 = 1933 Treasure Coast hurricane = 
 
 The 1933 Treasure Coast hurricane was the second @-@ most intense tropical cyclone to strike the United States during the active 1933 Atlantic hurricane season . The eleventh tropical storm , fifth hurricane , and the third major hurricane of the season , it formed east @-@ northeast of the Leeward Islands on August 31 . The tropical storm moved rapidly west @-@ northwestward , steadily intensifying to a hurricane . It acquired peak winds of 140 miles per hour ( 225 km / h ) and passed over portions of the Bahamas on September 3 , including Eleuthera and Harbour Island , causing severe damage to crops , buildings , and infrastructure . Winds over 100 mph ( 161 km / h ) affected many islands in its path , especially those that encountered its center , and many wharves were ruined . 
 Subsequently , it weakened and made landfall at Jupiter , Florida , early on September 4 with winds of 125 mph ( 201 km / h ) . The hurricane moved across the state , passing near Tampa before moving into Georgia and dissipating . In Florida , the strong winds of the cyclone blew buildings off their foundations , and numerous trees were prostrated in citrus groves . The Treasure Coast region received the most extensive destruction , and Stuart , Jupiter , and Fort Pierce were heavily damaged . Inland , the cyclone weakened rapidly but produced prodigious amounts of rain , causing a dam to collapse near Tampa . The storm caused $ 3 million in damage ( 1933 USD ) after damaging or destroying 6 @,@ 848 homes . 
 Unusually , the storm hit Florida less than 24 hours before another major hurricane bearing 125 @-@ mile @-@ per @-@ hour ( 201 km / h ) winds struck South Texas ; never have two major cyclones hit the United States in such close succession . 
 
 = = Meteorological history = = 
 
 The origins of the hurricane were from a tropical wave that possibly spawned a tropical depression on August 27 , although there was minimal data over the next few days as it tracked to the west @-@ northwest . On August 31 , a nearby ship reported gale force winds , which indicated that a tropical storm had developed to the east @-@ northeast of the Lesser Antilles . Based on continuity , it is estimated the storm attained hurricane status later that day . Moving quickly to the west @-@ northwest , the storm passed north of the Lesser Antilles and Puerto Rico . Early on September 2 , a ship called the Gulfwing reported a barometric pressure of 978 mbar ( 28 @.@ 88 inHg ) , which confirmed that the storm attained hurricane status . After passing north of the Turks and Caicos islands , the hurricane struck Eleuthera and Harbour Island in the Bahamas on September 3 , the latter at 1100 UTC . A station on the latter island reported a pressure of 27 @.@ 90 inHg ( 945 mb ) during the 30 minute passage of the eye . Based on the pressure and the small size of the storm , it is estimated the hurricane struck Harbour Island with peak winds of 140 mph ( 225 km / h ) , making it the equivalent of a modern Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir @-@ Simpson scale . Interpolation suggested that the storm reached major hurricane status , or Category 3 status , on September 2 . 
 The hurricane initially followed the course of another hurricane that passed through the area in late August , which ultimately struck Cuba and Texas . This hurricane instead maintained a general west @-@ northwest track . After moving through the northern Bahamas , the hurricane weakened slightly before making landfall at Jupiter , Florida , at 0500 UTC on September 4 . A station there reported a pressure of 27 @.@ 98 inHg ( 948 mb ) during a 40 minute period of the eye 's passage ; this suggested a landfall strength of 125 mph ( 201 km / h ) . At the time , the radius of maximum winds was 15 mi ( 24 km ) , which was smaller than average . After landfall , the hurricane weakened rapidly while crossing the state . It briefly emerged into the Gulf of Mexico as a tropical storm early on September 5 . A few hours later while continuing to the northwest , it made another landfall near Rosewood — a ghost town in Levy County , east of Cedar Key — with winds of about 65 mph ( 105 km / h ) . Turning to the north , the storm slowly weakened as it crossed into Georgia , dissipating on September 7 near Augusta . 
 
