The eighth storm and fifth hurricane of the season, Florence developed in the western Caribbean from a tropical wave near Jamaica on September 23.

The storm quickly intensified into a hurricane over the Yucatán Channel, and as it moved north through the Gulf of Mexico, Florence's maximum sustained winds reached 125 mph (201 km/h).

On September 26, the hurricane hit in a sparsely populated region of western Florida, and shortly after landfall became an extratropical cyclone.

The wave tracked generally westward, and spawned a tropical storm on September 23 about 100 mi (160 km) southeast of Jamaica.

[1] After turning north and entering the Gulf of Mexico, Florence quickly intensified, with the Hurricane Hunters estimating winds of 125 to 140 mph (201 to 225 km/h).

[3] At around 1800 UTC that day, Florence made landfall in a sparsely populated area between Fort Walton and Panama City Beach, Florida with winds of 80 mph (130 km/h).

[6] Prior to the hurricane making landfall on the United States Gulf Coast, the Weather Bureau issued warnings and recommended evacuations, which were credited in preventing any deaths or major injuries.

[1] Heavy rainfall was reported in portions Alabama, including a total of 8.72 in (221 mm), one inch shy of the 24‑hour precipitation record in Montgomery set in 1892.

[11] While Florence moved across the southeastern United States, the heaviest rainfall fell to the near and left of its center, due to interaction with a cold front.