Remembering Opal (1995)

Media coverage at the National Hurricane Center in Miami in usually intense during any landfalling United States hurricane.

But on this night in 1995, the verdict in the O.J. Simpson trial was grabbing the headlines and there were no representatives of the media at the Hurricane Center.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Opal was gathering strength in the Gulf of Mexico and making her final move to the coast. Evacuations were ordered during the evening in the Florida Panhandle, but some of the evacuation notices came after people had already retired for the evening.

Then, during the overnight hours, Opal strengthened dramatically to near Category 5 status on the morning of the 4th and nearly doubled its forward speed toward the coast.

This created a worst case scenario for National Hurricane Center forecasters: a rapidly intensifying, potentially catastrophic hurricane approaching the Gulf Coast and a lack of media to get the word out.

Fortunately, Opal would weaken before making landfall the following afternoon and disaster was averted.

Category: Met 101/Weather History, Tropical