 = = Preparations and impact = = 
 
 On September 2 , a fleet of eight aircraft evacuated all white residents from West End , Grand Bahama , to Daytona Beach , Florida . While the storm was near peak intensity on September 3 , the Weather Bureau issued hurricane warnings from Miami to Melbourne , Florida , with storm warnings extending northward to Jacksonville . Later that day , storm warnings , were issued from Key West to Cedar Key . About 2 @,@ 500 people evacuated by train from areas around Lake Okeechobee . By evening on September 3 , high tides sent sea spray over coastal seawalls in Palm Beach County as residents boarded up buildings ; structures on Clematis Street in West Palm Beach were said to be a " solid front " of plywood . Along the coast , observers reported very rough seas as the eye neared land . 
 The powerful hurricane moved over or near several islands in the Bahamas . Winds on Spanish Wells and Harbour Island were both estimated at around 140 mph ( 225 km / h ) . Winds reached 110 mph ( 177 km / h ) at Governor 's Harbour , 100 mph ( 161 km / h ) on Eleuthera , and 120 mph ( 193 km / h ) on the Abaco Islands . The storm was farther away from Nassau , where winds reached 61 mph ( 98 km / h ) . The hurricane damaged a lumber mill on Abaco , washing away a dock . Heavy damage occurred on Harbour Island , including to several roofs , the walls of government buildings , and the water system . The hurricane destroyed four churches and 37 houses , leaving 100 people homeless . A 1 @.@ 5 mi ( 2 @.@ 4 km ) road on Eleuthera was destroyed . Several islands sustained damage to farms , including the total loss of various fruit trees on Russell Island . Despite Category 4 winds on Spanish Wells , only five houses were destroyed , although most of the remaining dwellings lost their roofs . Collectively between North Point , James Cistern , and Gregory Town on Eleuthera , the storm destroyed 55 houses and damaged many others . On Grand Bahama , where a 9 to 12 ft ( 2 @.@ 7 to 3 @.@ 7 m ) storm surge was reported , half of the houses were destroyed , as were 13 boats and two planes , and most docks were wrecked . 
 When the storm moved ashore in Florida , winds reached an estimated 125 mph ( 201 km / h ) in Jupiter ; these occurred after the eye passed . In West Palm Beach , anemometers measured at least 80 @-@ mile @-@ per @-@ hour ( 129 km / h ) winds with gusts to 100 mph ( 161 km / h ) ; barometers ranged from 28 @.@ 64 to 28 @.@ 78 inHg ( 970 to 975 mb ) . The storm produced the strongest winds in the city since the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane . Winds were not as strong farther from the center ; 40 to 45 mph ( 64 to 72 km / h ) winds were observed in Miami to the south , Titusville to the north , and Tampa on the west coast . Fort Pierce estimated peak winds of 80 to 90 mph ( 129 to 145 km / h ) , and pressures dipped to 29 @.@ 14 inHg ( 987 mb ) . Inland , winds near Lake Okeechobee peaked at only 60 mph ( 97 km / h ) . The hurricane dropped heavy rainfall along its path , peaking at 17 @.@ 8 in ( 450 mm ) in Clermont . 
 At West Palm Beach , the majority of the damage was confined to vegetation . Several coconut and royal palms that withstood the 1928 hurricane snapped , littering streets with broken trunks . Winds downed road signs on many streets , and floodwaters covered the greens on a local golf course . Some garages and isolated structures , mostly lightweight , were partly or totally destroyed , along with a lumber warehouse . Some homes that lost roofing shingles had water damage to their interiors as well . Nearby Lake Worth sustained extensive breakage of windows , including plate glass , and loss of tile and shingle roofing , but preparations reduced losses to just several thousand dollars , and no post @-@ storm accidents took place . Strong winds snapped many light poles in the city , and trees and shrubs were broken or uprooted . As in Lake Worth , officials in West Palm Beach credited preparations and stringent building codes with reducing overall damage . The city had learned from previous experience with severe storms in 1926 , 1928 , and 1929 . High tides eroded Ocean Boulevard at several spots and disrupted access to several bridges on the Lake Worth Lagoon . Winter estates and hotels on Palm Beach generally sustained little material damage , except to vegetation , and county properties went largely unscathed . 
