1944 Cuba–Florida hurricane

The Cuba-Florida hurricane of 1944 (also known as Hurricane San Lucas in 1944 and Hurricane Sanibel Island in 1944) was a Category 4 large tropical cyclone of the Saffir-Simpson hurricane category, which caused damage to the western Caribbean Sea and the southeastern United States. Extensive destruction In October 1944, it caused more than $100 million in damage and caused at least 318 deaths, most of which occurred in Cuba. A study shows that equivalent storms in 2018 will be among the most costly hurricanes in the United States. Due to the lack of conclusive reports from rural areas in Cuba, the full extent of the storm’s impact remains unclear. The unprecedented availability of weather data during hurricanes marked a turning point in the US Meteorological Administration's ability to predict tropical cyclones.

The disturbance started suddenly in the western Caribbean Sea and intensified into a tropical storm on October 12 within a few hours of its initial development. The next day, it intensified into a hurricane and approached Grand Cayman with a short but slow westbound path. There, the storm produced several days of torrential rain and heavy rain, destroying all crops in the Cayman Islands and destroying coastal properties; this storm proved to be the most rainy hurricane in the history of Grand Cayman. On October 16, the developing hurricane turned sharply northward and accelerated. Two days later, it landed in western Cuba with the highest wind speed of 145 mph (230 km/h), making it a Category 4 hurricane. Cuba, the most severely affected by the storm, killed at least 300 people and suffered extensive damage from high winds and storm surges, especially in the Havana area. Many ships sank in the port of Havana in the turbulent waters and marine debris.

After the hurricane swept across Cuba, it gradually weakened and weakened due to the large storm. It crossed Dry Tortoise Island in the form of a major hurricane on October 18, and finally made landfall near Sarasota, Florida the next day, becoming a Category 2 hurricane. Despite considerable property losses in the Florida Keys and the entire Florida coast, most of the damage caused by the storm was due to severe crop losses in the state's citrus-producing areas, resulting in record reductions in harvests. Eighteen people were killed in the state, half of which were due to the loss of a ship in Tampa Bay. The storm continued to weaken as it passed through Florida and the southeastern United States, producing heavy rain and gusts across the east coast of the United States, causing widespread power outages. On October 20, the storm turned into an extratropical cyclone and moved northeast along the east coast of the United States. Four days later, the system appeared east of Greenland for the last time.