Hurricane Michael struck the Florida panhandle as a strengthening Category 5. It was the first Category 5 to hit the United States since Andrew in 1992.
Michael also had the third lowest landfall pressure for the U.S. and the fourth highest wind speed.
If those numbers weren’t impressive enough on their own, Michael was the first Category 5 to hit that portion of the Gulf of Mexico coastline, where storm systems are often unraveling for various reasons.
And it happened in October!
Landfall intensity, near Mexico Beach, was 160 mph sustained wind and a pressure of 919 millibars.
Storm surge was up to 14 feet around the landfall location near Mexico Beach. Sensors in the area also showed significant wave activity on top of the surge, leaving anything in its way battered.
Since the storm was at its most powerful as it made landfall, extreme winds continued well inland. In fact, catastrophic agricultural damage spread well into Georgia, where the storm was a Category 2 as it crossed the border. Significant structural damage occurred into southern portions of the state, as well.
The storm killed dozens in four countries, remains in the top 10 strongest at landfall on records in the Atlantic Ocean and was later retired by the World Meteorological Organization. Its replacement, Milton from 2024, has also since been retired.
See the full report from NHC.
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