County: Miami-Dade
ZIP Codes: 33174, 33144, 33165, 33155, 33199
Westchester, Florida, is located in Miami-Dade County and is at a significant risk from hurricanes due to its proximity to the southern edge of the Florida peninsula. Despite being roughly 10 miles inland, it can still experience the severe weather conditions brought on by hurricanes, such as high winds, heavy rainfall, and even tornadoes spawned by the storm. One major consideration for Westchester is the risk of flooding. The region's relatively low elevation, combined with its high water table and extensive network of canals, increases the flooding risk even from smaller tropical systems with heavy rainfall. Given its location, storm surge is not a considerable threat to Westchester itself, but the impact of storm surge along the coast could disrupt resources and travel. Looking at the historical data on hurricanes, we find that Westchester faced severe impacts from Hurricane Andrew in 1992, one of the most destructive hurricanes in U.S. history. The community was severely impacted with high wind speeds causing significant property damage. Other notable systems include Hurricane Katrina鈥檚 initial Florida landfall in 2005 and Hurricane Irma in 2017, from which the region experienced sustained heavy rainfall leading to substantial flooding. It鈥檚 critical for residents to have a thorough understanding of hurricane preparedness procedures, focusing not just on wind resistance, but also on infrastructure resilience to heavy rainfall and flooding.