text: hurricane kate ( 1985 ) hurricane kate was the final in a series of tropical cyclones to impact the united states during 1985 and the latest in any calendar year to strike the country at hurricane intensity on record . the eleventh named storm , seventh hurricane , and third major hurricane of the annual hurricane season , kate originated from the interaction of an upper - level trough and tropical wave northeast of puerto rico on november 15 . though the system tracked erratically during the first hours of its existence , the intensification of a region of high pressure to the cyclone 's north caused kate to turn westward . a favorable atmospheric pattern allowed the newly developed system to intensify to hurricane intensity on november 16 , and further to category 2 intensity three days later . kate made its first landfall on the northern coast of cuba at this intensity prior to emerging as a slightly weaker storm during the evening hours of november 19 . once clear of land , it began to strengthen quickly , becoming a category 3 and reaching its peak intensity of 120 mph ( 195 km / h ) the following day . on november 21 , a cold front moving across the mississippi valley resulted in a north and eventual northeast turn of the cyclone , and kate came ashore near mexico beach , florida , as a minimal category 2 hurricane with winds of 100 mph ( 160 km / h ) . gradual weakening ensued as the cyclone moved along the southeast united states coastline , and kate transitioned to an extratropical cyclone on november 23 , a day after exiting the coastline of north carolina . the threat of hurricane kate in cuba prompted the evacuation of 360 , 000 people . heavy rainfall in cuba caused numerous mudslides and flooding , killing 10 people and leading to severe agriculture damage . wind gusts over hurricane intensity resulted in widespread power outages , significant building damage , and major crop damage . damage totaled roughly $ 400 million , making it the most damaging hurricane to strike the island in many decades . in preparation of the system , many hurricane watches and warnings were put into effect . hundreds of thousands of residents were evacuated , and the governor of florida declared a state of emergency for six counties in florida ; this was later relinquished following the relatively minor impacts of kate . in addition , many shelters were opened . when kate struck the florida panhandle , it became the first hurricane to make landfall in that location since hurricane eloise in 1975 . storm surge and flooding rains destroyed much of the oyster industry , causing many people to lose their jobs in the weeks after the storm . gusts over 100 mph ( 160 km / h ) contributed to downed trees and building damage , while a combination of the wind and rain led to downed power poles . across the remainder of the southeast united states , several inches of rainfall led to flash flooding , damage to roadways , and major tree damage . overall , kate resulted in 15 fatalities and $ 700 million in damage . meteorological history before the formation of hurricane kate , a ridge was located across the southeastern united states for much of the autumn of 1985 ; concurrently , a major trough persisted across the western portion of the country . as a result , weather conditions across the gulf of mexico and western atlantic ocean in november were more typical of the pattern in late september , including sea surface temperatures of 81 ° f ( 27 ° c ) . on november 13 , a weak tropical wave began interacting with a trough to the northeast of the lesser antilles . it gradually organized due to the favorable conditions , and on november 15 , a hurricane hunters flight into the area indicated the development of a tropical cyclone . as gale force winds were already present , the system was immediately declared tropical storm kate , about 240 miles ( 385 km ) northeast of san juan , puerto rico . with a ridge to its north , kate tracked westward after developing , and an upper - level low developed to the southwest of the storm . the combination of the two provided favorable outflow , allowing kate to quickly intensify . on november 16 , the storm attained hurricane status while moving through the southeastern bahamas . after continued strengthening , kate made landfall at 0600 utc on november 19 over north - central cuba with a well - defined eye . when it moved ashore , kate had a pressure of 967 mbar ( 28 . 6 inhg ) and winds of about 110 mph ( 180 km / h ) . the hurricane maintained its well - defined eye while moving across northern cuba , and about 12 hours after making landfall , it emerged into the southeastern gulf of mexico just east of havana . over the next 24 hours , kate re - intensified off the southwest coast of florida as it passed about 85 mi ( 135 km ) southwest of key west . on november 20 , the hurricane hunters observed winds as strong as 125 mph ( 200 km / h ) , and a buoy recorded a gust of 136 mph ( 219 km / h ) ; this was the highest recorded wind gust from a buoy in the gulf of mexico until hurricane lili in 2002 . based on these observations , it was estimated that kate attained peak winds of about 120 mph ( 190 km / h ) around 1200 utc on november 20 . hurricane kate maintained peak intensity for about 18 hours . on november 21 , a cold front moving through the mississippi valley deflected the hurricane to the north and northeast . the combination of cooler waters and wind shear from the front weakened kate to an intensity of 100 mph ( 160 km / h ) by the time the hurricane struck crooked island near mexico beach , florida late on november 21 . after landfall , kate continued to the northeast , crossing into georgia and weakened into a tropical storm . kate emerged from north carolina into the atlantic