The hurricane was the first to directly strike Miami since Hurricane King in the 1950 season. Cleo intensified rapidly just prior to landfall, bringing sustained winds of 100–105 mph (160  km/h–170 km/h) with gusts to 135 mph (215 km/h) to the Miami area, due to moving over water temperatures of 30 to 32 degrees Celsius and its compact size. Lightning was observed within the eyewall at the National Hurricane Center. The pressure fell to 967.6 mb (28.57 inches) in North Miami. Major damage was constrained to a 20–35 mile (30 km–50 km) wide strip from Miami to Melbourne, in the form of broken glass, interior flooding, uprooted trees, overturned aircraft, power failures, and agriculture. Cleo cut power to 620,000 homes and businesses in southeast Florida. In Miami Shores the electricity was out for five days. At least two dozen fires blazed across Miami. About a quarter of the grapefruit crop was lost within the Indian River citrus producing region. The storm surge reached 4–6 feet (1.2 m–1.8 m) between Miami and Pompano Beach. The highest rainfall total measured within Florida was 9.37 inches (240 mm) at Stuart.