lauderdale--built on the highest elevations on the north bank of the New River--to a depth of 3 feet (0.92 meters). Cars were submerged on Las Olas Boulevard before the wind subsided to 50 knots / 60 mph by 9:00 a.m. (1400 Greenwich Meridian Time / UTC)...as the eye made its closest approach 40 miles to the south-southwest. In the Idlewyld subdivision, boats from Coast Guard Base Six, now Bahia Mar Yacht Club, were left in the streets...having been transported more than a mile across the Intracoastal Waterway. Hundreds of homes were destroyed by the wind and even frame homes...some built of solid slash (Dade-County) pine...were left with nothing except plumbing on the foundation. All of A1A was washed out north of the Hollywood Casino.

According to a historical book, Hillsboro Lighthouse by David F. Butler (1997), the 1926 Miami hurricane produced winds up to 115 knots (132 mph) at Hillsboro Lighthouse, which is about 115 feet / 35 meters above mean sea level. A 90% conversion of the winds to the standard 10-meter elevation, adjusting for the bias of the primitive anemometer, would indicate sustained winds of 80 knots / 90 mph...on the threshold of Category-2 intensity...occurred as far north as Hillsboro Inlet, with hurricane-force winds extending from the upper Florida Keys to north of West Palm Beach (according to an old South Florida Sun-Sentinel newspaper article from September 18, 2006--the eightieth anniversary of the hurricane in South Florida--which quotes a source from the National Hurricane Center).

The following shows the topographic influence...

Five separate cuts 60 to 80 feet in width were eroded across the northern part of Miami Beach by this storm. The bottom of each cut was approximately at the normal high water level. The explanation of the formation of these cuts as given by the district engineer in a memorandum dated October 1, 1926 is rather interesting and is repeated below: . . .During the first part of the storm the wind came from the northeast. It eroded the beach in many places as much as 50 to 100 feet, by carrying the sand from the key and depositing it on higher ground. In many places the concrete road is now covered by a layer of sand 3 feet deep. After the center of the storm passed the wind came from the southwest, and at the same time the tide began to fall. This southwest wind piled the water into Biscayne Bay and Indian Creek, and the recession of the tide caused the water to spill over the key in an easterly direction. It was during this stage of the storm that the cuts in question were formed. At the site of these cuts there were a number of vacant lots, with hedge rows on the property lines running in an east and west direction. The hedges, by catching drift, served as training walls to guide the flow of water, and in every case the cuts have been formed between the adjacent rows of shrubbery. The old mangrove roots underneath the fill seem to have acted at mattresses in preventing erosion to dangerous depth. Within the past few days the littoral drift of sand along the beach has built up sand bars at the mouths of the cuts, and it is believed to be only a question of a few weeks before these cuts will be closed completely at the open end...

Click here for the source of the quote--see pages 19-26 both for this quote and for water elevations, including the observations from Fort Lauderdale that I mentioned.

[CrazyC83]

After going through all the data, Sandy takes the cake for me. My highest sustained wind, based on conversion from 10-minute sustained for a nearby private station, was measured at 54 mph. Gusts were visually estimated at probably over 70 mph, perhaps as high as 75 mph, although none were actually measured there.

[MiamiensisWx]

Does anyone have photographs taken in their area after storms +30 years ago? I would love to see them.

[MiamiensisWx]

History of hurricanes passing within 40 miles of St. Petersburg, FL (my new hometown):

mm-dd-yyyy...winds...category...landfall location (if any)
09-12-1852: 70 kt, Category 1, Clearwater Beach
07-19-1886: 70 kt, Category 1, offshore to west
10-25-1921: 100 kt, Category 3, Tarpon Springs
10-19-1944: 65 kt, Category 1, passed to east*
10-08-1946: 65 kt, Category 1, Anna Maria Island
09-05-1950: 110 kt, Category 3, passed to west

*Was a major hurricane at landfall near Nokomis.

The 1935 Labor Day hurricane likely passed within 40 miles of St. Petersburg as well. It caused waves over 15 ft. on the local beaches and produced major beach erosion plus hurricane-force winds in St. Petersburg. It was still a strong Category-3 (or low-end Category-4) hurricane as it passed just west of Pinellas County.

[weatherwindow]

History of hurricanes passing within 40 miles of St. Petersburg, FL (my new hometown):

mm-dd-yyyy...winds...category...landfall location (if any)
09-12-1852: 70 kt, Category 1, Clearwater Beach
07-19-1886: 70 kt, Category 1, offshore to west
10-25-1921: 100 kt, Category 3, Tarpon Springs
10-19-1944: 65 kt, Category 1, passed to east*
10-08-1946: 65 kt, Category 1, Anna Maria Island
09-05-1950: 110 kt, Category 3, passed to west

*Was a major hurricane at landfall near Nokomis.

The 1935 Labor Day hurricane likely passed within 40 miles of St. Petersburg as well. It caused waves over 15 ft. on the local beaches and produced major beach erosion plus hurricane-force winds in St. Petersburg. It was still a strong Category-3 (or low-end Category-4) hurricane as it passed just west of Pinellas County.

Good morning and Happy Holidays.....FYI, you failed to mention, perhaps, the strongest storm to ever strike the Bay area. That being the Great Gale of 1848...coming ashore on a NE to ENE heading near present day Clearwater on Sept 25, it is purported to be of cat 4 intensity...135mph sustained @ 940-945mb and a 15' storm tide at Ft Brooke on the Bay. Its track suggests formation in the western Caribbean.

[Hurricane Andrew]

Although I have no data, Sandy was something. Saw 3 transformer flashes, and I could hear a CONSTANT strong wind above the surface. Also gave me my first "hurricane Days" off from school.

[psyclone]

History of hurricanes passing within 40 miles of St. Petersburg, FL (my new hometown):

mm-dd-yyyy...winds...category...landfall location (if any)
09-12-1852: 70 kt, Category 1, Clearwater Beach
07-19-1886: 70 kt, Category 1, offshore to west
10-25-1921: 100 kt, Category 3, Tarpon Springs
10-19-1944: 65 kt, Category 1, passed to east*
10-08-1946: 65 kt, Category 1, Anna Maria Island
09-05-1950: 110 kt, Category 3, passed to west

*Was a major hurricane at landfall near Nokomis.

The 1935 Labor Day hurricane likely passed within 40 miles of St. Petersburg as well. It caused waves over 15 ft. on the local beaches and produced major beach erosion plus hurricane-force winds in St. Petersburg. It was still a strong Category-3 (or low-end Category-4) hurricane as it passed just west of Pinellas County.

Good morning and Happy Holidays.....FYI, you failed to mention, perhaps, the strongest storm to ever strike the Bay area. That being the Great Gale of 1848...coming ashore on a NE to ENE heading near present day Clearwater on Sept 25, it is purported to be of cat 4 intensity...135mph sustained @ 940-945mb and a 15' storm tide at Ft Brooke on the Bay. Its track suggests formation in the western Caribbean.

the 1848 storm also cut John's pass, which persists to this day, separating treasure island from madeira beach. there were two big canes about 3 weeks apart in the bay area in 1848...talk about a bad year.