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    • Florida’s worst hurricanes, including Helene, Ian and Michael
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    Florida’s worst hurricanes, including Helene, Ian and Michael

    Caradoc Wyn Posted on

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    Further details, current watches and warnings, spaghetti models and expected impacts from Hurricane Milton can be found here. In a hurry? Here’s what you need to know in a minute.

    As Hurricane Milton intensifies on October 7, Floridians may find little time to think about other hurricanes that have struck the state.

    ➤ Spaghetti Models for Hurricane Milton

    ➤ Weather warnings via SMS: Sign up to receive updates on current storms and weather events by location

    For those still literally picking up the pieces following Hurricane Helene’s landfall and associated storm surge on September 26, previous hurricanes and their impacts are all too real.

    Here’s a look back as we prepare for what lies ahead.

    Hurricane Milton: What you need to know

    Watches and warnings are issued across Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton

    Spaghetti models for Hurricane Milton

    Special note on spaghetti models: The figures cover a range of forecasting tools and models, and not all are created equal. The Hurricane Center uses only the four or five best-performing models to create its forecasts.

    ➤ Track Hurricane Milton

    Let’s take a look at the recent and other hurricanes that have impacted Florida.

    Notable hurricanes in Florida history

    Notable hurricanes in Florida history compiled by the Florida Climate Center include:

    Category 5:

    • Labor Day hurricane: 1935. Landfall at Craig Key
    • Andrew: 1992. Landfall at Homestead
    • Michael: 2018. Landing on Mexico Beach, Tyndall Air Force Base

    Category 4:

    • Great Miami Hurricane: 1926. Landfall in South Miami
    • Hurricane at Lake Okeechobee. 1928. Landing in Jupiter
    • Unnamed Storm. 1947. Landing at Pompano Beach
    • Unnamed Storm. 1949. Landing at Palm Beach Shores
    • Donna. 1960. Landing in Naples
    • Charley. 2004. Landing in Punta Gorda
    • Irma. 2017. Landing at Cudjoe Key
    • Ian. 2022. Landing in Cayo Costa

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    NOAA statistics show trillions of dollars in damage caused by hurricanes

    As southeast Helene begins to recover, NOAA records show average hurricane damages are in the billions of dollars.

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    Aerial cameras provide a vivid look at the damage caused by Hurricane Ian

    The state of Florida suffered unprecedented damage from Hurricane Ian. Aerial cameras provide an insight into the extent of the damage.

    Hank Farr, USA TODAY

    • Year: 2022
    • Location: Landing at Cayo Costa Island, Florida, about 29 miles west of Fort Myers
    • Deaths: 156
    • Damage: $113 billion (2022 US dollars)
    • What happened: Ian was classified as a Category 5 hurricane and was the third costliest hurricane on record, according to the National Hurricane Center. The hurricane was also the costliest storm in Florida history. Aside from the extensive damage it caused in Florida, Ian also caused damage in Cuba and the Carolinas.
    • Year: 2018
    • Location: Hurricane Michael made landfall near Tyndall Air Force Base and Mexico Beach on October 10, 2018, as a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 161 miles per hour.
    • Deaths: Eight direct fatalities were reported in the Tri-State area, seven in Florida and one in Georgia. Five of those deaths were due to storm surges and three were due to wind. Additionally, there were 43 indirect deaths related to Hurricane Michael.
    • Damage: Approximately $25 billion in damages
    • What happened: Based on a minimum pressure of 919 mb, Michael is the fourth strongest hurricane to hit the United States, according to the National Weather Service.

    Other significant hurricanes have struck Florida

    The Great Miami Hurricane, September 18, 1926

    • Category: 4
    • Damage in 1926: $105 million
    • Estimated damage today: $157-164 billion
    • Deaths: 372
    • Interactive map

    The eye of the hurricane passed over downtown Miami and parts of Coconut Grove and South Miami around 6:30 a.m. on September 18, 1926. The town’s residents, unfamiliar with hurricanes, thought the storm was over. People even returned to the mainland from Miami Beach.

    According to Richard Gray of the then weather office in Miami, the lull lasted about 35 minutes. The worst part of the hurricane brought a 10-foot storm surge to Miami Beach and the barrier islands around 7 a.m. that lasted the rest of the morning.

    At the peak of the storm surge, the waters of the Atlantic Ocean stretched for several city blocks across Miami Beach and Biscayne Bay into the city of Miami. The 1926 Miami hurricane made its second landfall in Florida on September 20 near Pensacola.

    Hurricane Andrew, 1992

    • Category: 5
    • Damage in 1992: $26.5 billion
    • Estimated damage today: $57.7 billion
    • Deaths: 65

    Hurricane Andrew hit Dade County, Florida, as a Category 5 storm with a central pressure of 922 millibars, the third lowest in the 20th century. At the time, Hurricane Andrew was the costliest on record, causing $26.5 billion in damages. Both Katrina and Ike have caused greater damage in recent years.

    Hurricane at Lake Okeechobee, 1928

    • Category: 4
    • Damage in 1928: $100 million
    • Estimated damage today: $33.6 billion
    • Deaths: 4,078

    The Lake Okeechobee Hurricane, also known as the San Felipe Segundo Hurricane, hit South Florida on September 16, 1928 as a powerful Category 4 storm. It claimed over 4,078 lives – 2,500 in South Florida alone – making it the second deadliest hurricane in U.S. history. Damage, including impacts in the Caribbean, amounted to approximately $100 million.

    The greatest loss of life occurred around Lake Okeechobee. Winds pushed the lake’s water onto the lake’s southern shore, causing a hastily constructed dike to fail. The water poured onto farmland, drowning thousands of people, most of them non-white migrant farm workers. Many of the victims’ bodies were washed into the Everglades and never found.

    After the Lake Okeechobee hurricane, the remains of hundreds of African Americans were brought to West Palm Beach and buried in an unmarked mass grave in the city’s pauper’s cemetery. The property was reacquired by the city in 2000 to commemorate the tragedy.

    Today, the 30-foot-high Hoover Levee protects the land surrounding Lake Okeechobee. However, the levee was not tested with a direct hit from a Category 4 or 5 storm like the Lake Okeechobee Hurricane.

    Hurricane Donna, 1960

    • Category: 4
    • Damage in 1960: $387 million
    • Estimated damage today: $29.6 billion
    • Deaths: 164

    Hurricane Donna hit the Florida Keys as a Category 4 storm with an atmospheric pressure at landfall of 27.46 inches, making Donna the fifth largest hurricane in United States history. The hurricane moved slowly up the Atlantic coast, striking eastern North Carolina and parts of South Carolina as a Category 3 storm. Donna moved back out to sea before making landfall again on Long Island as a Category 3 hurricane. As a Category 1 and 2 storm, it continued northward through New England.

    Donna holds the record for maintaining hurricane status for 17 days. The storm’s slow progression resulted in exceptionally heavy rainfall, causing lakes and streams to overflow and some homes to be evacuated. Floodwaters also closed roads and inundated agricultural land. Hurricane Donna caused significant storm surges. Rises were up to 13 feet in the Florida Keys, including 11 feet along Florida’s southwest coast and 4 to 10 feet in North Carolina and New England.

    Hurricane Donna caused 50 deaths in the United States and 114 deaths from the Leeward Islands to the Bahamas, including 107 in Puerto Rico. The hurricane caused approximately $387 million in damages in the United States.

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    Caradoc Wyn
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