Great Miami Hurricane of 1926
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N 25° 46.515 W 080° 11.526
17R E 581007 N 2851042
State of Florida standard historical marker commemorating the Great Miami Hurricane of September 18, 1926
Waymark Code: WM47FM
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 07/18/2008
Views: 115
GREAT MIAMI HURRICANE OF 1926
On Sept. 18, 1926, the Great Miami Hurricane swept across South Florida with estimated winds of 131-155 mph. The storm killed more than 370 people, made more than 25,000 people homeless, and caused millions of dollars in damage. In the early 20th century, warnings for tropical cyclones were often inadequate without satellites, computer models, and observations. A storm warning from Washington was raised by Official-in-Charge Richard Gray of the Miami Weather Bureau Office (located on the third floor of the Old U.S. Post Office and Courthouse Building from 1914 to 1929) at noon on Sept. 17. A hurricane warning went up only as the barometer was falling and winds were rising at 11:25 PM local time. Weather instruments on the roof of the building blew away around 3:30 AM. The eye of the hurricane reached the coast near Coral Gables near 6:00 AM, lasting about 35 minutes with a lowest pressure measured at 27.61 inches. The second part of the hurricane produced the strongest winds as well as the highest storm surge up to 10 feet that completely flooded Miami Beach and several blocks inland on the mainland, causing the deaths of many people who mistakenly thought the storm was over.
Marker Number: unknown
Date: September 18, 2007
County: Miami-Dade
Marker Type: Roadside
Sponsored or placed by: National Weather Service and Florida Department of State
Website: [Web Link]
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