Overview
- The 1926 Great Miami Hurricane made landfall near Palmetto Bay and produced estimated peak winds above 145 mph, a storm surge that flooded miles inland, and about 114 deaths in the Miami area.
- Warnings in 1926 were issued late, with the first Hurricane Warning coming at 11 p.m. on September 17 and giving residents under six hours to prepare while many were asleep.
- Over the past century the U.S. built institutions and tools such as the National Hurricane Center, aircraft reconnaissance, radar, and satellites that now allow forecasters to warn of tropical threats days in advance.
- Forecasters now assess the Atlantic Invest 98L as unlikely to develop because hostile upper-level winds have ripped its thunderstorms away from the center, and the Pacific disturbance near Mexico is being monitored for possible development.
- Experts warn that a repeat of a 1926-strength landfall today would cause far larger human and economic losses because the Miami metro is much bigger, so preparedness and clear warnings remain crucial.