Hurricane Floyd (1987)

**Hurricane Floyd** was the only hurricane to make landfall in the United States during the 1987 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the last of seven tropical storms and three hurricanes. Floyd developed on 9 October just off the east coast of Nicaragua. It then became a tropical storm. After this, it moved northward and crossed western Cuba. Because a cold front was , Floyd suddenly turned to the northeast. Late on 12 October it became a hurricane near the Florida Keys. It moved through the south of Florida. It produced two tornadoes and caused some damage. The hurricane also produced rip tides. This killed one person in southern Texas. Floyd was a hurricane for only twelve hours. After this, because of the cold front, it became weak. It passed through the Bahamas before becoming extratropical. It  on 14 October.

## Meteorological history
Hurricane Floyd  from a low pressure area in the Gulf of Honduras on October 5. It drifted eastward in the next few days. Then, it moved southward. It moved to a place off the east coast of Nicaragua. On October&nbsp;9, a Hurricane Hunters flight confirmed that an organized circulation was formed. This showed that the year's thirteenth tropical depression had developed. It drifted more to the south. Then the depression turned to the north and later northwest. This was because a ridge was formed to its east. With an anticyclone over it, the depression gradually organized. It then became stronger and was named Tropical Storm Floyd on October&nbsp;10.

After it became a tropical storm, Floyd accelerated to the north in the western Caribbean Sea. This was because a cold front was approaching. It steadily became more . The storm moved over extreme western Cuba early on October&nbsp;12.

## Preparations and impact
Around when Floyd first became a tropical storm, a tropical storm warning was  for the Swan Islands and Grand Cayman. Soon after this, a tropical storm warning and hurricane watch was issued for the northeast Yucatán Peninsula. The storm caused heavy rainfall along the coast after this warning was issued. A tropical storm warning and hurricane watch were also issued for Cuba west of Havana. To prepare themselves for the storm, Cuban officials in Pinar del Río Province d 100,000&nbsp;people, as well as 40,000&nbsp;head of cattle. International flights were also canceled for a day when Floyd was passing. Floyd passed over Western Cuba as a tropical storm. But it left no serious damage or killed anyone in the country. Officials in southern Florida closed schools due to the storm. People in the hurricane's path prepared by buying supplies from supermarkets, keeping the gas in their vehicles full and keeping loose outside items safe.

Floyd was the first named storm to strike southern Florida in two years. The last one was Hurricane Bob in 1985. While passing south of Florida, Floyd produced its strongest winds over water away and from land. The strongest wind in the Florida Keys was 59&nbsp;mph (94&nbsp;km/h) at Duck Key. But wind gusts were stronger. The Air Force station on Cudjoe Key reported an unofficial gust of 92&nbsp;mph (152&nbsp;km/h). Rainfall directly from Floyd's rainbands was very low, about . But, the  between the hurricane and the approaching cold front caused much heavier rainfall. Floyd created a waterspout that moved ashore in Rock Harbor. It damaged a few boats and homes.

Across southern Florida, the hurricane left minor damage of around $500,000 (1987&nbsp;USD). This was largely due to falling of trees and damaging of power lines. There was also minor crop damage in Dade County. The rainfall flooded roads in southern Florida. This caused several vehicles to fail on the Florida Turnpike.

## References