page_title: Hurricane Kate (1985)
section_title: Florida
hierarchical_section_title: Hurricane Kate (1985) / Impact / Florida
context_page_description: Hurricane Kate was the final in a series of tropical cyclones to impact the United States during 1985, and the latest in any calendar year to strike the country at hurricane intensity on record. The eleventh named storm, seventh hurricane, and third major hurricane of the annual hurricane season, Kate originated from the interaction of an upper-level trough and tropical wave northeast of Puerto Rico on November 15. Though the system tracked erratically during the first hours of its existence, the intensification of a region of high pressure to the cyclone's north caused Kate to turn westward. A favorable atmospheric pattern allowed the newly developed system to intensify to hurricane intensity on November 16, and further to Category 2 intensity three days later.
  Kate made its first landfall on the northern coast of Cuba at this intensity prior to emerging as a slightly weaker storm during the evening hours of November 19. Once clear of land, it began to strengthen quickly, becoming a Category 3 and reaching its peak intensity of 120 mph the following day.
context_section_description: As Kate passed to the southwest of Key West, the storm produced winds of 47 mph (76 km/h) there, with unofficial wind gusts of 104 mph (167 km/h). Rainfall totals in southwest Florida were generally around 1 in (25 mm), although Key West reported 2.08 in (53 mm) of precipitation. High winds downed trees and power lines, leaving areas between Key West and Big Pine Key without power. Electrical outages contributed to a mobile home being destroyed by fire, and one person died through electrocution. Above-normal tides caused minor flooding and erosion along the Florida Keys. Two people died after their boat capsized in the lower Keys.
  Kate was the first hurricane to make landfall in the Florida Panhandle since Hurricane Eloise in 1975. In the region, the hurricane dropped heavy rainfall along its path, peaking at 8.32 in (211 mm) in Panama City. While moving ashore, Kate produced an 11 feet (3.4 m) storm surge at Cape San Blas, causing beach and dune erosion in Gulf County. Storm surge flooding left 150 houses uninhabitable in Wakulla County. The hurricane damaged a bridge to St. George Island that had been rebuilt after Hurricane Elena, and large portions of U.S. Routes 90 and 98 were washed out or damaged. Just two months after Elena ravaged the Apalachicola Bay shellfish harvesting industry, Hurricane Kate destroyed remaining oyster beds, leaving many oystermen in the area without jobs.
  Strong winds buffeted the Florida Panhandle, accompanied by one tornado and several funnel clouds. In Panama City, wind gusts reached 78 mph (126 km/h), damaging two houses, a motel, and a fishing pier. The winds were strong enough to remove the roof of a two-story federal building. Sustained winds blew 74 mph (119 km/h) at Cape San Blas, with gusts up to 108 mph (174 km/h). Across the area, Kate severely damaged 242 buildings, mostly in Franklin County, where the storm ranked as the most devastating of the late 20th century. The storm compromised about 5.4 mi (8.7 km) of roads in the county, and throughout the region many roads were washed out. The intense winds brought down numerous trees, some of them onto adjacent structures. One fallen tree struck a car, killing one person and injuring another. The winds also downed power poles and lines. About 90 percent of Florida's capital Tallahassee, or about 80,000 people, lost power, and along the coast from Panama City to Apalachicola, the storm left about 30,000 homes and businesses without electricity. Overall, the hurricane destroyed 325 homes along the panhandle, and about 500 buildings were severely damaged.
caption: Damage after Hurricane Kate in Tallahassee
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