what category was hurricane charley when it hit florida
4 Category 4 Category 4
title: Hurricane Charley text: Hurricane Charley Hurricane Charley was the first of four individual hurricanes to impact or strike Florida during 2004, along with Frances, Ivan and Jeanne, as well as one of the strongest hurricanes ever to strike the United States. It was the third named storm, the second hurricane, and the second major hurricane of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season. Charley lasted from August 9 to 15, and at its peak intensity it attained winds, making it a strong Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. It made landfall in Southwest Florida at maximum strength, making it the strongest hurricane to title: Hurricane Charley text: hit the United States since Hurricane Andrew struck Florida in 1992 and the strongest hurricane to hit southwest Florida since Hurricane Donna in 1960. After moving slowly through the Caribbean Sea, Charley crossed Cuba on Friday, August 13 as a Category 3 hurricane, causing heavy damage and four deaths. That same day, it crossed over the Dry Tortugas, just 22 hours after Tropical Storm Bonnie had struck northwestern Florida. It was the first time in history that two tropical cyclones struck the same state in a 24-hour period. At its peak intensity of , Hurricane Charley struck the northern tip title: Hurricane Charley text: were set up. FEMA opened four disaster recovery centers. Because of its effects in the United States, the name Charley was retired from the rotating lists of tropical cyclone names in the spring of 2005 by the World Meteorological Organization. As a result, the name will never again be used for a North Atlantic hurricane. The name was replaced with Colin for the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. Hurricane Charley Hurricane Charley was the first of four individual hurricanes to impact or strike Florida during 2004, along with Frances, Ivan and Jeanne, as well as one of the strongest hurricanes ever title: Hurricane Charley text: Costa, Florida as a Category 4 hurricane with a pressure of 941 mbar (hPa; 27.79 inHg) at approximately 1945 UTC on August 13. An hour later, the hurricane struck Punta Gorda as a storm and then passed up through Port Charlotte. However, the eye had shrunk before landfall, limiting the most powerful winds to an area within of the center. Charley weakened considerably due to its passage over land, but still retained sustained winds of about as it passed directly over Orlando between 0020 and 0140 UTC August 14; gusts of up to were recorded at Orlando International Airport. It title: Hurricane Charley text: and rounded the southwest portion of the subtropical ridge, becoming a major hurricane—a storm classified as a Category 3 hurricane or higher—just before making landfall on southern Cuba. Charley came ashore near Punta Cayamas with maximum sustained winds of and gusts of up to , at about 0430 UTC on August 13. It weakened while crossing the island, passing about west of downtown Havana before weakening to . After crossing Cuba near Menelao Mora, Hurricane Charley accelerated to the north-northeast, toward the southwest coast of Florida in response to the approach of an unseasonal mid-tropospheric trough. Charley passed over the