Breach at North Captiva Island - Courtesy of USGS Geological Survey
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Hurricane Charley made landfall at Cayo Costa, a barrier island just
west of Cape Coral, as a Category 4 storm at approximately 3:45 PM EDT
on Friday, 13 August 2004. Winds were estimated at 145 mph, with a minimum
central pressure of 941 millibars. At 4:35 PM EDT, wind gusts of 111
mph (97 knots) were measured at the Punta Gorda Airport before equipment
failure; minimum pressure measured at the same location was 28.47 inches
(~964.1 millibars). A 7-foot storm surge was recorded in Fort Myers at
3:45 PM EDT, around the time of landfall. In the Naples area, the maximum
storm tide (the combination of normal tide level plus storm surge) was
about 10 to 11 feet above mean sea level. The worst storm tide was north
of Naples from Vanderbilt Beach to the Lee County line. In this area,
the maximum storm tide was about 10 to 13 feet above mean sea level.
Charley continued its track northeast across DeSoto, Hardee, Polk, and
Osceola counties. At approximately 9:15 PM EDT, the eye of the storm
was centered at Kissimmee, over northern Osceola County. Charley then
moved over the Orlando area between 8:45 PM and 9:30 PM EDT. Orlando
International Airport reported a gust to near 105 mph at 9:15 PM EDT,
with sustained winds anywhere from 60-70 mph. By 10:09 PM EDT, the Sanford
Airport just northeast of Orlando was gusting to 92 mph. The circulation
center of Hurricane Charley passed over the coast near Daytona Beach
at approximately 11:30 PM EDT. At 11:25 PM EDT, the Daytona Beach Airport
observed 69 mph sustained winds, with an 83 mph gust. Charley emerged
off the Volusia County coast and back into the Atlantic just northeast
of Daytona around 1:00 AM EDT on Saturday, 14 August. By 2:00 AM EDT,
the center was over the Atlantic about 45 miles north-northeast of Daytona
Beach, with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph and a minimum central pressure
of 993 millibars. Charley was racing toward the north-northeast at 25
mph.
Charley took approximately nine hours to traverse the Florida peninsula.
It was the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the state since Hurricane
Andrew in 1992. Just under 36 hours prior to Charley’s landfall,
Tropical Storm Bonnie struck the Florida Panhandle near Apalachicola.
Not since 1906 have two storms struck the state of Florida so close together.
River Flood Warnings remain in effect for numerous rivers across west
central Florida.
- Southeast River Forecast Center Peak 5 Day River Forecast
- The National Hurricane Center
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