1903 Florida hurricane

The 1903 Florida hurricane, also known as the Inchulva hurricane, was a moderate Atlantic hurricane that caused extensive wind and flood damage in peninsular Florida and over the adjourning Southeastern United States in early to mid September 1903. The third tropical cyclone and third hurricane of the season, this storm was first observed near the Turks and Caicos Islands early on September 9. Moving northwestward, it became a hurricane the next day and passed near Nassau, The Bahamas. The cyclone then turned to the west-northwest on September 11 and passed just north of Bimini. As it crossed the Bahamas, the cyclone produced rainbands with hurricane-force winds and downpours, moderately damaging crops and buildings but inflicting no deaths over the island chain.

The cyclone then struck near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, causing severe wind damage across the Gold Coast, although most losses were to crops such as sugarcane. The steamship Inchulva capsized near Delray Beach, drowning nine crew members. The cyclone weakened to a tropical storm while crossing Florida, but re-intensified into a hurricane over the Gulf of Mexico on September 13. Hours later the storm made landfall near present-day Panama City, Florida. In Northwest Florida, Alabama, and Georgia, the cyclone produced widespread rainfall, causing some crop damage. Additionally, a storm surge caused boats to be blown ashore in the Florida panhandle. In all, the storm killed 14 people in Florida and produced $500,000 in damage. After falling to tropical storm intensity early on September 14, the storm weakened to a tropical depression on September 16, several hours before dissipating over South Carolina.