Worst hurricanes to make landfall in the U.S.

Here is a list of the Top 5 most powerful and destructive Hurricanes to ever make landfall in the U.S. there seems to be a pattern with where they like to hit we'll see if you can notice the trend.

1) Galveston Hurricane (1900)

The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 is by far the deadliest hurricane to ever hit the United states. It made its landfall on Sept. 8 of 1900 in Galveston Texas, it first crossed through Cuba as a Tropical storm, it skimmed through Florida and quickly turmed into a cat 4 hurricane with winds of 145 mph. 3,600 homes were destroyed, 8,000 people died, thats about 20 percent of Galveston’s population at the time and $21 million in damage, the equivalent of $641 million in 2019. The storm continued its path north it passed over Oklahoma and made is way to Nova Scotia in Canada, that shows you how strong this Hurricane was.

2) Miami Hurricane (1926)

Miami was up and coming and was considered the fastest growing city in the U.S. during the 1920's, it was attracting people from all around the world it was beginning to become the melting pot that we all know today, therefore the vas majority of people had no idea of the forces of a major hurricane. On Sept. 11, 1926, ships contacted the U.S. Weather Bureau to notify them that a hurricane was about 1,000 miles east of the Barbados and St Lucia Islands. The storm passed through Puerto Rico and the Bahamas the initial reports showed that the Hurricane was not going to hit Florida. A hurricane warning was not issued till 24 hours before making landfall.The 1926 Miami hurricane made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on Sept. 18, 1926, max winds recorded were 150 mph. The eye passed directly over Miami and skies cleared for about 35 minutes, many people thought the storm was over. People emerged from their homes and crowded the streets not knowing that the worst of the storm was yet to come, 372 people died and 6,000 were injured. $105 million in damage which is equilevent to $90 billion today, combined with the great depression this wrecked Florida's economy, it did not recover till 20 years later.

3) Hurricane Andrew (1992)

This is a storm that a lot of Miami residents today still remember and still talk about, and is very much part of Miami's "story" and shaped some of Miami's culture today. Hurricane Andrew was the most powerful hurricane to hit South Florida in almost 30 years, South Florida residents were not ready for this storm, and did not expect this Hurricane to have such a major impact. Tropical Storm Andrew developed in the east Atlantic on Aug. 16 and then spent a week drifting through the west with no signs of strengthening. The storm rapidly intensified to a Category 5 hurricane just before reaching the Bahamas on Aug. 23. Even though it briefly dropped to a Category 4 over the Bahamas, Andrew quickly returned to Category 5 status before slamming into the Florida coast on Aug. 24. It made landfall with sustained winds of 145 mph in its eyewall, and wind gusts of approximately 175 miles per hour, making it the fourth most intense hurricane to strike the U.S. There was a total of approximately 600,000 homes and businesses that were destroyed or severely impaired by the winds, waves, and rain from Andrew, while around 150,000 to 250,000 people in South Florida were left homeless. In total, the damage caused by Andrew in both South Florida and Louisiana totaled $26 billion dollars, the most costly natural disaster in United States history.

4) Okeechobee Hurricane (1928)

Two years after the Great Miami Hurricane South Florida got hit with another massive storm. The Okeechobee hurricane made landfall around West Palm Beach, Florida on Sept. 17 as a Category 4 storm. The hurricane’s 145 mph wind and high storm surge destroyed 1,711 homes along the Florida coast. Florida was not the only U.S. state affected by this storm Puerto Rico was also hit very hard as well as Guadeloupe, they combined 4,079 deaths, 2,500 of those deaths recorded in Florida, this was the second deadliest hurricane on record.

5) Hurricane Katrina (2005)

Katrina is Another Hurricane that a lot of Miami residents today remember, although not as impactful to our community as in Louisiana, Katrina goes down today as costliest natural disaster and third deadliest storm to ever hit the United States. Katrina made landfall in Hallandale Florida as a Cat. 1 hurricane, as it passed through Florida's east coast making its way to the gulf side it weakened to a tropical storm. Katrina quickly intensified into a category 5 as it moved through the warm waters of the gulf, it eventually made landfall in Louisiana as a category 3 hurricane on Aug. 29. Katrina’s most catastrophic impacts were from storm surge rather than wind resulting in 80 percent of New Orleans under water. Katrina's effects were catastrophic 1,577 people died, with 200 of these were killed from flooding in Mississippi, and 6,000 were injured accompanied by $108 billion in damages, the costliest natural disaster on record.

South Florida is not only a favorite among tourist but also a favorite among Hurricane's and storms, if you are a South Floridian it is up to you to take all the precautions necessary to assure your safety as well as your family's. With all the technological advancements in storm tracking as well as construction you are in a better safer Florida than prior years. If you have not hurricane proofed your home already we urge you to take action sooner than later, its been years since Florida has been hit with a major Hurricane and statistically speaking we are due.