Hurricane Andrew was the most destructive United States hurricane of record. It blasted its way across south Florida on August 24, 1992. NOAA's National Hurricane Center had a peak gust of 164 mph—measured 130 feet above the ground—while a 177 mph gust was measured at a private home.
Andrew caused 23 deaths in the United States and three more in the Bahamas. The hurricane caused $26.5 billion in damage in the United States, of which $1 billion occurred in Louisiana and the rest in south Florida. The vast majority of the damage in Florida was due to the winds.......NOAA
NEWSPAPER HEADLINES
AUGUST 24, 1992.
AUGUST 25, 1992..
AUGUST 26, 1992.
WEATHER MAPS
VIDEO DAN RATHERS HURRICANE ANDREW PLUS OTHER STORMS
LITTLE PROTECTION, REMAINS OF A MOBLE HOME PARK NEAR SOUTHWEST 152ND ST AND 140TH AVE.
TWO REPORTS WATCH HURRICANE ANDREW RAVAGE THE ISLAND OF NEW PROVIDENCE IN THE BAHAMAS
NO SAFE HARBOR, A DAMAGED BOAT THE ANDREW RAMMED BENEATYHE A DOCK
Reports from private barometers helped establish that Andrew's central pressure at landfall in Homestead, Florida was 27.23 inches , which makes it the third most intense hurricane on record to hit the United States. Andrew's peak winds in south Florida were not directly measured due to destruction of the measuring instruments. An automated station at Fowey Rocks reported 142 mph sustained winds with gusts to 200 mph (measured 144 ft above the ground), and higher values may have occurred after the station was damaged and stopped reporting. The National Hurricane Center had a peak gust of 164 mph (measured 130 ft above the ground), while a 177 mph gust was measured at a private home. In 2002, as part of an ongoing review of historical hurricane records, National Hurricane Center experts concluded that Andrew briefly had sustained winds of 165 mph at landfall (Andrew had originally been classified as a Category Four storm at landfall). Additionally, Berwick, Louisiana, reported 96 mph sustained winds with gusts to 120 mph .
As with all high intensity storms (categories four and five), the worst damage is thought to have occurred, not from straight line winds but from vortexes or embedded tornadoes. There were thousands of these vortexes in Andrew; many of them could be traced for several miles, as they usually destroyed every building in their paths.
Andrew produced a 17 ft storm surge near the landfall point in Florida, while storm tides of at least eight ft inundated portions of the Louisiana coast. Andrew also produced a killer tornado in southeastern Louisiana.
Andrew was responsible for 23 deaths in the United States and three more in the Bahamas. (Illegal aliens in the U.S. are not included in the official count.) The hurricane caused $26.5 billion in damage in the United States, of which $1 billion occurred in Louisiana and the rest in south Florida. The vast majority of the damage in Florida was due to the winds. Damage in the Bahamas was estimated at $250 million
