The 1926 Miami Hurricane (or Great Miami Hurricane or the Big Blow) was an intense hurricane that devastated Miami, Florida in September of 1926. The storm also caused significant damage in the Florida Panhandle, the U.S. state of Alabama, and the Bahamas. The storm's enormous regional economic impact helped end the Florida land boom of the 1920s and pushed the region on an early start into the Great Depression. The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is a scale classifying most Western Hemisphere tropical cyclones that exceed the intensities of tropical depressions and tropical storms, and thereby become hurricanes. ... Image File history File links Miami_beach2. ... Location in Miami-Dade and the state of Florida. ... is the 249th day of the year (250th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 265th day of the year (266th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Miles per hour is a unit of speed, expressing the number of international miles covered per hour. ... Kilometre per hour (American spelling: kilometer per hour) is a unit of both speed (scalar) and velocity (vector). ... A millibar (mbar, also mb) is 1/1000th of a bar, a unit for measurement of pressure. ... HPA means Physiology Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis: The hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal glands work together to regulate hormone levels and maintain homeostasis. ... Inches of mercury or inHg is a non SI unit for pressure. ... USD redirects here. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami metropolitan area Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²)  - Width 361 miles (582 km)  - Length 447 miles (721 km)  - % water 17. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... The 1926 Atlantic hurricane season was an ongoing event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation. ... Cyclone Catarina, a rare South Atlantic tropical cyclone viewed from the International Space Station on March 26, 2004 Hurricane and Typhoon redirect here. ... Miami redirects here. ... The Florida Panhandle is the region of the state of Florida which includes the westernmost 16 counties in the state. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  US Government Portal      A U.S. state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of... This article is about the U.S. State. ... Arial photo of Miami dated 1927, with the newly-constructed Venetian Islands visible as well as the beginning of the doomed Isola di Lolando project. ... For other uses, see The Great Depression (disambiguation). ...

Storm history

Storm path

The Cape Verde-type hurricane formed on September 6. Moving west-northwest while traversing the tropical Atlantic, the storm later passed near St. Kitts on September 14. By September 17 it was battering the Bahamas, impacting the Turks and Caicos Islands with winds estimated at 150 mph (240 km/h). [1] Then, in the early morning hours of September 18, it made landfall just south of Miami between Coral Gables and South Miami as a devastating Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. The storm crossed the peninsula south of Lake Okeechobee, entered the Gulf of Mexico, and made another landfall near Mobile, Alabama as a Category 3 hurricane on September 20 before hooking westward along coastal Alabama and Mississippi, eventually dissipating on September 22 after moving inland over Louisiana. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x633, 363 KB) Summary 1926 Miami hurricane track. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x633, 363 KB) Summary 1926 Miami hurricane track. ... Hurricane Ivan, a category 5 Cape Verde-type hurricane A Cape Verde-type hurricane is an Atlantic hurricane that develops near the Cape Verde islands, off the west coast of Africa. ... is the 249th day of the year (250th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Atlantic Ocean, not including Arctic and Antarctic regions. ... Saint Kitts (also/previously known as Saint Christopher) is an island in the Caribbean. ... is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Miles per hour is a unit of speed, expressing the number of international miles covered per hour. ... Nickname: Location in Miami-Dade County and the state of Florida Coordinates: , Country State County Miami-Dade Government  - Mayor Don Slesnick Area  - City 96. ... South Miami is a city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida. ... The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is a scale classifying most Western Hemisphere tropical cyclones that exceed the intensities of tropical depressions and tropical storms, and thereby become hurricanes. ... A peninsula in Croatia A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered on three or more sides by water. ... Lake Okeechobee from space, September 1988 View of Lake Okeechobee from Pahokee. ... Gulf of Mexico in 3D perspective. ... It has been suggested that List of people from Mobile, Alabama be merged into this article or section. ... The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is a scale classifying most Western Hemisphere tropical cyclones that exceed the intensities of tropical depressions and tropical storms, and thereby become hurricanes. ... is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ...

