CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — While it's unusual to have such a quiet Labor Day weekend, we'll certainly take the lack of tropical activity across the Atlantic Basin. History tells us that the 'quiet' does usually last long, especially as the peak of Hurricane Season (September 10) nears. In fact, many high-impact storms have occurred around late August and early September, teaching valuable lessons. That's why I like to call this ramp-up to the official peak of the season, the peak 'learning' season.
Here's a look back at some of the most impactful storms that taught valuable lessons in hurricane preparedness.
Hurricane Andrew (1992)
Impact: The first storm of the season, Andrew made landfall as a Category 5 near Homestead, Florida.
It caused $27 billion in damages to South Florida and the Greater Miami area.
Lesson: Building codes matter — Florida’s post-Andrew reforms set a new national standard.
Hurricane Katrina (2005)
Impact: A Category 3 hurricane at landfall, Katrina produced a massive storm surge.
It caused $125 billion in damages, over 1,800 deaths in the Greater New Orleans area.
Lesson: Engineering alone isn’t enough. Evacuation, equity, and emergency response are critical.
The levee system that failed during Katrina was rigorously improved.
Hurricane Gustav (2008)
Impact: Realing from Katrina, Gustav triggered mass evacuations across Coastal Louisiana on Labor Day weekend.
Lesson: Large-scale evacuations must be coordinated and practiced, but an improvement after Katrina. Contraflow has become a regular practice for large evacuations.
Hurricane Irene (2011)
Impact: Irene was a flooding disaster in the Northeast. Freshwater (rainfall) flooding devastated many cities along the Atlantic Coast.
Lesson: Weaker storms can devastate inland regions even after weakening. Must evaluate all hazards in a storm: extreme winds, flooding, storm surge, and tornadoes.
Hurricane Harvey (2017)
Impact: Making landfall as a Category 4 hurricane near Rockport, Harvey then dumped feet of rain, causing a flooding catastrophe for the Greater Houston area.
Lesson: While it's important to be prepared for extreme winds, another lesson that storms can have lasting impacts days after and far away from landfall.
Hurricane Dorian (2019)
Impact: The strongest Atlantic basin storm, Dorian stalled over Abaco Island, The Bahamas, as a Category 5 hurricane. It made a very close pass to Florida, too.
Lesson: Dorian was a reminder that powerful storms do happen. Rapid intensification + slow movement = catastrophic. Remote communities are at a disadvantage as it can be difficult to evacuate and respond after a storm.
Hurricane Laura (2020)
Impact: Cat 4 Louisiana landfall; storm surge disaster.
Lesson: Clear storm surge messaging saves lives.
Hurricane Ida (2021)
Impact: Ida made landfall tens of miles away from New Orleans, on Katrina’s anniversary. It caused a narrow path of destruction in Louisiana and catastrophic flooding in the Northeast.
Lesson: You don't have to go far to escape the worst of a storm, but again— impacts can and do extend far inland.
While these are just a sample of the impactful storms that have taught us to better prepare for 'tropical trouble', but we should continue to remember these lessons to stay ahead of any threat each Hurricane Season.