Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 - Definition and Overview

The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 was a very compact and destructive hurricane that caused widespread destruction in the Florida Keys. It was one of only three Category 5 hurricanes to strike the United States in the 20th century.

The storm formed east of the Bahamas in late August and traveled due west through the islands. It then began a gentle turn to the northwest and headed straight for the Florida Keys. Winds in this hurricane were estimated to be approximately 200 mph (320 km/h) at maximum, and the central pressure was unofficially measured as low as 26.35 inches of mercury (892 hPa). This is the record low pressure for the Western Hemisphere.

The only transportation linking the Florida Keys to mainland Florida was a single railroad line, the Overseas Railway portion of the Florida East Coast Railway. An evacuation train sent to rescue those who lived in the keys. It was hit by the storm surge and high winds and 259 passengers died, mostly World War I veterans. In total, at least 408 people were killed by the hurricane.

After striking the Keys, the storm continued up the west coast of Florida and landed again on the panhandle of Florida as a category 2 hurricane on September 4. It then passed through Georgia (where it continued to cause wind and flood damage), South Carolina, North Carolina and emerged back into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Virginia. The storm then continued until it became extratropical south of Greenland on the 10th.

See also

• Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale
• List of notable tropical cyclones

External links

• Excerpts from the Labor Day 1935 Hurricane Monthly Weather Review Article (http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/Storm_pages/labor_day/labor_article.html)