Which Gulf Hurricane since 1995 was the worst

[Matt-hurricanewatcher]

With out Wilma or Charley...Rita comes out near or tops Ivan...She destroyed a town. In her damaged was Amazing.

[quandary]

Only reason why I don't choose Rita... she might be tied with Ivan... is that she was so very over-hyped. Doomsday scenario for Galveston and all that... instead she was a very severed but well equaled storm (120mph). Ivan, Wilma, Charley all did equal or greater amounts of damage.

[wxmann_91]

Ivan, though Rita is very close.

[Sean in New Orleans]

#1 Rita
#2 Ivan
#3 Charley
#4 Wilma
#5 Frances

[Terrell]

Why are hurricanes that strike the west coast of the Florida Peninsula not considered GOM hurricanes?

[recmod]

Wilma counts as an east coast hurricane.

All of the FL Peninsula is included as a part of the EC

Not to disrespect Derek, however, I think those folks living in Punta Gorda would definitely consider themselves as living on the Gulf and NOT the East Coast. Maybe for statistical/scientific calculations (who uses these anyways!..hehe) the Florida peninsula might be tallyed in as part of the East Coast strike zone, but for layman purposes, I certainly think that Wilma and Charley count as Gulf coast strikes.

This poll is interesting because it is very much subject to individual experiences influencing one's vote. For me, Charley was a hands-down winner, since this storm, after making its GULF COAST landfall, pummeled the Orlando area as no storm has done since Donna in 1960. Our local area is still dealing with the aftermath of this hurricane. (Read that as I STILL have no pool or backyard to enjoy since Charley destroyed everything).

--Lou

[senorpepr]

I say Charley. Let the numbers speak for themselves... behind Katrina and Andrew, Charley was the third costliest storm on record for the US.

[john potter]

Wilma obviously is the most powerful Carribean hurricane on record, but is this poll addressing "landfalling" Gulf hurricanes? If so, Ivan is the most Katrina-like hurricane since 1995.

[southerngale]

I voted for Ivan, although I almost voted for Wilma. I didn't vote for Rita because a good part of the damage it causedwas preexisting damage from Katrina that was exacerbated by Rita, although there was a lot of new damage. Ivan simply caused more damage.

hmm, maybe you're confusing Rita with another storm. ???
The places over here that were devastated by Rita didn't get anything from Katrina. Maybe some clouds, but that's it.

http://www.storm2k.org/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=79174

Only reason why I don't choose Rita... she might be tied with Ivan... is that she was so very over-hyped. Doomsday scenario for Galveston and all that... instead she was a very severed but well equaled storm (120mph). Ivan, Wilma, Charley all did equal or greater amounts of damage.

They may have hyped it up a lot, but coming off the heels of Katrina, rightfully so. That hype saved A LOT of lives in Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana. Over 90% evacuation success. Had people stayed, the death rate would be much higher. No way people could have survived in the flattened, collapsed, crushed, and surge-filled homes reduced to slabs. I'm grateful for that hype. We're not as important as Galveston and all that, but it was a doomsday scenario for a lot of cities and towns around here.



Going by eye witness accounts as well as video and pictures, I voted Rita. From what I've seen, there was similar damage from Ivan and Charley, but I haven't seen anything worse than what Rita did. Of course I have the "advantage" of seeing things on a daily basis here, but I've seen pics from all of them. A lot of really bad storms, and it's almost silly to rank them like this, mostly by people who have no clue and are probably voting on the one they saw the most coverage on. Rita has been dubbed "the forgotten storm" because the media was still focused on Katrina's aftermath. Most people (aside from those around here and a few on weather boards) have no idea the extent of the damage here.
It didn't hit as populated an area as some of the other ones, but where it hit, the damage is horrific. And that extended WELL inland with extensive damage 80-100+ miles inland. Places like Jasper have never clocked winds so high or seen so much damage.
Anyway, I also think of how this entire area was literally closed down and they wouldn't let you in to even check your home for a long time. I remember with Wilma, people who were hit dead on were posting like the next day, with electricity!! I envied them. It was weeks here.

