Meteorological History
The origins of Hurricane King were from a tropical cyclone that developed just off the north coast of Honduras on October 13. It was a small system throughout its duration, and initially moved toward the east and east-northeast. At the time, the system was considered a weak and broad depression, producing convection, or thunderstorms, from Honduras to western Cuba. It was later determined that the depression had already attained tropical storm status by October 13, and the system was later given the name "King" from the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet.
The tropical storm slowly intensified as it tracked toward Cuba, and on October 16, King attained hurricane status while passing between Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. It quickly intensified that day, and early on October 17, the hurricane made landfall just west of Camagüey with winds of 115 mph (185 km/h). The hurricane remained small, as the city of Camagüey reported peak winds of only 65 mph (105 km/h). Additionally, with winds of 115 mph (185 km/h), King attained major hurricane status. It was the eighth and final major hurricane of the season, a record that has not been surpassed.
Within twelve hours, Hurricane King crossed central Cuba, during which it maintained its intensity. According to the Atlantic hurricane database, King intensified further over land to winds of 120 mph (195 km/h); however, Hurricane Hunters indicated maximum winds of only 100 to 105 mph (160 to 165 km/h) by the time the hurricane emerged into the Florida Straits. At the time, the barometric pressure was 988 mbar, and the eye was 20 miles (32 km) in diameter. The hurricane quickly intensified as it turned north-northwestward. In 24 hours, the pressure dropped 33.2 mbar and the eye contracted to 5 miles (8 km) in diameter. On October 18, Hurricane King made landfall on downtown Miami, Florida. The city's Weather Bureau office, which was struck by the eastern eyewall, recorded sustained winds of 122 mph (197 km/h) with gust estimated at 150 mph (240 km/h).
Over land, the compact hurricane weakened as it continued through the state. After crossing Lake Okeechobee, Hurricane King passed over the city of Okeechobee, which recorded a pressure of 977 mbar. The winds diminished along the southern and western side of the storm, although winds gusted to hurricane force in many locations in eastern coastal Florida. Early on October 19, King weakened to tropical storm status over north-central Florida, and later that day it dissipated over western Georgia.
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