Hurricane Isabel, having weakened from an impressive cat 5, hit North Carolina as a sizable category 2 on September 18, 2003.

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/images/isabell/Isabel_18Sept03_Terra_gray_1_strip.jpg

The 06z gfdl was nice, taking the eyewall between Sarasota and Ft. Myers, as per Hank’s area of concern, and carrying strong winds far inland.

I discourage any analogue to Charley, which will invariably come up, if it has not already. If anything, I would expect a much larger event in scope, if more moderated in intensity.

If you look back at the early half of the 20th century you will see a slew of mighty west coast hurricanes. Lo and behold, nearly all of them are October storms that made landfall about this week!
Actually… 61 years ago on this day saw the arrival of the Havana Florida hurricane, which, after passing over western Cuba, accelerated northward making landfall between Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor.

Incredibly, the cyclones eye was reported to be nearly seventy miles in diameter as it trudged across the peninsula, exiting into the Atlantic around Jacksonville. Just as interesting was the fact that the highest storm surge (12 feet) was actually on the Atlantic side of things. Such was the storms size that it caused extensive damage to nearly every part of the state.
I was hoping to find a windfield analysis… as I want to see this bizarre storm myself.