1933: The Florida-Mexico Hurricane

This Date in Weather History

The 1933 Florida–Mexico hurricane was the first of two Atlantic hurricanes to strike the Treasure Coast region of Florida in the very active 1933 Atlantic hurricane season. It was one of two storms that year to inflict hurricane-force winds over South Texas, causing significant damage there. The fifth tropical cyclone of the year, it formed east of the Lesser Antilles on July 24, rapidly strengthening as it moved west-northwest. As it passed over the islands, it attained hurricane status on July 26, producing heavy rains and killing at least six people. Over the next three days, it moved, paralleling the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Bahamas. The storm produced extensive damage and at least one drowning as it crossed the Bahamas. On July 29, the cyclone came under the influence of changing steering currents in the atmosphere, which forced the storm into Florida on July 30, 1933. A minimal hurricane at landfall, it caused negligible wind damage as it crossed Florida, but generated heavy rain along its path, causing locally severe flooding across the state. The storm turned west, weakened to below hurricane status, and later exited the state. Once over the eastern Gulf of Mexico the storm shifted its course to the west-southwest and gradually recovered its intensity. The path of the storm brought it close to the mouth of the Rio Grande River in early August. Few ships encountered the small storm as it regained hurricane status on August 4, just a day before striking northern Mexico with winds of 90 mph —making it close to a modern-day Category 2 hurricane. Striking close to the border between the US and Mexico, the storm caused extensive damage in both countries. Winds caused heavy losses to citrus production in the Rio Grande Valley. While only one person died in the United States, heavy rains led to catastrophic flooding that claimed at least 31 lives in northern Mexico. The storm that struck Florida on July 30 took one of the most unusual paths for a hurricane in the last 100 years crossing the state and then heading southwest to strike extreme southern Texas.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

---

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.