Such massive storms are fairly rare, and it's even more rare for them to make landfall. NOAA says that for such storms, "catastrophic damage will occur" ...
The Hurricane Michael made landfall in the Florida Panhandle on Oct. [Andrew](https://www.noaa.gov/stories/hurricane-andrew-at-30-where-science-has-taken-us) made landfall in South Miami-Dade County with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph. [Hurricane Camille](https://www.weather.gov/mob/camille), the second-strongest storm on record to come ashore in the continental U.S., had sustained winds of more than 170 mph when it hit Mississippi in the late evening of Aug. The majority of the crop damage — about 90% — was due to the high winds while just 10% is attributed to the intense rainfall." Most manmade structures were destroyed by the hurricane's Category 5 winds, which gusted at times to over 200 mph, and the complete inundation of the islands by a 15-20 ft storm surge," according to [Hurricanes: Science and Society](http://www.hurricanescience.org/history/storms/1930s/LaborDay/), a website run by the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography. [Labor Day Hurricane](https://noaahrd.wordpress.com/2015/09/02/80th-anniversary-of-the-labor-day-hurricane-and-first-hurricane-reconnaissance/) is considered the strongest storm ever recorded to make landfall in the U.S., smashing into the Florida Keys on Sept. have all made landfall on the Gulf Coast — three in Florida and one in Mississippi. [says](https://vlab.noaa.gov/web/nws-heritage/-/one-of-four-hurricane-camille): "The impacts of Hurricane Camille were felt across much of the southeast U.S., especially southeast Mississippi and southwest Alabama. More than 250 people were killed, many in Virginia due to massive flooding the storm brought to that state. East Coast, "practically all losses from the hurricane were suffered in Florida, with most occurring in the Florida Keys. If its winds increase even a little, before it comes ashore, Ian could become only the fifth massively destructive Category 5 storm on record to make landfall in the continental U.S.
Hurricane Ian may go down as one of the strongest hurricanes ever to strike the U.S. as the storm nears Category 5 strength just off the Florida coast ...
Hurricane Michael brought catastrophic storm surge to the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend areas. Joseph Peninsula State Park on Cape San Blas, the storm surge cut through the peninsula, creating two inlets, resulting in portions of the park no longer being accessible by vehicle, according to the NWS. One of the hardest hit locations was from Mexico Beach to Indian Pass where 9 to 14 feet of peak storm surge inundation was observed. "These new inlets truly demonstrate the power of storm surge," NWS wrote. [HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER ON TV](https://www.foxweather.com/learn/how-to-watch-fox-weather-on-tv) Roads were blocked, so getting in and out of the destruction zone was hard or impossible. The widespread damage spread well inland as Hurricane Michael remained at hurricane strength into southwest Georgia. Nearly 100% of customers across a large portion of the Florida Panhandle lost power, with some of these outages lasting weeks. – Hurricane Ian may go down as one of the strongest hurricanes ever to strike the U.S. There was no power, no water, looters roamed the neighborhoods and gunfire echoed through the desolation. However, according to the as the storm nears Category 5 strength just off the Florida coast Wednesday.
The big picture: Ian is the strongest hurricane to make landfall in Florida since Hurricane Michael devastated the Florida panhandle in 2018. In total, 14 ...
[major hurricane](https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshws.php). [Strengthening Hurricane Ian closes in on Cuba and Florida](/2022/09/25/hurricane-ian-intensifies-florida-threat) [22 deaths](http://www.hurricanescience.org/history/storms/2000s/wilma/)were attributed to Wilma, including five in Florida, and damage in southern Florida cost an estimated $16.8 billion, per NOAA. Eight direct fatalities were reported, including seven in Florida, Reuters [notes](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/worst-hurricanes-floridas-history-ian-takes-aim-2022-09-26/). - Hurricane Andrew, one of four hurricanes to make landfall in the U.S. [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration](https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL112017_Irma.pdf). [NOAA](https://www.noaa.gov/stories/4-hurricanes-in-6-weeks-it-happened-to-one-state-in-2004). [National Weather Service](https://www.weather.gov/mfl/wilma#:~:text=Wilma%20was%20a%20classic%20October,afternoon%20of%20October%2015%2C%202005.). [NOAA](https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/hurricane-andrew-30-look-back-above). [Weather.gov.](https://www.weather.gov/media/publications/assessments/Charley06.pdf) [Klotzbach](https://twitter.com/philklotzbach/status/1575091180081012738).
Hurricane Ian intensified to an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm on Wednesday as it steamed toward Florida's Gulf Coast, threatening to bring ...
Michael was the strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in the Florida Panhandle, according to the National Weather Service. It left 6.5 million customers without power in the state and caused an estimated $50 billion in property damage, making it one of the costliest hurricanes in U.S. Seven people died from the storm and 80 indirectly, according to an NHC tally. Even so, the bill for the hurricane’s property damage was particularly high at an estimated $20.6 billion in the U.S. While Hurricane Katrina in 2005 traveled across the southern tip of Florida, most of the damage it caused was in New Orleans. Katrina still ranks as both the deadliest and most expensive hurricane in modern U.S.
A Category 5 hurricane has winds of 157 mph or higher. These are the only four hurricanes in the history of the U.S. that have made landfall at that level.
