Florida Hurricane Timeline: 1950 to Present

 September, 1960 - Hurricane Donna strikes the Florida Keys. The sixth most powerful storm to ever hit the U.S., Hurricane Donna held the record for causing the most economic damage ($2.4 billion in 2004 dollars) until Hurricane Andrew. Hurricane Donna entered the State in the Middle Keys as a Category 4 hurricane and exited at Daytona Beach retaining hurricane strength along its entire path. Fortunately, steadily improving forecasting technology and public safety awareness helped limit the loss of life to just a handful. Stands as the sixth most powerful hurricane to ever strike the U.S. Analysts suggest that Hurricane Donna would cause $12 billion in property damage if it struck today. Read more about Hurricane Donna.

  1964 - Hurricanes Cleo, Dora, and Isbell sock Florida with a one-two-three punch. Twin Category 2 hurricanes Cleo and Dora struck Miami and Jacksonville respectively within a few weeks of each other in September. Minimal hurricane Isbell struck the Naples vicinity in October. All three hurricanes together caused approximately $2.5 billion (2004 dollars) in damage, most of it from flooding associated with Hurricane Dora.

  August 24, 1992 - "The earth scoured clean" Hurricane Andrew, the third most powerful storm to ever strike the U.S., made landfall 15 miles south of downtown Miami as a Category 5 storm. Radar at the National Hurricane Center in Coral Gables confirmed wind gusts of 164 mph just before the antenna was destroyed. Hurricane Andrew was the single most destructive storm in the history of the U.S. causing 23 deaths in Florida and Louisiana and $26.5 billion ($35 billion in 2004 dollars) in damage. Read more about Hurricane Andrew.

  1995 - Hurricanes Allison, Erin, and Opal triple team Florida. Category 1 hurricanes Allison and Erin serve as a warm-up for powerful Hurricane Opal. Opal made landfall in the Florida panhandle near Pensacola as a Category 3 storm, after having flirted with Category 5 status in the Gulf. In terms of minimal barometric pressure, Hurricane Opal stands second only to the Great Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. Hurricane Opal was the sixteenth most powerful hurricane to ever strike the U.S. Analysts suggest that combined these hurricanes would cause $7.5 billion in property damage if they struck today. Read more about Hurricane Opal.

  2004 - Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne give Florida a 100-year pummeling. Category 4 Hurricane Charley was the most powerful storm to strike Florida since Hurricane Andrew. Hurricane Charley surprised many Floridians by making landfall on August 13, 2004 at Charlotte Harbor well along the southern part of the of the forecast track. The storm proceeded diagonally across the state before exiting near Daytona Beach. Property damage from Hurricane Charley topped $16 billion. A few weeks later, slow-moving Hurricane Frances made landfall on the east coast near Stuart as a Category 2 storm and proceeded diagonally across the state to exit north of Tampa. Hurricane Frances reentered the panhandle as a tropical storm a day later. Hurricane Frances caused $10 billion in damage. Hurricane Ivan struck several weeks later at Gulf Shores, Alabama as a Category 3 storm. Hurricane Ivan had fluctuated greatly in strength, reaching Category 5 status at one point in the Gulf, but mercifully lost a great deal of energy prior to landfall. Nevertheless, Hurricane Ivan did an estimated $22 billion dollars in damage before recurving through Alabama and Georgia to exit into the Atlantic only to re-enter the east coast of Florida as a tropical depression . Finally, Hurricane Jeanne made landfall near Stuart within miles of the point where Hurricane Frances had come ashore a several weeks earlier. Tracking northwest across the state within miles of the path of Hurricane Frances, Hurricane Jeanne turned north before exiting into the Gulf and tracked up the Florida peninsula into Georgia. Hurricane Jeanne caused an additional $8 billion in damage. Together these four hurricanes caused in excess of $56 billion in damage. Read more about Hurricane Charley, Hurricane Frances, Hurricane Ivan, and Hurricane Jeanne.