August 26,1949 Hurricane

[bubba]

On August 26,1949 another Hurricane hit the Palm Beach area with a path very similar to the September 16,1928 Hurricane.  Specifically, it was another Cape Verde Storm that hit Palm Beach and it's environs and traveled through the Glades and Lake Okeechobee. The Army Corp. had built dykes around the Lake by this time and there was no catastrophe related to water like there was in the 1928 storm in the Glades. It was not classified as a Great Hurricane like the 1928 storm by the US Weather Bureau, which is interesting because top winds were officially measured at 153 MPH. The minimum pressure was 28.17 inches. The 1928 storm according to "authorities" had a lower wind speed even though it's minimum pressure was 27.43 inches.This is of note because Hurricanes such as the September1945 Homestead Hurricane had winds of 196 MPH. and a minimum pressure of 28.08 inches.

  The August 26,1949 Hurricane is significant because it hit at high tide in the Palm Beach area and created incredible water damage.My Grandparent's lived in the Northend of the Island of Palm Beach and my mother was at the house and had the "experience" of being a first hand witness to this Storm.People knew it was coming and knew it was severe but really did not know what to expect.At my Grandparent's house ,when the ocean water started coming in, they proceeded to move all the furniture to the second floor. The winds were bad but my mother recalls the noise of the water to be the scariest part. This Hurricane carved SEVEN new inlets commencing from Wells Road North to the end of the island, which is a distance of approximately five miles. In 1949 the Northend was far less developed than it is now but it is always mind-boggling to picture 7 inlets throgh the North portion of the island. Additionally, when it was over, my mother and grandparent's had the joy of dealing with two feet of beach sand throughout their lower floor. And so it goes.....