[southerngale]

With out Wilma or Charley...Rita comes out near or tops Ivan...She destroyed a town. In her damaged was Amazing.

a town? I don't know which town you're referring to, but the other destroyed towns wish it was only a town.

[Brent]

Only reason why I don't choose Rita... she might be tied with Ivan... is that she was so very over-hyped. Doomsday scenario for Galveston and all that... instead she was a very severed but well equaled storm (120mph). Ivan, Wilma, Charley all did equal or greater amounts of damage.

I agree with you that Rita was overhyped... however, 60 hours before landfall it had a sub-900 mb pressure, so it was defintely warranted.

[Derek Ortt]

let me just step in here with Wilma. Most areas were without power for at least 2 weeks, some as many as 4-6 weeks.

when I was posting after the hurricane, it was from the office, which was damaged, but did have backup power.

Also, the national media did not do the world greatest job of reporting the damage, which was at its worst near the Lake, and in Broward

[docjoe]

With full acknowledgement of geographic bias my vote is for Ivan. I think one thing Ivan did was wake people up to how disruptive a large storm can be and over such a large area. Until Katrina Ivan seemed to have set a benchmark, at least in the eyes of the public, as to how damaging surge could be. There were areas at the head of Escambia and East Bays that saw biblical destruction from flooding. Although admittedly not on the scale of Katrina but we had people who escaped death from flooding only by busting through their roof. Places like Floridatown and Ward Basin still are ghost towns. There were reports of 18+ feet of surge at the head of Escambia Bay. In addition to the coastal counties there was phenomenal damage well inland. Ultimately though, if you discount Katrina, it is just splitting hairs to say which was worst between Ivan, Wilma, and Rita. My $.02 worth.

docjoe

[StormScanWx]

1) Hurricane Ivan
2) Hurricane Charley
3) Hurricane Opal
4) Hurricane Dennis
5) Hurricane Georges
6) Hurricane Erin
7) Tropical Storm Allison

[quandary]

Hmm... with Charley, Wilma and Ivan having current damage totals of 15 billion, 14.4 billion and 14.2 billion, it is hard to say numerical (remember these figures are right only to 10 and even 25%), which one is the most damaging. However, it appears that Ivan caused more widespread suffering and had a larger impact because the area it hit was poorer. A poorer area loses more of its capabilities, infrastructure and the like to produce the same amount of damage. For example, assume that all damage occured to homes and homelike structure (not true of course, but just make that assumption, since other property can be considered as homes and structures). Now, as mentioned previously, many homes in Miami-Dade will run into the millions, devastation of these homes will tally up damage. Large business seem to have overvalued property, mainly the result of location, but 3 million in damages in still 3 million in damages. On the other hand, Ivan, affecting mostly small towns and smaller cities, has to hurt more people and damage more lower-scale housing to cause its 14.2 billion in damage.

[quandary]

No seriously, who voted Bret? I can understand Lili might've significantly impacted a few people so that they would consider it the worst for them at least, but Bret caused... 60 million in total damages... so unless that damage came directly from like 10 people, I can't see how it was the worst storm for anyone.

[NC George]

So the actual name of this topic should be - What was the 2nd worst Gulf hurricane since 1995

[Matt-hurricanewatcher]

So the actual name of this topic should be - What was the 2nd worst Gulf hurricane since 1995

Katrina's special so she can't be lined up with the other storms. It would not be fair for your other storms...

[MGC]

As bad as Gulf Shores looked after Ivan, along with Pensacola Beach I'd trade hurricanes in a heartbeat if I could. Ivan was a minor leaguer compared to Katrina. Second worst would be Ivan. I thought about Charley but since Ivan had a way bigger surge, and surge is the big damage producer, I voted for Ivan the Terrible.....MGC

[NC George]

So the actual name of this topic should be - What was the 2nd worst Gulf hurricane since 1995

Katrina's special so she can't be lined up with the other storms. It would not be fair for your other storms...

Again, so the actual name of this topic is - what is the 2nd worst hurricane to hit the Gulf Coast since 1995. If you throw out the obvious #1 pick, you then have a poll of what is #2. As to the fairness, who cares? #1 is #1.