Knock on wood, Manatee

Hurricane Frances, 2004

Knock on wood, but Manatee County has escaped most hurricane seasons relatively unscathed

According to a hurricane evacuation study by the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, eight tropical storms or hurricanes have impacted Manatee by either tides or winds:

1921: Tropical Storm Five created Longboat Key Pass.

1946: Hurricane Five made landfall near Bradenton as a Category 1 storm.

1950: Hurricane Easy passed to the west in the Gulf, raising tides 6 to 8 feet from Clearwater to Sarasota.

1960: The remnants of Hurricane Donna passed to the east and deluged the area with rain.

2001: Tropical Storm Gabrielle’s center made landfall at Venice and soaked Manatee. Parrish got the worst of it — 15.1 inches of rain.

2004: Some winds from hurricanes Charley, Francis and Jeanne all affected the area.

 

Hurricane season begins June 1.