If there is one city that must be way overdue for a direct hit it would have to be Tampa. I would venture to say that most the people on this board have been born after the last strong storm hit Tampa head on.

Usually now days if Tampa even gets in the cone it almost always comes in to the north along the big bend sparing a metropolis built on the edge of the water and the bay a test of building standards and preparation readiness.

Everyone shopping for Andrew in Miami was singing the David blues.. "turns right before" and after almost 30 years of not having a real storm hit down Miami was about as complacent as it comes. Imagine Tampa, which has gone longer would be even worse. Really amazing no big storm has made landfall..does happen, they aren't all that protected.

Savannah and Jax people on boards usually sing the "won't hit us blues"

New Orleans I think is all too aware of what could happen with a direct hit and has had enough scares.

Comes a day that no one in Tampa can hide and that day is coming. Know Neil Frank was singing about the construction between Naples and Tampa quite a while back...and ...still nothing has hit them directly.

Amazing but that luck won't last forever.

Triva question...when was the last REAL direct hit on Tampa, not something brushing by on its way elsewhere. A real Category 1 2 or 3?