Hurricane Andrew's assault on South Florida began 31 years ago tonight
In 1992, August 23 was a Sunday. The weather in South Florida was beautiful all day. Preparations were in high gear. By mid-evening, the interstate was mostly empty. Most people were in the place where they'd decided to ride out the storm.
How Bryan Norcross became Florida's hero during Hurricane Andrew
FOX Weather hurricane specialist Bryan Norcross explains his role in keeping people safe and informed as Hurricane Andrew bore down on South Florida in August 1992.
Even 31 years later after Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida, it's hard to imagine how ferocious the winds were that early morning of Aug. 24, 1992, when plywood and 2x4s flew into palm trees and cars flipped over inside their garage.
It's hard to imagine. But it happened 31 years ago tonight.
In 1992, August 23 was a Sunday. The weather in South Florida was beautiful all day. Preparations were in high gear. By mid-evening, the interstate was mostly empty. Most people were in the place where they'd decided to ride out the storm.
A photo showing a piece of plywood through a palm tree after Hurricane Andrew in South Florida in 1992.
(Bryan Norcross / FOX Weather)
A significant storm hadn't hit South Florida in 27 years, and the Miami/Fort Lauderdale metropolitan area had grown dramatically in that time. There was tense anticipation. People thought they were prepared. But nobody had imagined what was to come.
At midnight, Andrew's first outer band reached the coast with gusty winds and passing squalls. Then there were gaps when it seemed to stop and start. But on the radar, Andrew was drawing energy from the Gulf Stream and intensifying before our eyes.
A photo showing a large piece of wood that was blown through the middle of a palm tree during Hurricane Andrew in South Florida in 1992.
(Bryan Norcross / FOX Weather)
At about 2 a.m., I could see that southern Dade County was going to face a worst-case scenario. We had talked for the previous two days about everything we could think of to help people get ready, but it was clear that more was needed. I sat in on the news set wracking my brain to think of what people could do in their homes to give themselves an edge.
I remembered a book I had read written by a guy named L.F. Reardon. He and his family rode out the Great Miami Hurricane of 1926 in their home in Coral Gables. Out of desperation, he used a mattress for protection. It was a great idea.
A photo showing flipped cars after Hurricane Andrew's wrath in South Florida in 1992.
(Bryan Norcross / FOX Weather)
I told people that Andrew was going to be scarier than anything they could imagine, and they should get a mattress off the bed and have it ready. If it came to it, they could get in a closet, small bathroom, or protected hallway, get under the mattress and "ride this thing out." It was the smartest thing I have ever said in my life.
I've heard from hundreds of people who put the mattress on top of the bathtub or over a safe space in a hallway corner. In the end, it was the mattress that gave them protection when their houses came apart.
For anyone who went through, they'll never forget what happened… 31 years ago tonight.