Impact

In Florida, winds on the ground were reported around 125 mph and the pressure measured at 935 mbar (hPa) (though all such data is suspect). Most of the coastal inhabitants had not evacuated, partly because of short warning (a hurricane warning was issued just a few hours before landfall) and partly because the "young" city's population knew little about the danger a major hurricane posed. A 15 foot storm surge inundated the area, causing massive property damage and some fatalities. As the eye of the hurricane crossed over Miami Beach and downtown Miami, many people believed the storm had passed. Some tried to leave the barrier islands, only to be swept off of the bridges by the rear eyewall. "The lull lasted 35 minutes, and during that time the streets of the city became crowded with people," wrote Richard Gray, the local weather chief. "As a result, many lives were lost during the second phase of the storm."^[1] A millibar (mbar, also mb) is 1/1000th of a bar, a unit for measurement of pressure. ... HPA means Physiology Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis: The hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal glands work together to regulate hormone levels and maintain homeostasis. ... ... Location in Miami-Dade and the state of Florida. ...

Inland, Lake Okeechobee experienced a high storm surge that broke a portion of the dikes, flooding the town of Moore Haven and killing many. This was just a prelude to the deadly 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane, which would cause a massive number of fatalities estimated at 2,500 around the lake. Lake Okeechobee from space, September 1988 View of Lake Okeechobee from Pahokee. ... ... Moore Haven is a city located in Glades County, Florida. ... Lowest pressure 929 mbar (hPa; 27. ...

Coastal regions between Mobile and Pensacola, Florida also suffered heavy damage from wind, rain, and storm surge, but this paled beside the news of the destruction in Miami. Nickname: Location in Escambia County and the state of Florida Coordinates: , Country State County Escambia Government  - Mayor John Fogg Area  - City 39. ...

According to the Red Cross there were 373 fatalities. Other estimates vary, since there were a large number of people listing as "missing". Between 25,000 and 50,000 people were left homeless, mostly in the Miami area. The Anarchist Black Cross was originally called the Anarchist Red Cross. The band Redd Kross was originally called Red Cross. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

The damage from the storm was immense; few buildings in Miami or Miami Beach were left intact. The toll for the storm was $100 million in 1926 dollars, just over $2 billion in 2005 dollars. It is estimated that if an identical storm hit in the year 2003, with modern development and prices, the storm would have caused over $98 billion in damage. [2]. After the hurricane, the Great Depression started in South Florida, slowing recovery. For other uses, see The Great Depression (disambiguation). ...

In response to the widespread destruction of buildings on Miami Beach, John J. Farrey was appointed Chief Building, Plumbing and Electrical Inspector. He initiated and enforced the first building code in the United States, which more than 5000 US cities duplicated.^[2]

Aftermath

The University of Miami, located in Coral Gables, had been founded in 1925 and opened its doors for the first time just days after the hurricane passed. The hurricane had destroyed several buildings on campus and the University did not have the money to rebuild or to continue construction that was underway at the time. To make money and obtain building resources, the University decided to harvest coral from the campus- thus creating Lake Osceola. The coral was either sold or used as building material to complete construction around campus.^{[citation needed]} This article is about the university in Coral Gables, Florida. ...

The University's mascot was named the Hurricanes in memory of this catastrophe. The mascot is represented by Sebastian, who is an Ibis. The Ibis is a small white bird that can be seen around south Florida and especially on the UM campus. An Ibis was selected to represent the hurricanes because it is typically the last bird to leave before a hurricane strikes and the first to return once its gone.^[3] This is an article about the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. ... Genera Threskiornis Pseudibis Thaumatibis Geronticus Nipponia Bostrychia Theristicus Cercibis Mesembrinibis Phimosus Eudocimus Plegadis Lophotibis Ibises are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae. ...

References

1. ^ Merzer, Martin (Sep. 17, 2006). On the 80th Anniversary of Disastrous 1926 Hurricane, Forecasters Sound the Alarm: It Will Happen Again. Miami Herald.
2. ^ Great Floridians 2000 Project
3. ^ Traditions :: University of Miami (html). Retrieved on 2007-11-08.

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

Tropical cyclones Portal

• List of notable tropical cyclones
• List of notable Atlantic hurricanes

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x662, 320 KB) http://eol. ... This is a list of notable tropical cyclones, subdivided by basin and reason for notability. ... This is a list of notable Atlantic hurricanes, subdivided by reason for notability. ...

External links

• 1926 issue of the Monthly Weather Review
• United States Hurricane History
• NOAA hurricane lists
• The Hurricane of 1926
• Historic Images of Florida Hurricanes (Florida State Archives)