The last major hurricane to affect the city was Hurricane Andrew in 1992, which packed winds of 165 mph and currently holds the record as the third strongest U.S. landfalling hurricane. "The storm did weaken to a Cat 1 while making its closest approach to the Tampa area," AccuWeather's Chief Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski said, referring to the storm's Category 1 strength, which had dropped considerably from its Category 5 intensity by that point. Ive lived here 34 years, and Ive yet to see a hurricane hit us. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. For Florida, the challenge is so massive as to seem intractable. The popular refrain in you hear in Tampa Bay is that the area has not been directly hit by a major hurricane in over 100 years. Did American Indians who roamed the land centuries ago protect Pinellas with a blessing? In the Tampa Bay Area, only 2 of the above catastrophic hurricanes impacted the area - Charley and Irma. What's interesting is so some of the flooding that we had for tropical storm Eta was very similar to some of the future projections for sea-level rise.". SARASOTA COUNTY -- Marcus Joel heard it from a co-worker. Tampas Black majority City Council district has 2 candidates. 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The Tampa-St. Petersburg area has an 11 percent chance of feeling the impacts of a hurricane in any given year. Over the past 173 years, Tampa Bay has only been hit by two major hurricanes. Over the past century, there have been several close calls. "I feel like being here," Anderson said. The headline read, "Weatherman Optimistic for Future.". Baram first heard the story at a dinner party several years ago. 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Many of the 347,645 people living in the area have homes along the coast, making residents susceptible to storm surge. But again," he paused, "a hurricane hitting from the southwest or even the west would be very unusual.". Every room will have a view of the water. The population significantly decreased with the arrival of Europeans (Spanish explorer Pnfilo de Narvez, to be exact) and eventually the tribe was extinct by the 1700s. There are two version of the Native American folklore: either the knowledge that Sarasota was a safe haven was passed through generations of Native peoples or their burials places provided the protection from hurricanes. But millions of people love living near Floridas beaches and turquoise waters. However, only a few have survived the development the area has undergone in modern times. Located on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Cape Hatteras has a 15 percent chance of feeling the impacts of a hurricane in any given year. But the truly catastrophic winds were confined to the southern half of the county. Downed power lines in Ybor City, the trolley line washed away along Bayshore Boulevard, flooded homes in Hyde Park, and docks and boats washed ashore along where the current Tampa Riverwalk now runs. So we are very fortunate we have not been hit by a major hurricane in close to a hundred years.". Hours later, Tampa was under 11 feet of water. Storm survivor Ethel Swanson was 7-years-old when the storm hit. Not able to get out. "It can pull the water out because the wind flow is coming from land to ocean, and it . Why here? It's certainly possible some of the pipelines could be damaged.". Regardless of luck, hurricane mythology is popular in other places, too. In addition to this, a majority of the population resides within 20 miles of the coastline increasing the risk of high property damage. While that figure includes pets of all kinds, dogs Today, the U.S. economy looks very different than it did hundreds of ago. By Have the app? The day it roared ashore, the morning edition of the St. Petersburg Times had the headline "City Escapes Big Hurricane." Most people fall into that zone, where they may have lived through Irma or Charley or even Andrew, and even sustained extensive damage, but they were dozens of miles from the center. Thats a lot of rain. Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest. Outside of that radius, the winds are significantly lighter and not nearly as damaging. "Like Miami, Tampa is a large metropolitan area and the effects of a hurricane would be widespread throughout the city," Samuhel explained. The storm surge pushed a wall of water inland, with waves from the bay almost breaking in the streets of Ybor City. By the time it reached Hardee, Desoto and Polk County the storm was a category 1 hurricane. There are red flags everywhere: Many of our most densely populated communities are adjacent to the ocean or the gulf. It is one of the few coastal places skipped over by Spanish explorers, the only people who wrote descriptions of early Florida. On the western edge of St. Petersburg, Doris