1941 Florida Hurricane - Meteorological History

Meteorological History

On October 3, the first indications of a tropical system were observed 300 miles (480 km) to the north of the Virgin Islands. The next day, morning observations confirmed the presence of a circulation center, and on October 5 the storm tracked through the Bahamas and passed near Nassau. At the time, the storm was found to be a compact, well-developed hurricane. The hurricane's lowest recorded barometric pressure of 964 mb was reported on Cat Island. The storm moved west-northwestward and attained peak winds of 120 miles per hour (190 km/h) on October 6; that same day, it made landfall 13 miles (21 km) south of Miami, Florida. Maintaining a small size, the hurricane moved through the Everglades, passing between Everglades City and Fort Myers. Along the southern shore of Lake Okeechobee, winds gusted to 60 miles per hour (97 km/h); barometric pressure there fell to 995 mb.

The storm entered the Gulf of Mexico and in a broad curve turned toward the northwest, tracking offshore along the west coast of Florida. It remained over open waters until the following day, when it made landfall at Carrabelle with a barometric pressure of 982 mb. Turning north and then northeast, the storm moved beyond Tallahassee and entered Georgia. It weakened as it progressed inland, and after passing through South Carolina, the storm re-emerged into the Atlantic Ocean early on October 8. While over water, the storm re-intensified. The cyclone was tracked for several more days as it moved toward the southeast, executed a small loop, and turned toward the east-northeast, passing south of Bermuda on the night of October 11/12. The storm became extratropical on October 13, fully dissipating the next day.