Among the safest places in Florida from hurricanes

This may be of little consolation by Monday, but historically, Sarasota and Bradenton, as well as Tampa Bay, have been among Florida’s safest places from direct hurricane hits for the past 100 years.

The accompanying map, a product of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shows all of the Category 2 and higher hurricanes that have passed through Florida in the past 100 years up to 2015. The darker the color, the higher the category.

If you study the map (with a magnifying glass), you can see only two lines passing through the Sarasota-Bradenton area. Various records say the closest Sarasota has come to having a direct hit has been in 1921, when the tidal surge from that storm reached more than 7 feet, inundating Casey, Siesta, St. Armands and Longboat keys, with waters rising out of Sarasota Bay up to Five Points downtown. Let’s hope Irma doesn’t change our history.