1941 Florida hurricane

The 1941 Florida hurricane was a strong tropical cyclone that affected the Bahamas, Florida, and the southeastern United States in October 1941. It is the only storm of 1941 to be classified as a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. It remains the most powerful hurricane to have ever hit the United States, with sustained winds of more than 100 mph (160 km/h) It killed three people in the Bahamas; the city of Nassau was struck particularly hard.

About 1941 Florida hurricane in brief

The 1941 Florida hurricane was a compact but strong tropical cyclone that affected the Bahamas, Florida, and the southeastern United States in October 1941. It was first observed to the north of the Virgin Islands on October 3. The storm tracked generally westward, reaching peak winds of 120 miles per hour before passing through the Bahamas. After weakening somewhat, the storm later passed across southern Florida with winds of 100 mph. The hurricane then emerged into the Gulf of Mexico as a tropical storm, but regained hurricane intensity and made another landfall along the Florida Panhandle. In advance of the storm, preparations were extensive; residents boarded up homes and businesses, while evacuations were recommended in some coastal areas. The cyclone kept its intensity for two more days as it moved toward the southeast, passing south of Bermuda on the night of October 11. It became extratropical the next day, fully dissipating the next morning. The fifth known storm of the 1941 Atlantic hurricane season, it was the first to make landfall in the U.S. on October 8. It killed three people in the Bahamas; the city of Nassau was struck particularly hard. In Florida, damage was relatively severe, and included the deaths of several people.

It weakened as it progressed inland, and after passing through South Carolina, re-emerged into the Atlantic Ocean on October 9. While the storm re-intensified, it re-entered the Atlantic on October 10, reaching a peak of 40 mph over water, before dissipating on October 11. The hurricane inflicted US$675,000 in damage in Florida; one person died in Georgia; the cyclone later killed one person in Georgia. The Vidette-Messenger, a passenger liner, was sunk by the storm; the storm’s loss of life and property was attributed to the loss of property and a low-loss loss of income. It is the only storm of 1941 to be classified as a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. It remains the most powerful hurricane to have ever hit the United States, with sustained winds of more than 100 mph (160 km/h) The storm is also the only one to have caused more than $1 million in damage to the state of Florida; it is the second-costliest hurricane to hit the state in the last 50 years, after Hurricane Andrew in 1992. It has been named the “Florida hurricane” by the National Hurricane Center, and is one of the most destructive hurricanes of the 20th century.

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