 In Martin and St. Lucie counties , the storm was considered among the worst on record . The storm leveled some homes and swept many others off their foundations . At Stuart , winds removed or badly damaged 75 % of the roofs in town . The storm destroyed the third floor of the building that housed a bowling alley and the Stuart News , a local newspaper . At Olympia , an abandoned settlement also known as Olympia Beach , strong winds leveled the old Olympia Inn , a gas station , and the second floor of a pharmaceutical building . Winds also tore the roof off an ice plant . A bridge leading to the barrier island from Olympia was partly wrecked ; the bridge tender survived by gripping the railing during the storm . Winds leveled his nearby home . According to the Monthly Weather Review , some of the most severe damage from the storm in Florida was at Olympia . The storm left many homes in Hobe Sound uninhabitable , forcing crews to tear them down . Winter estates on the island , however , were better built and little damaged . While Stuart and Hobe Sound sustained significant damage , Port Salerno suffered minimally . In Stuart , the storm left 400 to 500 people homeless , up to nearly 10 % of the population , which was 5 @,@ 100 at the time . Between Jupiter and Fort Pierce , the storm knocked down power and telegraph lines . In the latter city , high waves washed out a portion of the causeway . In the 1980s , an elderly resident recalled that the storm was the most severe on record in Fort Pierce . 
 Crop damage was worst along the Indian River Lagoon ; several farms in Stuart experienced total losses , and statewide , 16 % of the citrus crop , or 4 million boxes , were destroyed . Many chicken coops in Stuart were destroyed , and the local chicken population was scattered and dispersed as far as Indiantown . Across southeastern Florida , the hurricane damaged 6 @,@ 465 houses and destroyed another 383 , causing over $ 3 million in damage . One person , an African American farm worker , was killed when his shack blew down in Gomez , a brakeman died after seven railcars derailed , and a child was killed by airborne debris . 
 High rainfall caused flooding across Florida , notably near Tampa where waters reached 9 ft ( 2 @.@ 7 m ) deep . High rainfall of over 7 in ( 180 mm ) caused a dam operated by Tampa Electric Co. to break 3 mi ( 4 @.@ 8 km ) northeast of Tampa along the Hillsborough River . The break resulted in severe local damage , flooding portions of Sulphur Springs . Workers attempted to save the dam with sandbags , and after the break , most residents in the area were warned of the approaching flood . Over 50 homes were flooded , forcing about 150 people to evacuate . Outside Florida , the storm produced winds of 48 and 51 mph ( 78 and 81 km / h ) in Savannah , Georgia and Charleston , South Carolina , respectively . In the latter city , the storm spawned a tornado , which caused about $ 10 @,@ 000 in property damage . Heavy rainfall occurred along the Georgia and South Carolina coasts , reaching over 12 in ( 300 mm ) . Light rainfall also extended into North Carolina . 
 
 = = Aftermath = = 
 
 In the Bahamas after the storm , a boat sailed from Nassau to deliver food and building materials to Eleuthera . 
 After the storm , the National Guard offered shelters for at least 400 homeless residents in Stuart . Of the 7 @,@ 900 families adversely affected by the hurricane , 4 @,@ 325 required assistance from the American Red Cross . Farmers in Texas , also affected by a major hurricane , requested growers in Florida wait 15 days so they could sell their citrus crop that fell . The damaged dam near Tampa initially resulted in waters from the Hillsborough River being pumped into the city 's water treatment plant , and a new dam was eventually built in 1944 . 
 
 