and Erik Anderson live on Sacred Lands. So while we love the memes of a carefree Tampa: Make sure to prepare for every hurricane. The third strike against the myth: If the American Indians did believe Sarasota was protected, more of them might have lived here. "Do they want to protect their burial mounds," Farias wondered in the interview. After the infamous Tarpon Springs hurricane, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration said in a report on the 1921 storm: In general, cyclones moving over the Gulf of Mexico had a tendency of passing well north of Tampa. "But it was still a hurricane and caused lots of damage.". Parker, who has lived in Sarasota for 14 years, rolls her eyes. "The land around New Orleans is sinking, which puts the city in more danger if another major hurricane strike.". Based upon data from NOAAs Hurricane Research Division, here are the top five most vulnerable U.S. cities to hurricanes. This part of the state is hit by hurricane season as . As the Gulf Coast just south of Tampa Bay recovers from the devastation left from Hurricane Ian, many Tampa Bay residents are breathing an uneasy sigh of relief. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This is life-threatening storm surge.. The last direct strike was in 1921. Hurricane Irma is the most recent in 2017. Large winter storm to spread across Midwest, Northeast, Chicago bracing for travel-disrupting snow, Severe weather to strike more than a dozen US states, Alabama father charged after toddler dies in hot car, 5 things to know about the spring weather forecast in the US, Why these flights made unscheduled loops in the sky, Mark your calendars: March is filled with array of astronomy events, Unusually high levels of chemicals found at train site, say scientists. "I wasn't a believer before, but I am now," Farias said Tuesday as the sun shone over Tampa Bay. No one spared the storm's wrath from Tampa to Tarpon Springs to Oldsmar to the Village of Cortez. Hurricane Easy in 1950 produced 38.70 inches of rain in Yankeetown within 24 hours. We don't know.". "The Tampa International Airport is 25 miles [from where Irma's center was] but the eastern part of the city extends well over 20 miles to the east," Kottlowski explained. The faded ink had several names at the top that were illegible. Evidence to support the tale does not exist, however, according to everyone who studies either county history or American Indian beliefs. "After this interview, I'm going to go knock on wood cause I'm superstitious," ABC Action News reporter Michael Paluska told Brian LaMarre, the Meteorologist in Charge at the National Weather Service in Tampa. Editorials are the institutional voice of the Tampa Bay Times. A number of other explanations for the relative safety have surfaced, most of them questionable. So storms that emerge out of the Caribbean into the Gulf will often feel this westerly flow and be turned eastward, Storm Team 8s Chief Meteorologist Jeff Berardelli explained. Its one of the most populated areas on Floridas Gulf Coast, but hasnt had a direct hit from a landfalling hurricane in 100 years. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way, Burgert Brothers Photographic Collection at the Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative, waves from the bay almost breaking in the streets of Ybor City. "As they are in this two-story building, the water is rising even higher, and you know this was a kid's account talking about it. With the Atlantic Ocean to the east and a maximum elevation of 42 feet above sea level Miamis geography makes it highly vulnerable to hurricanes. The Tampa Bay area is particularly vulnerable to hurricanes because it is located on the Gulf of Mexico. Even still, a slight irritation in the throat is something he and . The company Elev8 Fun will open its next location at Citrus Park Mall. 2023 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Is there a plan in place for those?" "So, by definition, the eastern half of Tampa experienced a direct hit," he said, adding, "St. Petersburg did not take a direct hit, but suffered power outages and wind damage.". Hurricane Gladys produced 100 mph winds in Clearwater. In July, Hurricane Elsa made a close pass but stayed offshore. "There's nothing wrong with having faith, but if people believe that, one day their luck will run out and there will be serious loss of life," said Stephen Leatherman, director of Florida International University's International Hurricane Center. The city hasnt suffered a direct hit by a strong hurricane since the 1921 Tampa Bay Hurricane, the first major hurricane to hit the city, but 68 tropical storms and hurricanes have passed within 60 miles of the city according to Hurricane City. In 1981, Swanson also talked about her life in Oldsmar for a research paper for the University of Florida. However, legend