The eye crossed the coast about 10 p.m. on August 13, slashing a 30- to 40-mile wide path of destruction across Brazoria County, Texas.
Official warning for the storm came just 4 hours prior to landfall, and many people trying to evacuate inland had to abandon their cars in high winds and heavy rains.
The greatest single toll for any town was 7 in West Columbia, Texas, where sustained winds over 100 mph flattened homes.
Freeport, Angleton and Galveston suffered extensive wind damage, and the inland towns of Brazoria, West Columbia, Damon and Needville, all in the path of the eye, were also devastated.
The eleventh storm made landfall just north of Brownsville early on September 5, killing 179 people and causing $28 million in damage.