The Sunshine State has an exceptionally stormy past. Vulnerable to storms that arise in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico, Florida has been hit by far more hurricanes than any other state. In many ways, hurricanes have helped shape Florida's history. Early efforts by the French, Spanish, and English to claim the territory as their own were often thwarted by hurricanes. More recently, storms have affected such massive projects as Henry Flagler's Overseas Railroad and efforts to manage water in South Florida. In this book, Jay Barnes offers a fascinating and informative look at Florida's hurricane history. Drawing on meteorological research, news reports, first-person accounts, maps, and historical photographs, he traces all of the notable hurricanes that have affected the state over the last four-and-a-half centuries, from the great storms of the early colonial period to the devastating hurricanes of 2004 and 2005--Charley, Frances, Ivan, Jeanne, Dennis, Katrina, and Wilma. In addition to providing a comprehensive chronology of more than one hundred individual storms, Florida's Hurricane History includes information on the basics of hurricane dynamics, formation, naming, and forecasting. It explores the origins of the U.S. Weather Bureau and government efforts to study and track hurricanes in Florida, home of the National Hurricane Center. But the book does more than examine how hurricanes have shaped Florida's past; it also looks toward the future, discussing the serious threat that hurricanes continue to pose to both lives and property in the state. Filled with more than 200 photographs and maps, the book also features a foreword by Steve Lyons, tropical weather expert for the Weather Channel. It will serve as both an essential reference on hurricanes in Florida and a remarkable source of the stories--of tragedy and destruction, rescue and survival--that foster our fascination with these powerful storms.

Expert reporting from the editors of the Palm Beach Post capture these tragic events of nature, that happened during the worst hurricane season that Florida has ever seen.

On the eve of the tenth anniversary of the worst hurricane in modern Florida's history, this bold, eye-opening portrait of a killer storm tracks Andrew's devastating march across Florida and gauges the storm's impact on the state and its people.

Offers a comprehensive look at the history of the state of Florida, from its discovery, exploration, and settlement through its becoming a state, to notable events in the early twenty-first century.

A gripping chronicle of the most powerful hurricane to ever hit the United States and its devastating aftermath details the fiercest storm of September 1935 from the perspectives of survivors of the storm, Federal Emergency Relief Administration employees, and government officials. Reprint.

A Florida native delves into the state's history to reconstruct a 1928 hurricane that devastated the region right before the Great Depression, finding evidence of communities hard hit by the killer storm.

Weaving together tales of tragedy and folly, of heroism and scientific progress, best-selling author Eric Jay Dolin shows how hurricanes have time and again determined the course of American history, from the nameless storms that threatened the New World voyages to our own era of global warming and megastorms. Along the way, Dolin introduces a rich cast of unlikely heroes, and forces us to reckon with the reality that future storms will likely be worse, unless we reimagine our relationship with the planet.

In this work, Collins, Rohli, and Paxton cover topics including geographical setting, weather fronts, the sun, thundershowers, hurricanes, tropical breezes, and tornadoes. The work also looks to the future of Florida's climate, examining the long-term implications of issues such as global warmings and natural disasters.

"From the time the first humans reached the Florida peninsula more than 12,000 years ago through today’s complex and diverse state, this timeline narrative sets Florida’s fascinating history against the backdrop of world events. Learn how early native peoples, European exploration, wars, and transformative economic, social, cultural, and technological changes have shaped and continue to shape the Sunshine State."--

A call to live with the coast, as opposed to living at the coast; unless Florida coastal communities conserve beaches and mitigate storm impacts, the future of the beach-based economy is in question.