Hi everybody and welcome! Well folks, the Atlantic Basin hurricane season has again arrived and hopefully you have at least made some preparations and started your collection of canned goods and batteries. Many of us have never actually experienced a hurricane or have even been in a situation where you have to evacuate or take shelter in your “safe room”. At least some of us have seen several very close calls where the storm turned at the very last minute and saved us from the worst. One such example is Hurricane Floyd in 1999. Floyd became a category 4 storm as it approached the Central Bahamas on September 13th, 1999. With the exact track of Floyd somewhat uncertain, the largest peacetime evacuation in history was ordered from Florida all the way through the Carolina’s. Floyd did make the northerly turn but still came way too close for comfort. Floyd caused extensive flooding from the Carolina’s all the way up to New York.
It has been 25 years since a hurricane made a direct hit on the Treasure Coast. The last hurricane where the effects of the eye-wall where experienced was David back in 1979. David was only a minimal hurricane when it headed up the east coast of Florida on Labor Day of 1979. Even though the storm was weak, many trees were blown down and power was out in some areas for as long as a week. The highest winds in Stuart were reported to be right around 70 mph but some areas of St. Lucie County reported winds of near 100 mph. The official point of landfall was in the Sabastian area.
The last time a major hurricane hit the Treasure Coast was in 1949. That means it has been almost 55 years since we had a brush with a major storm in this area. As you can see, this area is definitely not a hurricane magnet, but the potential for a direct hit does exist and we all need to understand that. We all need to be sure we do not have the ‘cry wolf syndrome”. We all need to prepare for a catastrophic storm and hope that we do not have to use our supplies or activate our emergency plan. At least we can have the peace of mind to know that we are prepared as best as possible just in case the big boy decides to come our way. Remember, you can check the tropical updates anytime 24/7 on JOESDISCOWEATHERCENTRAL.COM.
Now, on to the Time Capsule…..
June 2, l974 -- St. Johns Co., St. Augustine -- Lightning killed a l3 year old boy as he fished on a dam.
June 2, 1996 -- Dade Co., Miami Beach -- A 15-year-old male drowned in a rip
current at an unguarded stretch of beach June 1, l981 -- Duval Co. --
Strong thunderstorms moved through.
Winds were from the east at 20 mph.
3 l972 - l030 - Brevard Co., Rockledge - Lightning killed a l3 year old girl standing on a stack of wet papers. Three other kids were injured. They had been collecting papers for a church project.
June 3, 1982 -- Afternoon -- Evening -- South Florida -- Alberto was a minimal hurricane west of the Keys for about six hours on the 3rd, before gradually dissipating off the southwest coast on the 6th. Maximum winds observed at a land station were 70 mph at Dry Tortugas at l800 on the 3rd, with the center less than 20 miles from the island. Key West measured 6.25 inches of rain during the 24 hours ending at l200 on the 4th. Two tornadoes occurred in the lower Keys, producing the only damage from the storm. The lower Keys were the only parts of Florida directly affected by Alberto.
June 3-5, 1995 -- North and West Central Florida -- Hurricane Allison formed
in the northwest Caribbean Sea on June 3rd and moved north through the eastern
Gulf of Mexico, weakening to tropical storm strength before crossing the coast
at St. Teresa in the Florida Big Bend area at 0900 on the 5th. At
landfall, maximum sustained winds were 69 mph with a minimum central pressure
of 990 MB. Maximum rainfall amounts were between 4 and 6 inches. Storm surge
heights were estimated at 6 to 8 feet from Dixie through Wakulla
counties. Damage was greatest in the coastal sections of Levy, Dixie,
Taylor and Wakulla counties, mainly from storm surge effects, with 60 homes and
businesses damaged. About 5000 people evacuated from the coast. Most beach
erosion was minor, except locally heavy in Pinellas county, with damage to sea
walls and coastal roadways.
Several small boats were sunk. Four confirmed tornadoes, associated with outer
rain bands, touched down in Polk, Duval and Nassau counties. Otherwise, minor
wind damage to roofs, signs, power lines and trees occurred over north Florida.
Total storm damage in Florida was estimated at $860,000.
