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1926 Miami hurricane

1926 Miami hurricane was a Category 4 hurricane at its peak, with 150 mph winds and a lowest pressure of 930 mb, per NOAA's National Hurricane Center. Modeled winds reached tropical-storm force (39 mph) at 15 of the cities we track; the strongest was Miami, FL, with a modeled peak gust of 156 mph.

Peak strength150 mph winds (1-minute)
Category 4
Cities with tropical-storm-force windsModeled, of the cities we track
15
LandfallsFirst September 18, 1926
2
Lowest pressure
930 mb

Track, wind field and cities

Select a piece of the track or a city for details.

  • Depression or weaker
  • Tropical storm
  • Hurricane, Category 1 or 2
  • Major hurricane, Category 3 to 5
  • Landfall
  • City (larger ring, stronger modeled gust)
  • Modeled wind field, 39 to 111 mph sustained (darker, stronger; orange 111 mph+)
Source: NOAA/NWS National Hurricane Center best track (HURDAT2). City winds and the wind field are modeled.

The shaded areas are where our model puts 1926 Miami hurricane’s sustained winds over open land at 39 mph or more (tropical-storm force), 58, 74 (hurricane force) and 111 mph (major hurricane force) at some point along its track. Modeled, not measured. How we model hurricane winds

Landfalls

  1. September 18, 1926, Category 4 at 144 mph, about 13 miles from Miami, FL
  2. September 20, 1926, Category 3 at 115 mph, about 21 miles from Pensacola, FL

Modeled winds at cities (15)

Estimated peak winds for open, flat ground at each city’s center. Not measurements. How we model hurricane winds

CityPeak gustSustainedClosest passPeak
Miami, FL156 mph126 mph13 milesSep 18, 1926, 7:00 AM GMT-4
Pensacola, FL131 mph106 mph12 milesSep 20, 1926, 9:30 AM GMT-4
North Port, FL127 mph103 mph26 milesSep 18, 1926, 8:00 PM GMT-4
Cape Coral, FL121 mph98 mph10 milesSep 18, 1926, 7:15 PM GMT-4
Crestview, FL113 mph92 mph46 milesSep 20, 1926, 8:30 AM GMT-4
Daphne, AL111 mph91 mph22 milesSep 20, 1926, 12:45 PM GMT-5
Naples, FL108 mph88 mph10 milesSep 18, 1926, 4:45 PM GMT-4
Mobile, AL97 mph79 mph25 milesSep 20, 1926, 12:45 PM GMT-5
Tampa, FL84 mph68 mph67 milesSep 19, 1926, 1:00 AM GMT-4
Gulfport, MS69 mph56 mph4 milesSep 21, 1926, 5:45 AM GMT-5
Lakeland, FL65 mph53 mph90 milesSep 18, 1926, 10:45 PM GMT-4
Port St. Lucie, FL64 mph52 mph101 milesSep 18, 1926, 8:45 AM GMT-4
Slidell, LA54 mph44 mph10 milesSep 21, 1926, 11:00 AM GMT-5
Tallahassee, FL53 mph43 mph124 milesSep 19, 1926, 10:30 PM GMT-4
New Orleans, LA49 mph40 mph27 milesSep 21, 1926, 11:45 AM GMT-5

What happened

The 1926 Miami hurricane, known as the Great Miami hurricane, passed directly over Miami Beach and downtown Miami on the morning of September 18, 1926, as a Category 4 hurricane, with the eye over downtown around 6:30 a.m.1,2 NHC's best track puts landfall at 1200 UTC (7 a.m. EST) with 125-knot (144 mph) winds and a central pressure of 930 mb.3 After crossing the Gulf, it made a second landfall at Perdido Beach in Baldwin County, Alabama, in mid-afternoon on September 20 as a Category 3 hurricane with 100-knot (115 mph) winds.4,3

A storm surge of about 10 feet swept over Miami Beach and the barrier islands, and ocean water crossed Biscayne Bay into Miami for several blocks.1 NHC says every building in Miami's downtown district was damaged or destroyed, and Lake Okeechobee water flooded the town of Moore Haven, where hundreds died.2 The Red Cross counted 372 deaths and over 6,000 injuries, and NWS Miami puts damage at $105 million in 1926 dollars.1

Pensacola measured a 116 mph peak wind and a tide 9.4 feet above mean sea level, and nearly every pier, warehouse and vessel on Pensacola Bay was destroyed.4,2 NWS Mobile lists Pensacola-area damage of $3 million to airplanes, buildings and hangars, $800,000 to shipping and $375,000 to railways.4

Sources

  1. 1. NWS Miami: Great Miami Hurricane of 1926
  2. 2. NOAA National Hurricane Center: Hurricanes in History
  3. 3. NOAA National Hurricane Center: Atlantic hurricane database (HURDAT2), 1851-2025
  4. 4. NWS Mobile/Pensacola: Hurricane of September 20th, 1926

Best track (46 positions)

TimeStatusWindPressurePosition
Sep 11, 12:00 UTCTropical storm63 mph15.4°N, 46.0°W
Sep 11, 18:00 UTCTropical storm69 mph15.7°N, 47.1°W
Sep 12, 00:00 UTCTropical storm69 mph16.1°N, 48.2°W
Sep 12, 06:00 UTCTropical storm69 mph16.4°N, 49.4°W
Sep 12, 12:00 UTCCategory 1 hurricane75 mph16.7°N, 50.6°W
Sep 12, 18:00 UTCCategory 1 hurricane81 mph17.0°N, 51.9°W
Sep 13, 00:00 UTCCategory 1 hurricane81 mph17.3°N, 53.3°W
Sep 13, 06:00 UTCCategory 1 hurricane86 mph17.5°N, 54.7°W
Sep 13, 12:00 UTCCategory 1 hurricane86 mph17.8°N, 56.0°W
Sep 13, 18:00 UTCCategory 1 hurricane92 mph18.1°N, 57.3°W
Sep 14, 00:00 UTCCategory 2 hurricane98 mph18.4°N, 58.6°W
Sep 14, 06:00 UTCCategory 2 hurricane98 mph18.8°N, 59.9°W
Show all 46