Pensacola,Florida's history with tropical systems
Current weather
(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.(since 1871)
Pensacola most likely to be hit by a hurricane between August 31st and September 6th
Years within or near core
1871tsbr,1875tsbr,1877,1879ts,1880ts,1881ts,1882m,1885tsbr,1885bdts,1887,1887bdts,1889ts,1893br,1894ts,1894br,1896,1898tsbr,1901bdtsbr,1901tsbr,1902ts,1903bdtsbr,1904tsbr,
1906br,1907tsbr,1911,1912br,1914bdts,1916br,1916m,1917m,1919ts,1923tsbr,1924tsbr,1926m,1932,1934tsbr,1936,1939bdts,1947tsbr,1948tsbr,1950,1953br,1956,1957ts,1959ts,1960tsbr,
1964xtropstbd,1975m,1979m,1985m,1985ts,1994ts,1995,1995m,1997ts,2000ts,2001tsbr,2002tsbr,2004m,2005ts,2005m,2009ts,2017tsbr,2017br,2018tsbr,2018mbr,2020tsbr,2020,2020br,2021ts
70 times in 152yrs end of 2023






Names from list above
Baker,Florence,Flossy,Debbie,Irene,Hilda,Ethel,Eloise,Frederic,Elena,Juan,Alberto,Erin,Opal,Danny,Helene,Barry,Hanna,Ivan,Arlene,Dennis,Ida,Cindy,Nate,Gordon,Michael,Cristobal,Sally,Zeta,Claudette,

Tropical Storm to Hurricane ratio
TS=41, 58.57% H=29, 41.43%
only 16.67% of all tropical systems affecting Pensacola are major hurricanes this includes brushes

Longest gap between storms
10 years 1965-1974

How often Pensacola affected?
brushed or hit every 2.17 years

Average years between direct hurricane hits.(hurricane force winds for a few hours)
(20h)once every 7.6 years state stats

Average years between direct major hurricane hits.(major hurricane at adv upon passage)
(10) Every 15.2 years

Average MPH of hurricane hits. (based on advisories sustained winds, not gusts)
104 mph

Statistically when Pensacola should be affected next
1 year overdue

Last affected by
2021 June 19th Tropical Storm Claudette passes to North by 108 miles with 40mph winds while moving NE.

Pensacola's hurricane history
1877, 80mph sept 19th from the west
1882 sept 9th ,13 million dollars damage many lives taken 125mph from the S.W. Hit Map
1887 July 27th, 85mph from the south just east
1896 July 7th,95mph from the south Just east while turning N.E
1911, 80mph aug 11 from the ESE passes just south,
1916 Oct 18th a similar path to Opal 1995 ,115mph winds at landfall from the SSW
1917 sept 29th, 115mph bar 28.50,just east.
1926 sept 20th,tides of 9.5ft with a cat 3, 125mph winds from the ESE with 100mph winds for over 24 hrs press 28.56almost every pier & boat destroyed. Newspaper headline
1932 Aug 31st,80mph just south from the S.E
1936, 90mph July 31 from the S.E
1950 aug 31st,Baker a 5.5ft s.s with a cat 1,80mph gusts to 100mph from the south.
1956 hurricane Flossy sept 24th 30 miles to south from the WSW with 100mph winds(hurdat) causing minor damage here.Pensacola Naval air station 64mph sustained gusts to 88mph press 28.93.
1975 Hurricane Eloise Sept 23rd, passes to the east with 125mph winds from the SSW. NWS report
1979 hurricane Frederic sept 12th just west of here with 130mph winds 95mph winds here causes suprising damage to coastal structures by a 8 ft storm surge 515 homes left uninhabitable. Newspaper headline
1985 hurricane Elena Sept 2nd 120mph ,over 40 miles to the south from the ESE causes gusts of 92mph here. Police station 70 ft high 123mph
1995 Aug 3rd Erin 85mph bar 28.76 inch moderate danage with some coastal homes having roofs blown off from the ESE. Newspaper headline
1995 Oct 4th 2nd hurricane to affect this area this season Opal hits just east of here with 125mph winds after earlier having winds of 150mph barometer 27.86 at landfall at least half of the homes destroyed on pensacola beach ,all hotels damaged, Newspaper headline | Newspaper headline2 | av model error | more on Hurricane Opal here | surge animation | FEMA declaration map
2004 ,sept 16th very early morning,Hurricane Ivan passes approx 20 miles to the west with 130mph winds moving NNE over Eastern Alabama with Ivan having a wind field approx 85 miles out.Heavy beach damage,heavy flooding all around Pensacola. 54 dead with 29 as a direct result,damage over 14 billion in the U.S. In Santa rosa county 1,064 homes destroyed.In Escambia county over 6,000 lost.Seven oil platforms offshore destryed.108mph at the Pensacola Naval Air Station,In the 200,000-acre Blackwater Forest, just east of Pensacola in the western Florida panhandle, more than 1.5 million board feet of timber were downed across 185,000 acres. Models 6 days before hitting | Hurricane Ivan newspaper headline 1 | Hurricane Ivan newspaper headline 2 Hurricane Ivan newspaper headline 3 |Newspaper headline 2 | Ivan article#1 | Ivan article #2 | Ivan radar at landfall | Ivan wind swath map av model error | Hurricanecity live coverage at landfall,part 1 | Hurricanecity live coverage at landfall,part 2 | USGS surge info | 6 months later damage report
2005 July 10th Hurricane Dennis hit with 120mph winds but most of Pensacola feels 100mph as worst conditions arrive in Navvare bch. Santa Rosa County, which took a straight hit from the eye of the hurricane, has the most damage. The courthouse had its roof blown off and the Santa Rosa and the causeway at Navarre Beach flooded. Pensacola downtown did not suffer substantial damage, compared to other areas. Several homes and business were damaged at Pensacola Beach and numerous power lines were knocked down. The wind blew off the roof of Crabs We Got ’Em, a restaurant.Official highest gust in Pensacola was at tower FCMP at 93mph.Radar animation | Dennis video | models 3 days out
2020 Sept 16th Hurricane Sally comes in just west with 105mph winds moving N.E gives area 7 ft storm surge.Radar animation(Brian McNoldy, Univ. of Miami, Rosenstiel School) | Radar shot worst conditions | hit map | NHC report

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Stat sources: NHC Track maps/hurdat2/cyclone reports Hurricane research division
Text Sources:(alp)....Divine Wind Kerry Emanuel.....Florida Hurricanes & Tropical Storms John M. Williams & Iver W.Duedall.....Florida's Hurricane History Jay Barnes.....Hurricane Almanac Bryan Norcross.....hurricanecity.com (calculations) Jim Williams.....Hurricanes and the Middle Atlantic States Rick Schwartz.....Hurricane Watch Dr. Bob Sheets & Jack Williams.....Inside the Hurricane Pete Davies..... Isaac's Storm Erik Larson..... Killer Cane Robert Mykle.....Lunatic Wind William Price Fox....Miami Herald newspaper(microfilm).....Path of destruction John McQuaid & Mark Schleifstein.....Sun sentinel newspaper(microfilm).....The Major Hurricanes to affect the Bahamas Wayne Neely.....The Ship & the Storm Jim Carrier.....plus many more.............

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