June 2-6, 1968 -- Peninsula and Keys -- Abby moved northward between the Dry Tortugas and Key West on the 3rd, with maximum sustained winds of barely hurricane force. Although winds of gale force were observed in the Keys for 26 hours, maximum sustained winds were only about 45 mph and highest tides at Key West were less than one foot above normal. One death indirectly caused by the storm occurred at Key West when a year old girl wandered away from her grandmother and drowned in a pool of rainwater. Abby made landfall as a tropical storm near Punta Gorda after weakening rapidly on the morning of June 4. Maximum sustained winds along the southwest coast were about 25 mph with peak gusts near 40 mph. Abby continued northeast toward Titusville with winds to 45 mph in gusts. After moving off the east coast late in the afternoon of the 4th, she looped southward to the Vero Beach area before moving north-northwestwards along the east coast on June 6, crossing into Georgia that night. Abby intensified off the east coast, but did not regain hurricane intensity. Maximum sustained winds in exposed coastal sections were about 40 to 55 mph with gusts to about 70 mph. Wind speeds dropped off a short distance inland to 30 to 40 mph with gusts to 55 mph. Highest tides were two to 3 feet above normal. Damage along the coast from Brevard County northward consisted mostly of broken tree limbs, downed small trees, signs, and power lines; some beach erosion, and minor rainfall flooding. Most of the damage was in the Titusville-Cocoa area where storm rainfall measured about l4 inches at some stations.
June 5, 1995 -- morning -- Taylor Co., Apalachee Bay -- Hurricane Allison became the earliest hurricane on record to cross the Florida coast when it came ashore in Taylor Co. just barely at hurricane strength. Minor storm surge flooding was reported along the eastern shoreline of Apalachee Bay. Minor wind damage was reported in northwest Florida.
June 6, l94l -- Polk Co., Haines City -- Tornado destroyed eight small homes and 500 citrus trees. Twenty injuries.
June 6, l953 -- Florida Keys and northwest Florida -- Tropical Storm -- On June 4th the center passed about 60 miles west of Dry Tortugas and moved very near parallel to west coast of Florida and passed inland a short distance west of Panama City, about noon of 6th. Winds remained below hurricane force during entire history of this storm and highest winds experienced on land were 40 to 45 mph. Rains associated with the storm were beneficial.
June 6, l963 -- Three Lightning deaths in one afternoon: Hillsborough Co., Tampa -- Lightning killed a small child in a bathtub. Jackson Co., Lake Seminole -- Lightning killed a fisherman standing on the lake bank. Hillsborough Co., Tampa -- Lightning killed a person repairing a roof.
June 6, l964 -- afternoon -- A Tropical Depression spawned several tornadoes and waterspouts -- Duval Co., Normandy, Avondale and Lake Shore areas -- Tornado unroofed homes and overturned trailers. -- Polk Co., Lake Marion, Haines City -- Tornado/Waterspout over Lake Marion came ashore, destroying three concrete block cottages.
June 8-9, l957 -- afternoon -- north central Florida -- A Tropical Storm moved in from the Gulf of Mexico and crossed northwest Florida, spawning a tornado outbreak and flooding rainfall. Five people drown in the Gulf of Mexico when a small fishing vessel capsized in high seas. A shrimp boat was sunk off Ft. Myers, and several other boats were driven ashore south of Tampa. At least 9 Tornadoes were reported in Alachua, Marion, Clay, Putnam, and Duval counties (Jacksonville area). Tornadoes damaged roofs and uprooted trees. Heavy rains of up to 19" in 48 hours caused much local flooding and considerable agricultural damage, closed many roads and washed out several small bridges. Two hundred people were evacuated from flooded residential areas in Taylor County.
June 8 – 9, l966 -- Peninsula & west to Tallahassee Area -- ALMA, the second earliest hurricane on record to cross the Florida coastline, moved northward out of the Caribbean Sea and through the Gulf of Mexico from 20 to 60 miles off the west coast before making landfall near Alligator Point on the afternoon of the 9th. Highest winds of l25 mph and lowest pressure, 28.65 inches, were reported at Dry Tortugas on the afternoon of the 8th. Sustained winds remained below hurricane force at all reporting stations in Florida except in a small area around Alligator Point where winds were estimated between 75 and 90 mph. Storm tides along the Gulf Coast ranged from two to 3 feet above normal in the Keys to seven to l0 feet above normal between about New Port Richey and St. Marks. Part of the fishing village of Cedar Key was inundated by rising tides and wave action. Rainfall ranged from two - 4 inches on the southwest peninsula and north of Lake Okeechobee to 5-8 inches in Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties. There was no serious flooding from rainfall in the state. Principal damages were downed utility lines, beach erosion and salt water flooding. Agriculture sustained some damage, notably the late season vegetables in the central Gulf coast counties and the tobacco crop, both fine cured and shade grown, in north Florida. There were four tornadoes reported in the state. Two in Dade County and two in the Marianna area. Four other tornado-like storms were reported: three in the Sarasota area between l030 and ll00 pm on the 8th and one near Jacksonville on the afternoon of the 9th. Eight deaths were attributed to Alma.