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Florida
Hurricane Timeline: 1900 to 1949
September,
1906 - Two storms take 300 lives.
In September, 134 people lost their
lives in the Panhandle as a Category 3
hurricane struck west of Pensacola. A month
later 164 railroad workers die when a
Category 3 hurricane struck the Keys and
Miami.
October 11, 1909 - Category 3 hurricane
strikes Key West.
The Weather Bureau station on Sand Key
was blown away as were over 400 buildings in
Key West. Contemporary newspaper reports
claim it was the worst storm since the "Twin
Hurricanes" of 1870.
September 9, 1919 - "Most violent" hurricane
ever strikes Key West.
NOAA records rank this Category 4 storm as
the fourth most powerful hurricane to ever
strike the U.S. (Hurricane Andrew is third).
Extensive damage was recorded at Key West.
The steamer
Valbanera sank between Key West and the
Dry Tortugas with 488 aboard. All perished.
A further 300 were lost when the hurricane
finally made landfall at Corpus Christi,
Texas. Remarkably, this was the only
Atlantic Basin hurricane to form during the
year.
November 30, 1925
- Late season hurricane strikes south of
Tampa. Hurricane season officially runs
from June 1 to November 30. Although
November hurricanes are rare, 1925 saw one
strike on the last day of the month. This
storm holds the record for being the only
hurricane to hit the U.S. on the last day of
hurricane season.
This was the only
Atlantic Basin hurricane to form during the
year.
September, 1926 - The Great Miami Hurricane.
Before Hurricane Andrew struck in 1992, this
was the "big one" for Miami. With estimated
gusts up to 150 mph, the storm damaged or
destroyed most buildings in Dade and Broward
counties. At least 373 people were left
dead. The twelfth most powerful hurricane to
ever strike the U.S. Analysts suggest that
this hurricane would cause nearly $100
billion in property damage if it struck
today. Read more
here.
September, 1928 - The Deadly Great Lake
Okeechobee Hurricane.
The greatest natural disaster ever seen
in Florida. Hundreds of migrant farm workers
were killed as Lake Okeechobee's shallow
waters were driven out of the lake and into
nearby villages and towns. Belle Glade is
particularly hard-hit. The official death
toll now stands at just over 2,500 but many
hundreds were never found. From Ft. Pierce
to Palm Beach thousands of structures are
damaged. Stands as the fifth most powerful
hurricane to ever strike the U.S. Some
analysts believe that this hurricane would
cause $14 billion in property damage if it
struck today. Read more
here.
September, 1935 - The Great Labor Day
Hurricane.
The most powerful hurricane the U.S. has
ever seen. This storm stands as one of only
three known Category 5 storms to ever strike
the U.S. The hurricane struck the middle
Keys near Marathon as a rescue train from
Miami steamed tragically into the melee. 408
perished including 259 World War I veterans
working for the Civilian Conservation Corps
on the Overseas Highway. Due to the fairly
remote nature of the impact, a similar storm
today might cause as little as $2 billion in
damages. Read more
here.
September 7, 1947 - "Almost as bad as 1928"
A Category 4 storm makes landfall at
Pompano Beach and exits over Sanibel Island.
Fortunately, improved building codes and
heightened hurricane safety awareness limit
the loss of life to just 52. This unnamed
storm held the Florida record for highest
recorded wind speed (155 mph) until
Hurricane Andrew in 1992. The fourteenth
most powerful hurricane to ever strike the
U.S. This hurricane could cause as much as
$8 billion in property damage if it struck
today. |
