| Category 1 hurricane (SSHS) | ||
|---|---|---|
 Hurricane Katrina approaching the southern Florida |
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| Areas affected |
Southern Florida, Florida Panhandle |
|
| Date | August 25–29, 2005 | |
| Highest winds |
|
|
| Fatalities | 12 direct, 2 indirect | |
| Damage | $2 billion (2005 USD) $2.2 billion (2009 USD) |
|
| Part of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season |
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The effects of Hurricane Katrina in Florida were in both in the southern portion of the state and in the Panhandle. Katrina made landfall in Miami, Florida with 80 mph (130 km/h) winds on August 25. 14 people were killed.
Preparations
On August 21, the National Hurricane Center posted a tropical storm watch from the Seven Mile Bridge to Vero Beach; the watch was later extended from Seven Mile Bridge to Florida City, and by later in the day the watch was replaced by tropical storm warnings and hurricane watches. Subsequent to the declaration of a tropical storm watch from Vero Beach to Titusville, a tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch was issued for Lake Okeechobee. The advisories from Florida City to Vero Beach, as well as for Lake Okeechobee, were upgraded to a hurricane warning early on August 25. Several other tropical cyclone watches and warnings were issued for the state, including the Florida Keys. Later, advisories were posted for parts of the Florida Panhandle, after Katrina entered the Gulf of Mexico.[1]
Impact
Hurricane Katrina first made landfall near the border of Broward and Miami-Dade counties on August 25, with sustained winds of around 80 mph (135 km/h), or a Category 1 hurricane. The strongest wind report from a land station was 75 mph (120 km/h), which was adjusted from a reading atop a building in the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science on Virginia Key; the same station reported a wind gust of 94 mph (152 km/h). The Homestead General Airport registered an unofficial wind gust of 97 mph (157 km/h). Rainfall was heavy in places; it exceeded 14 inches (350 mm) in Homestead, Florida,[1] and was highest in Perrine, Florida where 16.43 inches was reported. A storm surge of 3 – 5 feet (1.5 m) was measured in parts of Monroe County. While moving southwestward across the state, the storm was asymmetric, with its winds and rain located more toward the south side of the storm.
Fourteen fatalities have been reported in Florida. Two of the deaths were from falling trees, one man crashed into a tree, one person died when his boat capsized, one when waves battered his boat, and one man was found floating in the water around Florida City. A family of five out over the southwestern coast of Florida was suspected dead, but found later alive and rescued by the Coast Guard. There were also two traffic fatalities related to Katrina. Severe damage was left in its wake,[2] and damage in Florida was estimated between $1 and $2 billion (with most of the damage coming from flooding and overturned trees). More than 1 million customers were left without electricity.
Along the Florida Panhandle the storm surge was typically about five feet (1.5 m) and along the west-central Florida coast there was a minor surge of 1 – 2 feet (0.3 – 0.6 m). In Pensacola, Florida 56 mph (90 km/h) winds were recorded on August 29. The winds caused damage to some trees and structures and there was some minor flooding in the Panhandle. There were two indirect fatalities from Katrina in Walton County as a result of a traffic accident.[1] In the Florida Panhandle, 77,000 customers lost power.[3]
References
- ^ a b c Richard D. Knabb, Jamie R. Rhome, and Daniel P. Brown (August 10, 2006). "Hurricane Katrina Tropical Cyclone Report". National Hurricane Center. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/TCR-AL122005_Katrina.pdf. Retrieved 2008-11-22.
- ^ Rourke, Matt. "New Orleans outlook bleak; 100 dead in Miss." USA Today. August 30, 2005.
- ^ Associated Press, "Katrina at a Glance" (August 31, 2005), page 4A, Mobile Register, web: MobileRegister-083105-PDF.
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