Meteorological history of Hurricane Andrew
In 2002, the "Atlantic Basin Hurricane Database Reanalysis Project" examined Hurricane Andrew and this corridor of extreme winds embedded within Andrew's northern eyewall. The project concluded that Category 5 conditions on land occurred only in a small region of southern Dade (now Miami-Dade) County, specifically close to the coast in Cutler Ridge. The remaining areas affected by Andrew's initial landfall in Florida likely experienced sustained Category 4 and 3 hurricane conditions. Andrew was officially re-classified as a Category 5 storm in 2004, and the reanalysis provided a more comprehensive and detailed examination of Andrew's wind field structure upon landfall than originally assessed in 1992.
September 1948 Florida hurricane
The hurricane restrengthened slightly on September 21, before making landfall near Boca Chica Key, Florida at 17:00 UTC, with sustained winds of 120 mph (195 km/h). Around that time, the storm's eye was only in diameter. However, it deepened further and became a Category 4 hurricane early on September 22. At 05:00 UTC, the system attained its peak intensity with a maximum sustained wind speed of 130 mph (215 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of . Simultaneously, it struck near Chokoloskee, Florida. Due to the storm's barometric pressure at the time, it was the most intense tropical cyclone landfall in Florida since the 1935 Labor Day hurricane. Several locations reported an "eye", leading some meteorologists at the time to suggest that the storm had multiple circulations, though others theorized that dry air pockets existed between the rainbands. The hurricane rapidly weakened while moving northeastward across the state and was only a Category 1 hurricane upon emerging into the Atlantic Ocean near Jensen Beach late on September 22. Slight re-intensification occurred the following day, with the storm becoming a moderate Category 2 hurricane by 12:00 UTC. Nonetheless, it began losing tropical characteristics and transitioning into an extratropical cyclone early on September 24, while located about northwest of Bermuda. The remnants accelerated to the east-northeastward and continued to weaken, before dissipating hundreds of miles east of Newfoundland on September 26.