PUNTA GORDA, Fla. — Charley was a very small but ferocious hurricane making landfall as a Category 4 storm with winds near 150 mph just north of Captiva Island on Cayo Costa around 3:45 pm on Friday, August 13th, 2004.
An hour later, Charley's eye passed over Punta Gorda, devastating the small town along with neighboring Port Charlotte.
The hurricane then crossed central Florida, passing near Orlando.
Charley was still a hurricane when its center cleared the northeast coast of Florida near Daytona Beach at midnight.
Hurricane Charley was the first of four hurricanes to impact or strike Florida during 2004, along with Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne.
