&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Florence_1952-09-26_weather_map.jpg) September 26, 1953 weather map featuring Hurricane Florence | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | September 23, 1953 |
| Dissipated | September 26, 1953 |
| Category 3 major hurricane | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
| Highest winds | 115 mph (185 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 968 mbar (hPa); 28.59 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | None |
| Damage | $200,000 (1953 USD) |
| Areas affected | Jamaica, Cuba, Gulf Coast of the United States, Southeast United States |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1953 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Hurricane Florence was a strong Atlantic hurricane that struck the Florida Panhandle in September of the 1953 season. The eighth storm and fifth hurricane of the season, Florence developed in the western Caribbean from a tropical wave near Jamaica on September 23. It produced heavy rainfall on the nearby island, and later caused damage in western Cuba. The storm quickly intensified into a hurricane over the Yucatán Channel, and as it moved north through the Gulf of Mexico, Florence's maximum sustained winds reached 125 mph (201 km/h). On September 26, the hurricane hit in a sparsely populated region of western Florida, and shortly after landfall became an extratropical cyclone.
Damage from Florence, with 421 houses damaged and another three destroyed. The winds destroyed the roofs of three evacuation shelters, resulting in one injury. The city of Apalachicola, Florida was temporarily isolated due to the storm's impact. There were no deaths associated with Florence, and damage totaled $200,000 (1953 USD, $2.28 million 2024 USD). After becoming extratropical, the remnants continued to the northeast, producing rainfall along its path before dissipating on September 28 southeast of New England.