Hurricane Charley (2004)

Basin

North Atlantic

Dates

August 9, 2004 to August 15, 2004

Peak strength

Category 4, 130 kt (150 mph)

Lowest pressure

941 mb (27.79 inHg)

Landfall

Yes

Accumulated cyclone energy

10.6

Tropical-storm-force wind reached

100 nmi (185 km, 115 mi) from the center at its widest

Hurricane-force wind reached

50 nmi (93 km, 58 mi) from the center at its widest

Eyewall radius at its peak

5 nmi (9 km, 6 mi)

Overall size

100 nmi (185 km, 115 mi) to the outermost closed isobar

Peak gust in the best track

155 kt (178 mph)

Fastest the center moved

30 kt (35 mph)

Identifier

AL032004

Radar at KLTX as it neared land, Aug 14, 16:00 UTC

The sources count different things and are not added together.

Landfall points the US agencies flagged in the best track. The nearest town is named from the site’s gazetteer, not from the report.

NOAA’s Storm Events database, the record National Weather Service offices compile months after a storm, as compiled March 2026.

Deaths

15 (15 direct, 0 indirect)

Injuries

799

Property damage

$7.8 billion

Crop damage

$465 million

Events recorded

92 in 25 reports from 6 states and marine areas

State by state

What was recorded

39 hurricane (typhoon), 18 tornado, 11 tropical storm, 8 flash flood, 6 high wind, 5 thunderstorm wind, 2 marine thunderstorm wind, 1 waterspout, 1 funnel cloud, 1 storm surge/tide.

18 tornadoes and 1 waterspout recorded in the United States, strongest first.

The Weather Prediction Center attributes 1,098 rain gauge totals over the contiguous United States to this storm. The wettest reached 9.88 inches (251 mm).

WPC’s storm rainfall file, 1900 to 2020, compiled by David Roth.

The strongest winds National Weather Service offices recorded with this storm. An estimated figure is a forecaster’s judgment from the damage, not an instrument reading.

From the Storm Events narratives, unedited.

Hurricane Charley created tropical storm force winds that brushed the far eastern part of the county with a wind gust of 61 mph recorded in Plant City. Damage was light and was limited to Plant City and areas to the south. The damage included downed trees and branches, sporadic power outages due to downed lines, and homes with fascia ripped off. Protective measures by the county before the storm totaled $425,000. The estimated damage was calculated by doubling the insured losses. The doubling accounted for uninsured losses and damage to the public infrastructure.

Hillsborough, Florida · Tropical Storm · Aug 13, 21:00 UTC

As Hurricane Charley moved across Volusia County the rainbands south of the eyewall swept across northern Brevard County. Strong tropical storm force winds swept the area with possible gust to near hurricane strength. Patrick Air Force Base reported wind gusts to 43 knots (50 mph). A Cape Canaveral NASA tower (elevated wind) reported a gust to 75 knots (86 mph). A Brevard County fire station in Port St. John reported a wind gust of 68 knots (77 mph). Damage in Brevard County was limited to power outages and a few trees down, with some damage to roofs and mobile homes north of Titusville. A Brevard County man was electrocuted and fell from a power pole as he attemted to restore power to his house on August 18th. He died in Orlando on August 23rd. Total damage estimate for the county was just under $1 million.

Brevard, Florida · Tropical Storm · Aug 14, 02:00 UTC

Radar estimated around 4 inches of rain fell in around 2 hours in the northern part of the county in association with Hurricane Charley. Flooding of low lying areas and poor drainage areas occurred.

Charleston, South Carolina · Flash Flood · Aug 14, 12:00 UTC

A weak tornado associated with the circulation from Hurricane Charley snapped trees along a 3 mile path through the Francis Marion National Forest. The tornado moved into northern Charleston county before dissipating. Also, the tornado was not on the ground the whole time.

Berkeley, South Carolina · Tornado · Aug 14, 14:05 UTC

• Hurricane AlexNorth Atlantic · 2004Cat 3105 kt · 957 mb
• Tropical Storm BonnieNorth Atlantic · 2004Tropical Storm55 kt · 1001 mb
• Hurricane DanielleNorth Atlantic · 2004Cat 295 kt · 964 mb
• Tropical Storm EarlNorth Atlantic · 2004Tropical Storm45 kt · 1009 mb
• Hurricane FrancesNorth Atlantic · 2004Cat 4125 kt · 935 mb
• Hurricane GastonNorth Atlantic · 2004Cat 165 kt · 985 mb
• Tropical Storm HermineNorth Atlantic · 2004Tropical Storm50 kt · 1002 mb
• Hurricane IvanNorth Atlantic · 2004Cat 5145 kt · 910 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionNorth Atlantic · 2004Tropical Depression30 kt · 1009 mb
• Hurricane JeanneNorth Atlantic · 2004Cat 3105 kt · 950 mb
• Hurricane KarlNorth Atlantic · 2004Cat 4125 kt · 938 mb
• Hurricane LisaNorth Atlantic · 2004Cat 165 kt · 987 mb
• Tropical Storm MatthewNorth Atlantic · 2004Tropical Storm40 kt · 997 mb
• Tropical Storm NicoleNorth Atlantic · 2004Tropical Storm45 kt · 986 mb
• Tropical Storm OttoNorth Atlantic · 2004Tropical Storm45 kt · 995 mb

A best track is the record a warning agency settles on after the storm, not what it said at the time: position, maximum sustained wind and central pressure every six hours, revised against every observation that came in later. Category is the Saffir-Simpson scale, which runs from Category 1 at 64 kt to Category 5 at 137 kt and reads wind only, so it says nothing about surge or rain. Accumulated cyclone energy adds up the square of the wind through the storm's life, so it counts strength and duration together.

Storm history from NOAA NCEI’s International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS), which merges the official best track of every warning agency. Live storms, cones, watches and warnings from the National Hurricane Center and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Archived radar from NOAA’s Level II archive.

• Tropical cyclone report, National Hurricane Center
• Every advisory and discussion NHC issued while it was live
• Wikipedia article: Hurricane Charley