has passed down from Tampa resident to Tampa resident whatever the mounds were for, they somehow offer protection from hurricanes. VIDEO: Man casually rides jet ski near Sarasota as Hurricane Ian moves in. Paluska asked Dr. Mark Luther, an Associate Professor in the College of Marine Sciences at the University of South Florida. "There is. Unlock AccuWeather Alerts with Premium+, "When you plot all the possible tracks of storms from these forecast models, it can look like spaghetti if the forecast goes out too far hence the name "spaghetti plots," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jesse Ferrell said. The National Read Across America Day takes place every year on March 2, Geisels birthday. The article describing in terrifying detail how a husband lost his wife on Rocky Point: On the other side of the bay in Oldsmar, similar stories of survival. Thats all the more reason for people and places to get prepared. We wanted to find hidden stories and report on the past as if the storm hit yesterday. Depends on who you ask, says Rui Farias, who knows a thing or two about local history. It's a connection she believes is the reason why Tampa Bay hasn't seen a direct Hurricane hit since 1989. Its been over a century since a major hurricane (category 3 or greater) has made landfall in the Tampa Bay Area. ", Miami & Fisher Island from 500 feet (Flickr Photo/Mohd Althani). Where to find fish fries in Tampa Bay during Lent, Two FL beaches make Tripadvisors best of the best, Worlds largest bounce house coming to Tampa, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Known as the Southernmost City in the Continental United States, Key West is directly impacted by a hurricane every 6.04 years, according to Hurricane City. Tampa is an amazing place to live, work, and visit, but like many places it is not immune to major disasters. The unnamed hurricane of 1921 that some now call the Tarpon Springs Hurricane was a category three hurricane packing winds over 100 miles per hour and a storm surge of 11 feet. Red tide is back (again) in Pinellas County. We havent done enough to fortify coastal areas against sea-level rise. Im a skeptic. Its almost like when a myth becomes history, Farias said. ", Joel, however, is less skeptical. Using a Category 5 simulation storm called Hurricane Phoenix, the council projected that downtown Tampa would encounter more than 21 feet of water and could face 2,000 fatalities and up to $250. "The village of Cortez looked different before 1921, and it was never built quite the same again," Chasey said. There's a 23-foot mound here at Sacred Lands in the Jungle Prada neighborhood, south of Park Street N and 22nd Avenue N. The Anderson family has owned the property since the 1940s and lived in a private residence, 13-feet above sea level behind the mound, since 1953. Still, the Hurricanes have used players like Gostisbehere effectively in years past. Oct. 25, 1921 marks 100 years without major a hurricane. "Clearly, when you look at the Tampa Bay area, one of the reasons why we fear storms is because of the sensitivity of this area and the fragility of this area," DeSantis said. Comments that don't add to the conversation may be automatically or Sarasota is protected from hurricanes because the American Indians who once lived here knew it was a safe place, which is why they decided to live here. Miami takes the number one spot on this list with a 16 percent chance of experiencing the impacts of a hurricane in any given year. In the case of Charley Desoto, Hardee and Polk counties all experienced winds gusts well over 100 mph, causing catastrophic damage. One gives credit to nature's fortunate placement of dunes off the coast. The Tampa Bay History Center is built on top of the fort's infirmary. This includes the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane which was remembered as one of the most intense U.S. hurricanes based on pressure and maximum wind speeds," Samuhel said. attacks, and spam will not be tolerated. TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) Tampa Bay was bracing for a direct hit from Hurricane Ian, as experts predicted, before the storm shifted and barreled through Lee County, leaving a path of destruction. McNoldy, the University of Miami researcher, noted that Hurricane Andrews storm surge today would be 7 inches (17 centimeters) higher than it was when that storm pounded South Florida 30 years ago. Its easy to scream retreat! but most Florida residents live within 20 miles of the coast. Are adjacent to the southern half of the few coastal places skipped over by Spanish explorers, the hurricanes used! 100 mph, causing catastrophic damage. `` almost breaking in the.... A blessing edition of why is tampa protected from hurricanes state is hit by hurricane season as,... 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