THIS DATE IN WEATHER HISTORY

1960: Hurricane Donna

Episode Details

On August 29, 1960, the storm that would become Hurricane Donna formed near Cape Verde off the African coast. It would go on to cause 150 deaths from Puerto Rico to New England over the next two weeks. On August 31, Donna attained hurricane status and headed west toward the Caribbean Sea. The storm then rode the Florida coastline, causing 13 deaths in Fort Myers and Daytona Beach. The state’s grapefruit and orange crops also took devastating blows and almost half of the largest mangrove tree forest in the United States was lost. It was the strongest storm to hit Florida until Andrew in 1992. On September 12, Donna battered the Outer Banks on North Carolina and was still a Category 3 hurricane.

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THIS DATE IN WEATHER HISTORY

1960: Hurricane Donna

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