Hurricane Charley was the third named storm, the second hurricane, and the second major hurricane of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season. It caused major damage to parts of Cuba as it crossed the island as a Category 3 hurricane, and strengthened further before reaching the U.S. It made landfall west of Fort Myers, Florida, as a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. It was the strongest hurricane to strike the area since Hurricane Donna in 1960 and the strongest hurricane to strike Florida since Hurricane Andrew in 1992. After following the East Coast of the U.S., it eventually dissipated near Cape Cod.


Formation and Track

Hurricane Charley was initially a well-developed tropical wave approaching the Windward Islands. On August,9 while around 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Grenada, this wave organized enough to become the third tropical depression of the year. After crossing the islands into the eastern Caribbean Sea, the depression strengthened further, becoming Tropical Storm Charley on the morning of August 10.

The storm moved rapidly across the Caribbean, and reached hurricane strength on August 11, 90 miles (150 km) south of Kingston, Jamaica. Hurricane Charley then passed just south of Jamaica, and the next morning passed between Grand Cayman and Little Cayman. On the night of August 12 Hurricane Charley passed just east of the Isle of Youth, then over mainland Cuba, just west of downtown Havana as a Category 3 hurricane with winds estimated at 120 mph.

After passing over Cuba, Charley weakened slightly to 110 mph and crossed the Straits of Florida. Around 8 a.m. EDT, Charley passed over the Dry Tortugas. Tropical storm force winds of 41 mph (65 km/h) were recorded at Key West International Airport, 70 miles (115 km) east.

The course Hurricane Charley took at this time caught many by surprise. Instead of following the predicted track through the Tampa-St. Petersburg area, Charley made an abrupt turn to the northeast, heading towards Fort Myers and Sanibel Island. This track was well within the official forecast's margin of error, but some blamed the media for misleading residents of areas further south.

At the same time, Hurricane Charley rapidly strengthened, going from a Category 2 storm at 110 mph (170 km/h) with a central pressure of 28.5 inches (965 mb) to a Category 4 storm at 150 mph (235 km/h) with a central pressure of 27.8 inches (941 mb) in only three hours. This rapid intensification was outside the official forecast, which called for only a slight strengthening before landfall. The change in strength was so drastic that the National Hurricane Center issued a special hurricane advisory outside of its normal schedule. It is possible that the winds were even stronger at landfall, possibly at or near Category 5 strength (155 mph or 250 km/h), based on later images and assessments. Charley's strongest gusts measured an astounding 180 mph (290 km/h) at Punta Gorda.

Hurricane Charley became the second tropical system to strike Florida in 24 hours when Tropical Storm Bonnie struck the Florida panhandle at Apalachicola at 11 a.m. EDT on August 12, 22 hours before Charley went over the Dry Tortugas. This made 2004 the first year two named storms have struck the same state in the same 24-hour period since 1906. At 3:45 p.m. EDT, Hurricane Charley made landfall at Cayo Costa, north of Fort Myers. Hurricane Charley moved inland near Charlotte Harbor shortly afterwards.

Near midnight local time, Hurricane Charley began moving back over water, exiting Florida near Daytona Beach. It returned to land around 11 a.m. near North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina still retaining hurricane strength. Hurricane Charley continued to run off and on land up the East Coast of the United States, and dissipated near Cape Cod around mid-day on August 15.

Aftermath

One death in Jamaica, four deaths in Cuba, and ten deaths in the United States were directly attributed to Charley. Numerous injuries were reported, as well as twenty indirect deaths in the U.S. The storm caused $16 billion in damage thus making Hurricane Charley the third most costly hurricane in American history, behind Hurricane Andrew's $26.5 billion in 1992 and Hurricane Ivan's $22 billion recorded later in the 2004 season.