Hurricane Hazel

Oct 7, 1953 to Oct 16, 1953Peak 86 mph989 mb

Hurricane Hazel passed within 50 miles of 18 counties in FL. It was strongest near Lee County, FL, as a Category 1 on October 9, 1953.

Major hurricane
Hurricane
Tropical storm
Post-tropical

Watch how it happened

Hurricane Hazel · 1953

How it happened

Follow the storm’s path, strength and milestones.

About this replay

Date and time (UTC)—Historical replay — not a forecast

Wind speed—

Category—

Pressure—

Storm milestones

Storm trackPast (solid) and future (dashed)

Wind fieldNot recorded for this storm; HURDAT2 carries wind extents from 2004

County proximityCounties within 50 miles, lit at the hour of closest approach (brighter when closer)

Source: National Hurricane Center · HURDAT2. Positions every six hours, interpolated between fixes. Relief: Natural Earth. Times shown in UTC.

The storm

Peak strength: Category 1; 86 mph, 75 kt
Lowest pressure: 989 mb; Over the whole track
Counties within 50 miles: 18; FL
Counties within 100 miles: 29; FL
Strongest near the U.S.: Category 1; Lee County, FL, 1.1 mi, Oct 9, 1953
Landfalls recorded: 2; Anywhere on the track

Every county it passed

Closest approach to each county boundary, with the storm’s strength at that moment.

Counties within 100 miles

Okeechobee County	FL	0.0	Category 1	Oct 9, 1953
Highlands County	FL	0.0	Category 1	Oct 9, 1953
Indian River County	FL	0.0	Tropical storm	Oct 9, 1953
Charlotte County	FL	0.0	Category 1	Oct 9, 1953
Lee County	FL	1.1	Category 1	Oct 9, 1953
St. Lucie County	FL	2.9	Tropical storm	Oct 9, 1953
Glades County	FL	8.3	Category 1	Oct 9, 1953
DeSoto County	FL	11.0	Category 1	Oct 9, 1953
Brevard County	FL	13.0	Tropical storm	Oct 9, 1953
Hendry County	FL	14.5	Category 1	Oct 9, 1953
Osceola County	FL	15.6	Tropical storm	Oct 9, 1953
Sarasota County	FL	17.3	Category 1	Oct 9, 1953
Hardee County	FL	19.4	Category 1	Oct 9, 1953
Martin County	FL	22.6	Category 1	Oct 9, 1953
Polk County	FL	22.8	Category 1	Oct 9, 1953
Palm Beach County	FL	27.1	Category 1	Oct 9, 1953
Manatee County	FL	28.4	Category 1	Oct 9, 1953
Collier County	FL	29.1	Category 1	Oct 9, 1953
Orange County	FL	53.2	Tropical storm	Oct 9, 1953
Hillsborough County	FL	54.9	Category 1	Oct 9, 1953
Broward County	FL	61.9	Category 1	Oct 9, 1953
Volusia County	FL	71.0	Tropical storm	Oct 9, 1953
Pinellas County	FL	71.1	Category 1	Oct 9, 1953
Seminole County	FL	71.9	Tropical storm	Oct 9, 1953
Monroe County	FL	73.2	Category 1	Oct 9, 1953
Lake County	FL	80.2	Category 1	Oct 9, 1953
Miami-Dade County	FL	83.6	Category 1	Oct 9, 1953
Pasco County	FL	85.7	Category 1	Oct 9, 1953
Sumter County	FL	88.6	Category 1	Oct 9, 1953

Distances are measured from hourly positions interpolated between the National Hurricane Center’s six-hourly fixes to each county boundary. Strength is shown only where the storm was still tropical. Methodology.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2. Storm totals cover the Atlantic and Northeast and Central Pacific basins.