1928: Lake Okeechobee Hurricane is known in terms of intensity, the fifth largest hurricane to hit the United States. It caused about $25 million dollars in damage (equivalent to 300 million today) and an estimated 2,500 deaths.
1935: During Labor Day in 1935 the Florida Keys had a small but intense Category Five Hurricane with winds up to 180 mph rip through. In the United States, this hurricane has been classified the most powerful hurricane to make landfall.
1950: Hurricane King hit the Miami area with winds of 150 mph. Although this storm was compact, it caused destruction of about 7 to 10 miles wide. It is known as a powerful hurricane like Andrew.
1960: Hurricane Donna had an indefinite point of landfall. It started in the Caribbean, went across the Florida Keys and into the Gulf of Mexico where it turned around and made landfall at Fort Myers, FL. Donna went across the state and exited at Daytona Beach, FL. After it finished with Florida it went up the east coast and hit North Carolina. Before the storm was finished it made one final stop in New England around Long Island. This storm had winds that peaked between 175 and 200 mph.
1975: Hurricane Eloise hit Florida in September with gusts up to 156 mph and 125 mph sustained winds. The storm surge it created affected areas along the west coast from Ft. Walton Beach to Panama City. Eloise is the first hurricane to make a direct hit in the 20th century on this area.
1992: Hurricane Andrew is known for its devastation that it caused to South Florida in August of 1992. This category five hurricane which had problems developing prior to landfall had packed winds of up to 165 mph.
1995: Hurricane Opal developed late in the season as a category four and then weakened to a category three before making landfall in Pensacola, FL. In terms of damage, Opal ranks fifth amongst other hurricanes where it caused an estimated $3 billion dollars.
2004: Hurricane Charley packed winds of up to 145 mph and cost around $10-15 billion dollars in damage. Much like Andrew that hit south Florida in 1992, Charley was a devastating hurricane that caused at least 27 deaths. Charley’s landfall left forecasters wondering because it turned north and east sooner than planned and also intensified quickly. Hurricane Charley caused severe devastation to the Port Charlotte area.
2004: Hurricane Frances was a very destructive storm because it pounded almost all areas of Florida for at least 24 hours. On Labor Day weekend Frances moved across Florida with winds around 105 mph and spawned about 75 tornadoes. Frances was responsible for an estimated $2.5 billion dollars of damage and about 24 deaths.
2004: Hurricane Ivan made landfall near Gulf Shores, Alabama with winds around 130 mph which is a strong Category Three hurricane. After Ivan made landfall, he left torrential rains which caused flooding and 114 tornadoes spawned. Ivan is responsible for an estimated $4-10 billion dollars in damage and around 110 deaths between the Caribbean and the Eastern United States.
2004: Hurricane Jeanne affected many areas which included Puerto Rico, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Bahamas and Southeastern Florida. Jeanne made landfall around Stuart in September with winds around 120 mph. Jeanne is responsible for an estimated $5-9 billion dollars in damage and a death toll of about 1,551.
2005: Hurricane Katrina made landfall on August 29th along the Gulf of Mexico shoreline between Biloxi, Mississippi, and New Orleans, Louisiana, bringing complete devastation. The ensuing largest mass evacuation in U.S. history caused economic, social and political upheavals. The death toll across five states was over 1,280.
2005: Hurricane Rita, arriving in September soon after Hurricane Katrina, affected many areas along the Texas and Louisiana shoreline. Galveston and Houston were heavily damaged, and New Orleans was again flooded when rebuilt levees failed.
2005: Hurricane Stan, in October, left more than 1,500 people dead or missing in Central America and Mexico.
2005: Hurricane Wilma set many records in late October: It was the most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded. As the 12th hurricane of the season, Wilma tied 2005 with 1969 for the record number of hurricanes. It also was the 21st named storm tying 2005 with 1933 as the busiest on record. And it was the first storm to start with "W" because storms weren't given names until 1953.
