The historic hurricane that devastated the Florida Keys
The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 remains the most powerful storm to ever strike land in the Atlantic basin
One storm that struck southern Florida nearly a century ago remains the most powerful hurricane ever observed at landfall in the Atlantic basin.
Dubbed the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, the storm devastated sections of the Florida Keys with winds of nearly 300 km/h and a storm surge that washed away entire communities.
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A disturbance near the Turks and Caicos Islands quickly organized into a tropical system during the closing days of August 1935. The system gradually develop over The Bahamas as it approached southern Florida.
The hurricane encountered very favourable conditions near southern Florida and began a remarkable spell of rapid intensification, growing from a Category 1 to a scale-topping Category 5 in just 30 hours.
Residents had little to no warning of impending storms in the days before modern technology, and they had even less notice that the hurricane lurking offshore would prove historic.
Sporting a small and compact eye, the hurricane roared into the central Florida Keys with winds of 295 km/h and a minimum central pressure of 892 mb.
The combination of intense winds and a very low air pressure made this the strongest hurricane ever recorded at landfall in the Atlantic basin.
A significant storm surge measuring 5-6 metres above ground level destroyed what the wind didn’t, washing away homes, businesses, and infrastructure.
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The surge of seawater also derailed a train headed south to rescue World War I veterans employed by the federal government to build the vital Overseas Highway.
These workers ultimately accounted for more than half of the hurricane’s 400+ fatalities, a tragedy which became a major scandal following the storm.
A weakened hurricane went on to make a second landfall in northern Florida before continuing inland over the next several days. Exceptionally heavy rains of 300-400+ mm alongside tornadoes caused damage across the Mid-Atlantic states, with Virginia bearing the brunt of the flooding.