ocean late on november 22 . encountering even colder waters and continued shear , the storm weakened further while turning to the east - southeast . on november 23 , kate transitioned into an extratropical cyclone to the west of bermuda , terminating at 1800 utc that day . until 2011 , kate 's was considered the second - latest hurricane landfall in the united states , behind only a cyclone in 1925 that struck on december 1 ; however , a systematic reanalysis indicated the 1925 system was only a tropical storm . in turn , kate took the record . with kate 's landfall , the 1985 season had six hurricanes that struck the united states , only one short of the record seven in 1886 . preparations by november 18 , a hurricane warning was in effect for the southeast and central bahamas and the turks and caicos islands . flood warnings were issued for northern puerto rico and the dominican republic . in preparation for the hurricane 's arrival , officials forced 360 , 000 people to evacuate in north - central cuba . while kate was moving through the bahamas , the national hurricane center ( nhc ) issued a hurricane warning from jupiter to fort myers , florida , including the florida keys . then - governor of florida bob graham declared a state of emergency for six counties in south florida . however , it was reversed following the relatively minor effects in south florida . officials recommended evacuation of the florida keys , leading to heavy traffic on the overseas highway and prompting the red cross to open 12 shelters . three shelters were opened in key west , but only 500 sought individuals utilized them during the storm . most residents chose to endure the storm in their homes . in fort lauderdale , schools were closed and residents of mobile homes were required to leave . shortly after the storm reached its peak intensity on november 20 , the nhc issued a hurricane watch from grand isle , louisiana , to cedar key , florida . later that day , a portion of the watch area was upgraded to a warning from bay st. louis , mississippi to st. marks , florida . about 20 , 000 employees on oil platforms in the gulf of mexico were evacuated , many by helicopter . the uss lexington left port from naval air station pensacola to ride out the storm in open waters , and aircraft in the region were flown inland . about 100 , 000 people along the florida panhandle were told to leave their houses after governor bob graham issued evacuation orders in 13 counties . about 2 , 000 people stayed in 34 shelters in panama city . roads in the region suffered traffic jams from the large volume of evacuees . portions of the florida gulf coast were threatened by hurricane elena earlier in the season , and some evacuees of that storm intended not to leave during kate due to the poor shelter conditions they had experienced . governor graham activated 300 members of the florida national guard to prevent looting and to assist in evacuations . one person died from a stress - induced heart attack in chipley after evacuating . outside of florida , about 2 , 200 people fled grand isle , louisiana . after kate moved ashore , the nhc issued gale warnings along the east coast of the united states from st. augustine , florida to chincoteague , virginia . impact caribbean and turks and caicos islands early in its duration , hurricane kate sank one boat near puerto rico and disabled three others . the crew of five on the sunken boat were rescued after 17 hours . several homes in northern puerto rico were damaged , forcing hundreds to evacuate . flooding was also reported in dominican republic , including around the capital santo domingo . heavy rainfall and winds up to 60 mph ( 97 km / h ) were reported in the turks and caicos islands . in jamaica , heavy precipitation caused mudslides , which in turn blocked 23 major and minor roads and destroyed many bridges , culverts , and drains . flooding in general caused severe damage to agriculture , especially in clarendon , manchester , saint ann , saint elizabeth , and trelawny parishes . seven fatalities were reported , while the cost to repair damage was approximately $ 3 million ( 1985 usd ) . as kate moved across northern cuba , it produced strong winds that peaked at 75 mph ( 120 km / h ) in sagua la grande . wind gusts peaked at 104 mph ( 167 km / h ) in varadero , and winds in the capital of havana reached 70 mph ( 110 km / h ) . in havana , high winds caused power outages and destroyed buildings . waves of 9 feet ( 2 . 7 m ) affected the city 's waterfront . outside of havana , the hurricane damaged sugar mills and much of the sugar cane crop ; throughout the island , the winds destroyed 3 , 653 ( 9461 km2 ) of sugar cane and 34 , 000 tonnes ( 37 , 000 tons ) of sugar . the storm also destroyed 141 , 000 tonnes ( 139 , 000 long tons ; 155 , 000 short tons ) of bananas and 87 , 078 tonnes ( 85 , 703 long tons ; 95 , 987 short tons ) of other fruits and vegetables . across the island , kate damaged 88 , 207 houses and destroyed 4 , 382 others , affecting 476 , 891 people . many public buildings , including schools , were damaged . throughout the country , kate killed 10 people and injured about 50 people . damage was estimated at $ 400 million , which was the highest total from all landfalling hurricanes from 1903 to 1998 , unadjusted for inflation . florida as kate passed to the southwest of key west , the storm produced winds of 47 mph ( 76 km / h ) there , with unofficial wind gusts of 104 mph ( 167 km / h ) . rainfall totals in southwest florida were generally around 1 in ( 25 mm ) , although key west reported 2 . 