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Hurricane Andrew (1992)

Hurricane Andrew was a Category 5 hurricane at its peak, with 173 mph winds and a lowest pressure of 922 mb, per NOAA's National Hurricane Center. Modeled winds reached tropical-storm force (39 mph) at 11 of the cities we track; the strongest was Miami, FL, with a modeled peak gust of 182 mph.

Peak strength173 mph winds (1-minute)
Category 5
Cities with tropical-storm-force windsModeled, of the cities we track
11
LandfallsFirst August 23, 1992
5
Lowest pressure
922 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 Hurricane Andrew’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. August 23, 1992, Category 5 at 161 mph, in the Bahamas
  2. August 24, 1992, Category 4 at 150 mph, in the Bahamas
  3. August 24, 1992, Category 5 at 167 mph, about 19 miles from Miami, FL
  4. August 24, 1992, Category 5 at 167 mph, about 20 miles from Miami, FL
  5. August 26, 1992, Category 3 at 115 mph, about 52 miles from Lafayette, LA

Modeled winds at cities (11)

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

CityPeak gustSustainedClosest passPeak
Miami, FL182 mph148 mph19 milesAug 24, 1992, 4:30 AM EDT
Naples, FL138 mph112 mph34 milesAug 24, 1992, 10:00 AM EDT
Cape Coral, FL95 mph77 mph66 milesAug 24, 1992, 10:45 AM EDT
Lafayette, LA93 mph76 mph20 milesAug 26, 1992, 5:30 AM CDT
Baton Rouge, LA92 mph74 mph31 milesAug 26, 1992, 7:00 AM CDT
New Orleans, LA81 mph66 mph99 milesAug 26, 1992, 12:30 AM CDT
North Port, FL71 mph58 mph93 milesAug 24, 1992, 11:45 AM EDT
Slidell, LA70 mph57 mph112 milesAug 26, 1992, 12:45 AM CDT
Lake Charles, LA56 mph46 mph91 milesAug 26, 1992, 12:45 AM CDT
Port St. Lucie, FL56 mph46 mph121 milesAug 24, 1992, 4:30 AM EDT
Gulfport, MS51 mph42 mph140 milesAug 26, 1992, 12:15 AM CDT

What happened

After crossing the northwestern Bahamas, Andrew struck South Florida on August 24, 1992. It crossed Elliott Key at 4:40 a.m. EDT and reached the mainland near Homestead Air Force Base at 5:05 a.m. EDT.1,2 NHC's reanalysis made it a Category 5 hurricane at landfall, with 145-knot (167 mph) winds and a 922 mb central pressure.2 Andrew then crossed the Gulf and came ashore at Point Chevreuil, Louisiana, about 20 nautical miles west-southwest of Morgan City, at 3:30 a.m. CDT on August 26 as a Category 3 hurricane with 100-knot (115 mph) winds.1,2

Damage in Dade County was worst from Kendall south through Homestead and Florida City to near Key Largo. NHC reports that Andrew destroyed 25,524 homes and damaged 101,241 more.1 About 90 percent of mobile homes in south Dade County were destroyed, including 1,167 of 1,176 in Homestead.1 Storm tide peaked at 16.9 feet on the western shore of Biscayne Bay and ran 6 to 7 feet near Goodland on the southwest coast. The Fowey Rocks station, about 130 feet up, measured a 147-knot (169 mph) gust.1

In Louisiana, storm tides of at least 8 feet flooded the coast from Lake Borgne west to Vermilion Bay. An F3 tornado from LaPlace to Reserve, hours before landfall, killed 2 people and injured 32.1,3 NHC estimated US damage near $25 billion and put damage in Louisiana at $1 billion. It counted 26 deaths caused directly by Andrew, 15 of them in Dade County, and 65 in all.1

Sources

  1. 1. NOAA National Hurricane Center: Preliminary Report, Hurricane Andrew, 16 to 28 August 1992
  2. 2. NOAA National Hurricane Center: Hurricane Andrew Report Addendum (Category 5 upgrade)
  3. 3. National Weather Service: Louisiana Hurricane History

Best track (52 positions)

TimeStatusWindPressurePosition
Aug 16, 18:00 UTCTropical depression29 mph1010 mb10.8°N, 35.5°W
Aug 17, 00:00 UTCTropical depression35 mph1009 mb11.2°N, 37.4°W
Aug 17, 06:00 UTCTropical depression35 mph1008 mb11.7°N, 39.6°W
Aug 17, 12:00 UTCTropical storm40 mph1006 mb12.3°N, 42.0°W
Aug 17, 18:00 UTCTropical storm40 mph1003 mb13.1°N, 44.2°W
Aug 18, 00:00 UTCTropical storm46 mph1002 mb13.6°N, 46.2°W
Aug 18, 06:00 UTCTropical storm52 mph1001 mb14.1°N, 48.0°W
Aug 18, 12:00 UTCTropical storm52 mph1000 mb14.6°N, 49.9°W
Aug 18, 18:00 UTCTropical storm52 mph1000 mb15.4°N, 51.8°W
Aug 19, 00:00 UTCTropical storm52 mph1001 mb16.3°N, 53.5°W
Aug 19, 06:00 UTCTropical storm52 mph1002 mb17.2°N, 55.3°W
Aug 19, 12:00 UTCTropical storm52 mph1005 mb18.0°N, 56.9°W
Show all 52