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On This Day: "Labor Day" Hurricane of 1935 Strikes Florida Keys
September 14, 2020 at 08:01 PM EDT
By WeatherBug's Chris Sayles
Today marks 85 years since the “Labor Day” Hurricane of 1935 slammed into the Florida Keys. This storm would go down in history as one of the strongest hurricanes to hit the U.S. on record.
Unlike most storms, this historic hurricane began its life as a tropical wave that form just east of the Bahamas towards the end of August. It wasn’t until the 29th that the system would organize just enough to be deemed a tropical depression. From this point, the favorable, tropical environment would intensify the storm, and by the August 30, it became a tropical storm. This newly formed tropical storm would then sweep across the southern islands of the Bahamas, but this was just a precursor to the devastation to come once it passed through.
This menacing tropical storm would take a further turn for the worst when it would undergo rapid intensification between September 1 and 2. The system went from a Category 1 hurricane to an intimidating Category 5 behemoth by September 2. The “Labor Day” hurricane would make landfall along the Florida Keys as a powerful Category 5 Hurricane, packing an estimated sustained winds of 185 mph! Not to mention, the central pressure was recorded at 892 mb or 26.34 inches of mercury, and to this day, it is the strongest hurricane ever to impact the U.S. and the lowest pressure of that time to have formed in the Atlantic.
Sadly, this system would make a second landfall along the Florida Gulf Coast on September 6, 1935, as a Category 2 hurricane before exiting through the Mid-Atlantic on September 7. This led to an increase in damages in the Southeas, to an estimated total of $6 million in the U.S., equaivalent to more than $100 million in 2020.
In addition to the damages, hundreds of lives were lost due to the storm, with the Florida Keys being the worst hit. World War I veterans were among the casualties sustained in the Florida Keys.
Source: NHC, NOAA, NWS
Story Image: Devastation in the Keys left by the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. (NOAA)
Unlike most storms, this historic hurricane began its life as a tropical wave that form just east of the Bahamas towards the end of August. It wasn’t until the 29th that the system would organize just enough to be deemed a tropical depression. From this point, the favorable, tropical environment would intensify the storm, and by the August 30, it became a tropical storm. This newly formed tropical storm would then sweep across the southern islands of the Bahamas, but this was just a precursor to the devastation to come once it passed through.
This menacing tropical storm would take a further turn for the worst when it would undergo rapid intensification between September 1 and 2. The system went from a Category 1 hurricane to an intimidating Category 5 behemoth by September 2. The “Labor Day” hurricane would make landfall along the Florida Keys as a powerful Category 5 Hurricane, packing an estimated sustained winds of 185 mph! Not to mention, the central pressure was recorded at 892 mb or 26.34 inches of mercury, and to this day, it is the strongest hurricane ever to impact the U.S. and the lowest pressure of that time to have formed in the Atlantic.
Sadly, this system would make a second landfall along the Florida Gulf Coast on September 6, 1935, as a Category 2 hurricane before exiting through the Mid-Atlantic on September 7. This led to an increase in damages in the Southeas, to an estimated total of $6 million in the U.S., equaivalent to more than $100 million in 2020.
In addition to the damages, hundreds of lives were lost due to the storm, with the Florida Keys being the worst hit. World War I veterans were among the casualties sustained in the Florida Keys.
Source: NHC, NOAA, NWS
Story Image: Devastation in the Keys left by the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. (NOAA)