08 in ( 53 mm ) of precipitation . high winds downed trees and power lines , leaving areas between key west and big pine key without power . electrical outages contributed to a mobile home being destroyed by fire , and one person died through electrocution . above - normal tides caused minor flooding and erosion along the florida keys . two people died after their boat capsized in the lower keys . kate was the first hurricane to make landfall in the florida panhandle since hurricane eloise in 1975 . in the region , the hurricane dropped heavy rainfall along its path , peaking at 8 . 32 in ( 211 mm ) in panama city . while kate moved ashore , it produced an 11 feet ( 3 . 4 m ) storm surge at cape san blas , causing beach and dune erosion in gulf county . storm surge flooding left 150 houses uninhabitable in wakulla county . the hurricane damaged a bridge to st. george island that had been rebuilt after hurricane elena , and large portions of u.s. routes 90 and 98 were washed out or damaged . just two months after elena ravaged the apalachicola bay shellfish harvesting industry , hurricane kate destroyed remaining oyster beds , leaving many oystermen in the area without jobs . strong winds buffeted the florida panhandle , accompanied by one tornado and several funnel clouds . in panama city , wind gusts reached 78 mph ( 126 km / h ) , damaging two houses , a motel , and a fishing pier . the winds were strong enough to remove the roof of a two - story federal building . sustained winds blew 74 mph ( 119 km / h ) at cape san blas , with gusts up to 108 mph ( 174 km / h ) . across the area , kate severely damaged 242 buildings , mostly in franklin county , where the storm ranked as the most devastating of the late 1900s . the storm compromised about 5 . 4 mi ( 8 . 7 km ) of roads in the county , and throughout the region many roads were washed out . the intense winds brought down numerous trees , some of them onto adjacent structures . one fallen tree struck a car , killing one person and injuring another . the winds also downed power poles and lines . about 90 percent of florida 's capital city tallahassee , or about 80 , 000 people , lost power , and along the coast from panama city to apalachicola , the storm left about 30 , 000 homes and businesses without electricity . overall , the hurricane destroyed 325 homes along the panhandle , and about 500 buildings were severely damaged . elsewhere light rainfall of around 1 in ( 25 mm ) from the hurricane extended into southeastern alabama . rainfall was much heavier in georgia , peaking at 7 . 73 in ( 196 mm ) in bainbridge . portions of southwestern georgia experienced heavy damage from flash flooding and winds , and several secondary roads were washed out . gusts of 80 mph ( 130 km / h ) downed thousands of trees , and one fallen tree killed a man west of thomasville . the cotton , soybean , and pecan crops suffered heavy losses , estimated at around $ 50 million . property and utility damage was also assessed at $ 50 million , and damage from flash flooding was estimated at $ 1 million . there were scattered power outages in southern georgia , affecting fewer than 3 , 000 customers by georgia power company 's estimation . while kate was moving across southeastern georgia , it produced a 62 mph ( 100 km / h ) wind gust in savannah . the city also reported 1 . 73 in ( 44 mm ) of rainfall . further northeast , charleston , south carolina reported a wind gust of 50 mph ( 80 km / h ) . the highest rainfall total in the state was 6 . 56 in ( 167 mm ) in hampton . the rains caused flash flooding that washed out secondary roads and a bridge . the storm knocked tree limbs onto power lines , which left about 48 , 000 people without power . in beaufort , trees fell onto four cars and a mobile home , and high waves sunk a boat . in wilmington , north carolina , the storm dropped 1 . 99 in ( 51 mm ) of precipitation . rains across the state caused generally minor flooding , although several cars were swept off roadways . rising floodwaters prompted the evacuation of a nursing home in . rainfall extended northward into virginia . damage throughout the united states was estimated at $ 300 million . as an extratropical cyclone , kate moved north of bermuda and produced wind gusts of 26 mph ( 42 km / h ) on the island . aftermath in the month after hurricane kate struck the island , the government of cuba issued a request to the united nations ( un ) world food council for international assistance . in response , various un member nations collectively provided $ 60 , 000 for pesticides ; $ 250 , 000 for herbicides , fungicides , and potato seeds ; and $ 1 . 381 million in cooking oils and beans to fulfill the dietary needs of over 475 , 000 people for 60 days . the soviet union also donated about $ 15 million worth of rice and wheat flour . hurricane kate delayed a runoff mayoral election in key west by two weeks . shortly after the storm , the police departments of both leon and jackson counties ordered a nightly curfew . two disaster relief centers were opened in franklin county , one in apalachicola and the other in eastpoint . on december 3 , 1985 , then - president of the united states ronald reagan declared seven florida counties as disaster areas , making them eligible to receive federal aid . due to the widespread power outages along the florida panhandle , electrical companies enlisted extra workers to repair downed lines . officials had put a curfew in place for tallahassee due to power outages created by the hurricane , and the curfew was lifted on november 24 after power was gradually restored and roads were cleared of debris . police officers in the city arrested 20 people for violating curfew or creating unrest . some sections of coastline already suffering from severe erosion lost additional swaths of beach to a 10 - foot ( 3 m ) storm surge and strong waves . many fishermen before and after the storm encountered diminished fish catches after the hurricane .