Has Key West,FL ever gotten a bad hurricane?
That would depend upon your definition of “bad”. To some of the more crusty residents that are accustomed to the passing hurricanes for several decades, maybe no. Many hurricanes have brushed by Key West, most only creating a “gusty breeze” and, since the most of the key is less than 10 feet above sea level, many flooding problems. However, since I’m not truly crusty like some of those guys, yet a long-time South Floridian, here are the ones that I would rate as bad: In 1998, the eye of Category 2 Hurricane Georges passed about 10 miles to the south of Key West with winds of 105 mph, causing considerable damage to houseboats, and the usual “Key West style” flooding of structures and cars. In 1948, an major unnamed hurricane killed several residents and created wind gusts said to have reached up to 160 mph at the airport. The ocean rose up 6 feet onto the key. Oddly, the most famous hurricane in the Florida Keys, the small but intense Great Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, caused little dam