It then made its way to the central Louisiana coast as a Category 3. It maintained that intensity as it made landfall on the Mississippi coast on Aug. Only [five hurricanes](https://weather.com/safety/hurricane/news/2020-05-04-category-5-united-states-hurricane-landfalls-preparedness) that have made landfall in the U.S. This storm, known as Labor Day Hurricane, strengthened as it made its way from the Bahamas to Florida, where it reached the middle of the Florida Keys on September 2 as a Category 5. Twenty-three people died in the U.S. Camille first hit the Cayman Islands and Cuba before making its way across the Gulf of Mexico and becoming a Category 5 hurricane. It later made landfall near Cedar Key, Florida, as a Category 2. A Category 5 hurricane has winds of 157 mph or higher. Hurricane Ian hit Florida as a Category 4. history made landfall as Category 5. [made landfall in Florida](https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/hurricane-ian-florida-forecast-path-landfall-2022-09-28/) on Wednesday as a powerful Category 4 storm — just a few miles per hour shy of a Category 5. As the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration explains,
Hurricane Ian made landfall on the southwest coast of Florida on Wednesday as a Category 4 storm, but just barely. Its wind speeds were at the upper end of ...
more frequently in recent years](https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2021/09/29/record-us-hurricane-landfalls-climate/?itid=lb_the-atlantic-hurricane-season_9). [seven safety tips to help you get ready for hurricanes](https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2022/05/03/hurricane-safety-prepare-noaa/?itid=lb_the-atlantic-hurricane-season_6). And last summer alone, [nearly 1 in 3 Americans experienced a weather disaster](https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/09/04/climate-disaster-hurricane-ida/?itid=lb_the-atlantic-hurricane-season_10). [intensified this fall with conditions prime for storms](https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/08/17/hurricane-season-tropical-atlantic/?itid=lb_the-atlantic-hurricane-season_1). Read more about [how climate change is fueling severe weather events](https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2020/10/22/climate-curious-disasters-climate-change/?itid=lb_the-atlantic-hurricane-season_11). That’s near where [Hurricane Charley](https://coast.noaa.gov/hurricanes/#map=6.29/25.944/-81.126&search=eyJzZWFyY2hTdHJpbmciOiJDSEFSTEVZIDIwMDQiLCJzZWFyY2hUeXBlIjoibmFtZSIsIm1hdGNoIjoiZXhhY3QiLCJvc21JRCI6IjE2MjA1MCIsImNhdGVnb3JpZXMiOlsiSDUiLCJINCIsIkgzIiwiSDIiLCJIMSIsIlRTIiwiVEQiLCJFVCJdLCJ5ZWFycyI6W10sIm1vbnRocyI6W10sImVuc28iOltdLCJwcmVzc3VyZSI6eyJyYW5nZSI6WzAsMTE1MF0sImluY2x1ZGVVbmtub3duUHJlc3N1cmUiOnRydWV9LCJidWZmZXJVbml0IjpbIk1pbGVzIl0sInNvcnRTZWxlY3Rpb24iOnsidmFsdWUiOiJ5ZWFyc19uZXdlc3QiLCJsYWJlbCI6IlllYXIgKE5ld2VzdCkifSwiYXBwbHlUb0FPSSI6ZmFsc2UsImlzU3Rvcm1MYWJlbHNWaXNpYmxlIjp0cnVlfQ==) came ashore in 2004, also as a Category 4. For the seventh year in a row, hurricane officials expect [an above-average season of hurricane activity](https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2022/05/24/noaa-atlantic-hurricane-outlook-2022/?itid=lb_the-atlantic-hurricane-season_5). You can see that on the map of the Category 3 storms that the NOAA identifies as having made landfall in Florida. [a bit past 3 p.m.](https://twitter.com/NHC_Atlantic/status/1575202655567491072) on Wednesday. The two other hurricanes that made landfall in Florida as Category 4 storms hit the Florida Keys (the string of islands extending from the southern tip of the state) and Miami, not on the state’s western shore. While the numbers are necessarily incomplete — we lacked the sort of measurement systems in 1870 that we have now, for example — it still provides a good sense of how often the United States has been hit by large storms. Hurricane Ian made landfall on the southwest coast of Florida on Wednesday as a Category 4 storm, but just barely.
A Category 5 hurricane can reach up to 157 miles per hour, causing catastrophic damage, according to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. After striking ...
This was an unprecedented hurricane for the region. Of the 50,000, more than 3,000 structures were destroyed. mainland](https://www.weather.gov/mob/camille): Labor Day (1935), Camille (1969), Andrew (1992), and Michael (2018). At landfall, the wind speed hit 165 mph. The storm hit Mississippi counties the hardest, followed by the Alabama coast and Mobile metro area. [Category 5 hurricanes](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/hurricane) are one of the strongest forces Mother Nature can throw at coastal residents. On the day of the storm, officials sent a train to evacuate the men, but it failed to reach the camps located on Lower Matecumbe Key due to high winds blowing it off the tracks, and the veterans were killed during the storm. [Hurricane Ian](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/hurricane-ian) could make landfall in [Florida](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/florida) on Wednesday as a devastating and incredibly rare Category 5 hurricane. However, scientists' analyses peg the winds to have reached approximately 175 mph. [Hurricane Ian](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/hurricane-ian) is [packing winds at 155 mph](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/live-blog/hurricane-ian-path-tracker-live-updates-florida-cuba), just shy of the Category 5 distinction. The storm also crossed into Georgia, North and South Carolina, and Virginia. After striking land, the aftermath is likely to be widespread, causing a high percentage of destroyed homes and power outages that can last from weeks to months.