Catastrophic August Hurricanes

Hurricane Charley in August 2004  (Source: NOAA)

Some of the most significant hurricanes in U.S. history have occurred during the month of August.  These four hurricanes are infamous for being both damaging and deadly.

Katrina (2005):  A powerful Category 5 hurricane over the Gulf of Mexico less than 48 hours before making landfall, many feared Katrina was the doomsday scenario for the U.S. Gulf Coast.  Fortunately, Katrina weakened to a high end Category 3 hurricane before making landfall just east of New Orleans.  However, because Katrina was such a large and intense hurricane, the storm surge was still commensurate with a stronger hurricane.  The fact that Katrina weakened slightly and tracked east of the city, means it could have been even worse.  

The worst-case scenario for a hurricane in New Orleans would be if a Category 4 or 5 storm were to make landfall just west of the city.  That’s because the strongest winds and most dangerous conditions are on the right or eastern side of the hurricane.  According to NOAA, Katrina caused approximately $108 billion in damage and had a death toll of more than 1,200.

Charley (2004):  Just a year earlier, the west coast of Florida saw another very powerful hurricane.  After making landfall in Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane, Charley entered the Gulf of Mexico where it became even stronger.  Initially, it was feared that Charley would make landfall in the major urban area of Tampa-St Petersburg.  However, its path shifted shortly before making landfall and it came ashore near the town of Punta Gorda (south of Tampa) as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 150 mph.  Charley was the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the United States since Andrew in 1992.  Charley left roughly $15.8 billion in damage with an estimated death toll of 15.

Andrew (1992):  Unlike Katrina and Charley which occurred during very active hurricane seasons, Andrew was the only major hurricane of the 1992 season.  Conditions were ideal for Andrew to reach Category 5 intensity, as it passed through the Bahamas on its way to South Florida.  Andrew was relatively small in diameter and was a fast-moving storm.  Those facts combined with its track approximately 30 miles south of downtown Miami, helped to prevent a higher death toll.  Still, Andrew was the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history, causing approximately $26 billion in damage (unadjusted for inflation).  Andrew held that distinction until Katrina, 13 years later.  However, Andrew remains the last Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the United States.

Camille (1969):  The 1969 season was an active hurricane season in the Atlantic similar to 2004-2005.  However, Camille stood out among all the other storms.  It was the second Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the United States (and first since 1935) when it came ashore near the town of Waveland, Mississippi along the U.S. Gulf Coast.  Camille brought catastrophic damage and a death toll of more than 200 occurred.

These four hurricanes all rank among the Top 20 costliest hurricanes on record in the United States.  Fortunately, there are no active tropical storms or hurricanes anywhere in the Atlantic Ocean Basin today.