Hurricane Andrew was, at the time of its occurrence in August 1992, the costliest hurricane in United States history. The fourth tropical cyclone and the first hurricane of the 1992 Atlantic hurricane season, Andrew originated from a tropical wave over the central Atlantic. Initially, strong wind shear prevented much intensification, though increasingly favorable conditions allowed the system to become a tropical storm on August 17 and a minimal hurricane six days later. After turning westward, Andrew entered a stage of rapid intensification, strengthening into a destructive Category 5 hurricane near the Bahamas on August 23. It briefly weakened to a Category 4 hurricane over the island nation, but regained Category 5 intensity on August 24 before making landfall on Elliott Key and later i