The Eye Of The Storm In Florida Quiz

Answer:

Hurricanes Michael and Andrew were each classified as level five hurricanes when they crossed over Florida. Level 5 is the highest level a hurricane registers and occurs when the wind speeds sustained wind speeds reach or exceed 157 mph (252 km/h) or (137 knots). These are calculated from the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Hurricane Andrew made a direct hit over Homestead near Miami on August 24, 1992. 63,000 homes were damaged, 65 deaths, and over $27 billion dollars in damages came from Hurricane Andrew.

Hurricane Opal was a category three hurricane that hit Florida in the Panhandle after originating near Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. The 1995 hurricane destroyed homes all over Mexico and over 300 in Florida alone. Damages totaled over $2.1 billion dollars from Opal's water and wind destruction.

Hurricane Michael came through the Gulf of Mexico and hit the Sunshine State on October 10, 2018. The path of the storm hit the panhandle of Florida and caused 74 fatalities and over $25 billion dollars in damages. August 13, 2004 saw Hurricane Charley (a level four hurricane) rip into Florida at Punta Gorda. The storm wrecked havoc on Florida crops and the damage totals exceeded $5 billion dollars.

In the next months, two different hurricane level threes, Ivan and Jeanne, attacked the state and a combined 124 fatalities were attributed to the hurricanes. It appears that these massive water storms come in packs of two as the following year, 2005, once again brought two deadly storms. Hurricane Dennis came first, but then the impact of Hurricane Wilma was record breaking. Thirty deaths and over $19 billion dollars of damage were the result of the storm that saw one of the highest pressure drops in hurricane history. 2017 saw the level four hurricane named Ian come up through Marco Island on the southern west coast of the Gulf.

Between 2022 and 2024, four different massive hurricanes devastated Florida. 2022 brought the highly deadly Hurricane Ian (level four) that crossed through Punta Gorda. There were 150 deaths attributed to the hurricane and over $110 billion dollars of damages. The storm in late August 2023, Hurricane Idalia did its damage as a level three storm. The death toll was 12 and $3.6 billion dollars of damage was attributed to Idalia.

2024 was an epic and tragic year for Florida hurricanes. Hurricane Debby only came in as a level one storm but drenched the northern Gulf coast. Then seven weeks later came the hit of Hurricane Helene, a level four monster that was one of the most devastating storms to hit the state. It was the deadliest hurricane since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which missed Florida, but ripped into the Louisiana area. Estimated damages were close to $80 billion dollars from Helene and 248 fatalities were registered. Less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene came Hurricane Milton which saw record wind speeds and a rare direct hit into Pinellas County. The area was still reeling from Helene and the new damages were listed at over $34 billion dollars for Milton.

The wrong answers included Rita, Ida, and Harvey that came close to directly hitting Florida but did their major damage to states like Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. Hurricane Sandy directly hit the Northeastern states, including New Jersey and New York. Hurricane Eleanor was a 2018 storm in Europe.