1992 North Atlantic hurricane season
Hurricane Andrew 1992
Hurricane Andrew's compact core caused catastrophic destruction in southern Florida in August 1992. The storm also struck the Bahamas and Louisiana, leaving a lasting mark on communities along a route that crossed the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico.
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173 mph
Aug 23, 1992 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Rapid strengthening near the Bahamas
Andrew developed over the eastern Atlantic on 16 August but spent much of the next week struggling to strengthen. Conditions improved as it approached the Bahamas, and rapid intensification brought peak archived one-minute winds of 150 kt on 23 August.
The hurricane weakened briefly while crossing the Bahamas, then regained Category 5 strength before reaching Elliott Key and mainland southern Florida on 24 August. Its small, intense core passed through the Homestead and Cutler Ridge area.
Catastrophic damage in southern Florida
Extreme winds stripped roofs and destroyed homes across southern Dade County. At the height of the storm, as many as 1.4 million people lost power. Florida reported 44 deaths and about US$25 billion in damage at 1992 values.
A second United States landfall
Andrew emerged over the Gulf of Mexico and turned northwest toward Louisiana. It made landfall near Morgan City on 26 August as a Category 3 hurricane, damaging homes, power lines, offshore oil facilities and forests in the Atchafalaya Basin.
The hurricane weakened inland and turned northeast. Across its full path, Andrew caused 65 reported deaths and US$27.3 billion in damage at 1992 values. Its name was retired the following year.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Andrew in brief
What was Hurricane Andrew's highest wind speed?
173 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Aug 23, 1992, 06:00 PM UTC.
What category was Hurricane Andrew?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Aug 23, 1992, 09:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Hurricane Andrew's lowest pressure?
922 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Aug 23, 1992, 06:00 PM UTC.
When did Hurricane Andrew occur?
The archived track runs from Aug 16, 1992, 06:00 PM UTC to Aug 28, 1992, 06:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Aug 16, 1992, 06:00 PM UTC to Aug 28, 1992, 06:00 AM UTC.
Where did Hurricane Andrew form?
In the North Atlantic basin, in the 1992 season. Its first archived position is 10.8°N, 35.5°W on Aug 16, 1992, 06:00 PM UTC.
Did Hurricane Andrew make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 2 recorded positions; the strongest is 167 mph on Aug 24, 1992, 09:00 AM UTC. Positions are six-hourly, so this is not a landfall chronology.
METHODOLOGY
Data sources and limitations
The map and summary are generated from NOAA's IBTrACS v04r01 archive. Wind and category use US-agency records; minimum pressure is calculated during the tropical stage, with the archive's pressure source retained. Category 5 refers to the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale; local agencies may use different classifications. Coastlines use Natural Earth's 1:10m land data.
Track distance adds great-circle distances between consecutive observations, excluding gaps over 12 hours. This track has no gaps over 12 hours. The line shows the storm's center, not its size, rainfall or flood extent. Converted wind speeds are rounded to the nearest whole unit.
Archive retrieved
NOAA IBTrACS archive and Field documentation
Sources & methodology