Since 1970, Florida has been branded as the sunshine state. This is somewhat misleading, however, as Florida gets the 10th most hours of sunlight in the US; the slogan was only adopted to increase tourism. Additionally (and ironically), Florida was named the thunder and lightning capital several years ago. That slogan was adopted because the state has the highest number of thunderstorms per year in the country, as a result of being surrounded by water and a very warm climate. More pressing than simple thunderstorms, since its establishment Florida has experienced over 120 recorded hurricanes, and dozens more tropical storms. Three of these tempests have been especially devastating.
One of the first recorded hurricanes in the Tampa Bay area was nicknamed the Great Gale of 1848. It remains one of the strongest known hurricanes to hit the central Florida area; by modern estimates it was considered a category four hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. The highest winds were an estimated 130 mph, and incoming tidal waves were said to be up to 15 feet tall. Many were severely injured, but there were no recorded deaths as a direct result of the storm. The Great Gale caused about $774,000 in damage ($20,000 in 1848 USD.) This was the first of two major hurricanes to breach Central Florida on the west coast.
The second hurricane to hit the center west was the Tarpon Springs Hurricane of 1921. This was another of the strongest hurricanes to ever hit Florida, with winds estimated to move at 120 mph and tidal waves of 11 feet, it remains the only category four hurricane to hit Tarpon Springs. Eight deaths were reported as a direct result of drowning and falling debris, and many more injuries were reported after the storm subsided. It lasted just under 11 days from October 20th to October 30th and caused a staggering $171,000,000 in damages ($10,000,000 in 1921.)
Most recently, the most devastating hurricane to hit Florida was Hurricane Michael in 2018, the first category five hurricane the state had seen in the 26 years since Andrew in 1992. Michael directly resulted in the deaths of 50 people in the northwest area near Tallahassee, and countless injuries in a wider range. Michael’s wind speeds were around 150 mph on average, with a peak at 162 mph and peak tidal levels of 20 feet. Replacement costs of Michael were roughly $25,000,000,000 in relief and aid and rebuilding. These costs were far more spread out than the previous two though, as Michael affected a larger area with a greater number of people and industries. About 6.5 billion of those dollars were spent solely on replacing equipment at Tyndall Air Force Base, which was the area affected the most.
With that being said, it is worth noting that the ability to report on hurricanes has gotten significantly better over time, and as a result the numbers presented may not be accurate to the full devastation caused by these disasters. It is probable that several more people died by drowning or were crushed by debris, and simply went unreported. As well, the scale used to classify the hurricanes into a category (Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale) was created in 1971, long after the first two hurricanes happened, and they were classified by estimates of wind speeds taken by meteorologists. As we move further into hurricane season it grows more important to stay informed on trends in the weather, making sure to take precautions against these prevalent yet destructive storms.
