Catastrophic August Hurricanes

Hurricane Charley approaching Florida in 2004  (Source: NOAA)

Harvey (2017): The first major hurricane of 2017, Harvey was a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 130 mph at peak intensity.  When Harvey made landfall in Texas it was the first major hurricane to make landfall anywhere in the United States since Wilma in 2005.  Unfortunately, Harvey was a slow moving storm that left widespread damage both at the coast as well as across inland areas. 

Devastating flooding ensued with 4’ rainfall totals in spots.  Harvey remains one of the costliest hurricanes on record in the United States, having done approximately $131 billion in damage (adjusted for inflation). 

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 Category 3 hurricane before making landfall 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 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 $170 billion in damage adjusted for inflation, with a death toll of more than 1,200 in the United States.

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 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 $22.4 billion in damage (2020 figures) with an estimated death toll of 15.

Andrew (1992):  Andrew intensified into a Category 5 hurricane with peak sustained winds of 175 mph when it passed through the Bahamas.  Andrew had sustained winds of 165 mph and a minimum central pressure of 922 millibars (mb) when it came ashore in Florida on August 24, 1992.  Standard sea level air pressure is 1013.25 mb, demonstrating just how low Andrew’s air pressure was.  It was the first major hurricane (Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale) to make landfall in the state of Florida since Eloise in 1975. 

Hurricane Andrew became the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history at the time with $26.5 billion in damage.  Adjusted for inflation, that damage total would be $50.5 billion in 2020.  As bad as Andrew was, the damage could have been even worse had the track been a little different.  Since Andrew was a relatively compact hurricane, its strongest winds concentrated in a limited area compared to other hurricanes (like Katrina).  Andrew’s eye traveled roughly 30 miles south of downtown Miami, which largely spared the city.