when was the last time a category 4 hurricane hit florida
List of Florida hurricanes The List of Florida hurricanes encompasses approximately 500 tropical or subtropical cyclones that affected the state of Florida. More storms hit Florida than any other U.S. state,[1] and since 1851 only eighteen hurricane seasons passed without a known storm impacting the state. Collectively, cyclones that hit the region have resulted in over 10,000 deaths, most of which occurring prior to the start of Hurricane Hunters flights in 1943. Additionally, the cumulative impact from the storms totaled over $141 billion in damage (2017 USD), primarily from Hurricane Andrew and hurricanes in the 2004 and 2005 seasons.
Hurricane Irma Irma developed from a tropical wave near Cape Verde on August 30. Favorable conditions allowed Irma to rapidly intensify into a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson wind scale by late on August 31. However, the storm's intensity fluctuated between Categories 2 and 3 for the next several days, due to a series of eyewall replacement cycles. On September 4, Irma resumed intensifying, becoming a Category 5 hurricane by early on the next day, and acquiring annular characteristics. On September 6, Irma peaked with 180 mph (285 km/h) winds and a minimum pressure of 914 hPa (27.0 inHg), making it the second most intense tropical cyclone worldwide in 2017, behind only Hurricane Maria, and the strongest worldwide in 2017, in terms of wind speed. Another eyewall replacement cycle caused Irma to weaken back to a Category 4 hurricane, but the storm re-attained Category 5 status before making landfall in Cuba. Although land interaction weakened Irma to a Category 2 storm, the system re-intensified to Category 4 status as it crossed the warm waters of the Straits of Florida, before making landfall on Cudjoe Key with winds at 130 mph, (215 km/h) on September 10. Irma weakened to Category 3 status, prior to another landfall in Florida on Marco Island later that day. The system degraded into a remnant low over Alabama and ultimately dissipated on September 13 over Missouri.
Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as Superstorm Sandy)[1][2] was the deadliest and most destructive hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season, and, at the time, was the second-costliest hurricane in United States history;[3] as of 2017 it has fallen to fourth, with Hurricanes Maria (2017), Katrina (2005), and Harvey (2017) having cost more in damage than Sandy. Classified as the eighteenth named storm, tenth hurricane, and second major hurricane of the year, Sandy was a Category 3 storm at its peak intensity when it made landfall in Cuba.[3] While it was a Category 2 hurricane off the coast of the Northeastern United States, the storm became the largest Atlantic hurricane on record (as measured by diameter, with winds spanning 1,100 miles (1,800 km)).[4][5] Estimates as of 2015 assessed damage to have been about $75 billion (2012 USD), a total surpassed only by Hurricanes Katrina, Maria, and Harvey.[6] At least 233 people were killed along the path of the storm in eight countries.[7][8]
2018 Atlantic hurricane season In the midst of an active September, the NHC began monitoring an area southwest of the Azores for tropical or subtropical development within the next several days on September 19.[126] A non-tropical area of low pressure formed on September 22,[127] quickly transitioning into a subtropical storm by 15:00 UTC on the next day, with the NHC assigning the storm the name Leslie.[128] After little change in strength had occurred in two days, Leslie began to weaken, first into a subtropical depression early on September 25,[129] before becoming post-tropical later that day as the system began to merge with an approaching frontal system.[130] Leslie subsequently merged with the frontal system and began a cyclonic loop to the west, intensifying during this time, and becoming a powerful extratropical cyclone with hurricane-force winds early on September 27.[131]