Current weather Key Largo,Florida's history with tropical systems(br)=brush (ts)=Tropical Storm (bd)=Back Door,meaning coming from over land from opposite coast.Not all names are noted,also storms before 1950 were not named.Not every stat on every storm description is given.

Years within 60 miles
1876tsbr,1878tsbr,1878,1881ts,1888br,1888ts,1889ts,1891br,1891tsbr,1904tsbdbr,
1906br,1906,1909,1916ts,1926br,1926tsbr,1926br,1929,1932ts,1933,1935,
1935br,1935br,1936,1936tsbr,1941,1945,1947-48br,1948,1950br,1952tsbr,1953tsbr,1960,1964br
1965,1966,1981ts,1987,1991tsbr,1992br,1995tsbr,1999tsbr,1999,2005-3br,2006ts
48 times in 139yrs end of 2009


Names from list above
king,Donna,Cleo,Betsy,Inez,Greta,Dennis,Floyd,Andrew ,Harvey,Irene,Katrina,Rita,Wilma,Ernesto,

How often this area gets affected?
brushed or hit every 2.90 years

Average years between direct hurricane hits.(usually within 40 miles to include small hurricanes)
(15h)once every 9.27 years

Statistically when this area should be affected next
due in 2010

Last affected by
2006 Aug 30th Tropical storm Ernesto hits with 45mph winds while moving NW.

This areas hurricane past
1878 Oct 21st a cat 1 hits from the south
1906 Oct 18th,press 28.55 hundreds killed while working on railroad. A ship with 150 men aboard washed into the Atlantic of which 83 survived. Another houseboat washed into the bay and back to shore with no causalities. The St. Lucie sank off Elliott Key killing 25. On Lower Matecumbe Key, two houseboats with 45 men were carried to sea.winds 120mph from the SSW
1909 a Hurricane passed over area from the s.w oct 11th
1929 sept 28th bar 28.00 inch gusts to 150mph heavy damage. Reportedly, storm surges were 6 to 9 feet at Garden Cove. Railroad service was out for a week. Sections of highway were washed out as far as Big Pine Key. The Coast Guard had to provide mail service for Key West.
1935 Sept 2nd a cat 5 hits causing a storm surge of 10ft with 6 ft breakers on top. In Key Largo gusts to 230mph with 150mph to 160mph sustained winds passed approx 20 miles to the south of here. Water rose at a rate of 1 ft every 10 min. 1935 newspaper headline | 1935 newspaper headline | 1935 newspaper headline | monument | monument close | video aftermath
1945 Sept 16th a major hurricane with 130mph winds causes heavy damage in this area with moving NW into S Fla passing just north of Key Largo.Newpaper Headline
1948 a cat 3 hits from the s.w on october 5th
1960 hurricane donna sept 9th press 27.55 heavy damage just south with 140mph winds heavy damage storm surge6 ft here, winds measured above 120mph for 45 minutes in tavenier to south with 100mph winds for 7 hrs.more here | Gordon Dunn talks about forecasting Donna

1965 betsy hits sept 8th with 125mph winds gusts to 165mph press 28.12 heavy damage occured. Betsy had a large of of approx 40 miles in diameter. Betsy page
1966 oct 4th hurricane Inez hits with 100mph winds,press 29.03 sustained winds here at 98mph
1987 oct 12th 75mph winds 1 tornado touchdown here overall minor damage
1992 andrew passes just north of here area gets gusts over 100mph some roof damage.| Satelite image | Andrew page | more on Hurricane Andrew here
1999 oct 15th hurricane irene brushes west while moving north with 85mph winds causes some flooding & tree damage press 29.09


Text Sources:The Major Hurricanes to affect the Bahamas Wayne Neely.....Hurricane Watch Dr. Bob Sheets & Jack Williams.....Inside the Hurricane Pete Davies.....The Ship & the Storm Jim Carrier.....Lunatic Wind William Price Fox...Sudden Sea R.A Scotti.....Hurricane Almanac Bryan Norcross.....Divine Wind Kerry Emanuel.....Florida's Hurricane History Jay Barnes.....Stormscaping Pamela Crawford.....Hurricanes and the Middle Atlantic States Rick Scwartz..... Killer Cane Robert Mykle..... Isaac's Storm Erik Larson.....Florida Hurricanes & Tropical Storms John M. Williams & Iver W.Duedall.....Path of destruction John McQuaid & Mark Schleifstein.....Sun sentinel newspaper(microfilm).....Miami Herald newspaper(microfilm).....NOAA research division.....hurricanecity.com (calculations) Jim Williams.....

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