Savannah’s storm history: A look back at a century of (mostly) near misses from hurricanes

Two days ago, Hurricane Ian was projected to hit Savannah head on, albeit at tropical storm strength. Now, after devastating a swath of Florida, Tropical Storm Ian is tracking to Savannah’s east and is likely to spare the area from the damaging winds and much of the heavy storm surge that make locals so uneasy about hurricane season.

Ian is set to become the latest in a string of storms over the last century to threaten but not strike Savannah. Prior to Hurricane Matthew’s glancing blow in 2016, Savannah even had a hurricane-related nickname: Dodge City, as in a city with a reputation for dodging storms.

Here’s a look at Savannah’s stormy history.

Tropical storm vs. hurricane:Know the differences and what Savannah can expect from Ian

Tropical Storm Ian:Georgia's seasonal high tides will cause flooding as storm comes ashore

Ian

Year: 2022

Intensity: Tropical storm with winds of 65 mph (projected)

Evacuation: No

What to know: Ian made landfall near Fort Myers, Florida, as a Category 4 storm and moved northeast across the state and into the Atlantic Ocean. Ian passed well east of Savannah as a Category 1 hurricane, causing some coastal flooding.

Dorian

Year: 2019

Intensity: Tropical storm force winds

Evacuation: Yes

What to know: Dorian devastated several islands of the Bahamas as a Category 5 storm but remained offshore as it moved north along Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. The storm made landfall in North Carolina. Gov. Brian Kemp ordered an evacuation for six coastal counties, including Chatham.

Irma

Year: 2017

Intensity: Category 1 hurricane

Evacuation: Yes

What to know:Irma was projected to pose a catastrophic threat to Savannah as it swept through the Caribbean. However, weather conditions push the track south and the storm didn’t turn north until reaching the Gulf of Mexico. Irma came ashore in western Florida and caused devastating damage to crops and farmland in Southwest Georgia. Low-lying areas of Savannah, particularly on Tybee Island, experienced flooding, as the strongest winds struck at high tide.

Matthew

Year: 2016

Intensity: Category 1 hurricane

Evacuation: Yes

What to know: Matthew hugged the East Coast as it swept north out of the Caribbean. The storm passed 30 miles off the coast of Tybee as a Category 1 hurricane and winds took down thousands of trees and knocked out power to 140,000 homes in Chatham County. Neighborhoods on Tybee, marshside islands such as Wilmington and other low-lying parts of Savannah experienced flooding. Chatham County spent $22 million to clean up 1.2 million cubic yards of tree limbs, trunks and leaves following the storm.

Hermine

Year: 2016

Intensity: Tropical storm with winds of 63 mph

Evacuation: No

What to know: The system brought 3 to 4 inches of rain with maximum sustained winds near 50 mph, and high tide reached 8.5 feet Friday. At least 25,000 Georgia Power customers lost electricity.

Irene

Year: 1999

Intensity: Tropical depression with winds between 20 mph and 30 mph

Evacuation: No

What to know: Hurricane Irene mirrored Ian’s track, moving north from the Caribbean Sea and cutting a west to east path across Florida and into the Atlantic Ocean. The storm passed well offshore of Savannah.

Floyd

Year: 1999

Intensity: Category 2 hurricane

Evacuation: Yes

What to know: Floyd was an abnormally large storm, measuring 580 miles in diameter as it approached the East Coast. The hurricane’s size prompted the largest evacuation of a coastal area in American history, with 2 million people from six states fleeing ahead of the storm. Floyd swept past Georgia well offshore, delivering only tropical storm force winds to Savannah. The winds and rain left more than 55,000 without power and streets littered with downed tree limbs and leaves. There was little coastal flooding due to storm surge.

Hugo

Year: 1989

Intensity: Tropical storm

Evacuation: No

What to know:Hugo was a monster storm that devastated a historic coastal city - not Savannah, but Charleston. The storm was a Category 4 when it made landfall and remained at Category 1 strength when it reached Charlotte, 200 miles inland. Hugo brought heavy rain to Coastal Georgia and is often associated locally with a memorable football game between Georgia Southern and Middle Tennessee State in Statesboro. Nine inches of rain fell during the 26-0 Eagles’ victory.

Bob

Year: 1985

Intensity: Category 1 hurricane

Evacuation: No

What to know: Another storm that swung wide of Savannah, Bob came ashore north of Beaufort, South Carolina.

David

Year: 1979

Intensity: Category 1 hurricane

Evacuation: No

What to know: The last storm to deliver a direct hit to Savannah brought 90-mph winds that wreaked havoc on trees and electricity lines causing widespread power outages. At the height of the outage, about 75,000 of the company then known as Savannah Electric’s 88,000 customers were without power. Many homes and businesses were without power for more than a week.

Gracie

Year: 1959

Intensity: Tropical storm

Evacuation: No

What to know: Grace made landfall north of Savannah and lashed Charleston in what at the time was labeled “the most intense” storm the area had seen in decades.

Able

Year: 1952

Intensity: Category 1 hurricane

Evacuation: No

What to know: Able slipped past Savannah and came ashore north of Beaufort.

Unnamed

Year: 1947

Intensity: Category 1 hurricane

What to know: The last storm to come ashore in Georgia prior to David in 1979, this hurricane is said to have struck twice as it moved due west and inland instead of north and into South Carolina. According to reports, government officials cloud seeded the storm by dropping dry ice into the hurricane from a B-17 bomber, which some suspect contributed to the storm’s hard turn to the west prior to striking Savannah.

Unnamed

Year: 1940

Intensity: Category 1 hurricane

What to know: This hurricane caused extensive property damage in Savannah. Photos taken after the event show collapsed structures and rubble in the downtown streets as well as flooding elsewhere. According to reports, the damage estimate was $1 million in 1940 dollars - or the equivalent of $21 million today.

Unnamed

Year: 1927

Intensity: Tropical storm

What to know: Little information is recorded about the storm other than wind speeds topped 70 mph.