Hurricane Katrina 20 Years Later: By The Numbers

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As we look back over the last two decades since Katrina, here are some of the big numbers that stood out to us:

Katrina’s Sheer Damage Toll:

- Top 5 costliest storms after Katrina: Harvey, Ian, Maria, Sandy

- Thousands of homes were destroyed

- Agriculture was severely damaged as far away as Georgia

- Millions of gallons of oil spilled; Production and refinery capacity remain below levels seen before Katrina

Massive Population Shifts:

- Thousands lived in hotels for more than a year

- Thousands of jobs were lost due to destroyed workplaces and major population changes

- Non-returning evacuees created worker shortages on the Gulf Coast

- Nearby cities from Houston to Tallahassee saw bursts in population due to permanent evacuation

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Most Of New Orleans Flooded:

- Storm surge, rainfall and levee failures were to blame

- Most levee failures were due to them not being tall enough or due to erosion

- Up to a foot of rain fell in eastern New Orleans

- Most of the deaths in Louisiana were due to flooding in New Orleans

Two Stories Of Buildings Flooded:

- Happened within a day or two of landfall

- Water levels rose during the day after landfall due to infrastructure failures

- Numerous neighborhoods were entirely inundated in Louisiana and Mississippi

- Evacuations continued after Katrina’s passage as flooding and health remained concerns

Weeks Needed To Dry Out:

- After Katrina, the passage of Hurricane Rita to the south brought new flooding to New Orleans

- The city finally dried out on October 11, 2005

Mammoth Surge Of Water Swamps Mississippi:

- Several large floating casinos were pushed ashore

- Lake Pontchartrain rose as much as 19 feet near East New Orleans.

- Surge reached 6 feet in the Florida panhandle and 2 feet in South Florida

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Schools:

- It took 18 years to rebuild New Orleans' schools

Katrina’s Powerful Fury:

- 87 mph sustained wind: Highest sustained wind reported anywhere in Katrina on land. Recorded in Grand Isle, Louisiana

- 135 mph gust: the maximum reported gust on land. Reported in Poplarville, Mississippi

- 902 mb: Katrina's lowest pressure was set on August 28 at 8 a.m.

- The pressure rapidly deepened by 32 mb over 12 hours on August 28

- Florida landfall: 80 mph - Broward/Dade County Line, Florida - August 25

- Louisiana landfall: 125 mph - Buras, Louisiana - August 29

- Final landfall: 120 mph - Louisiana/Mississippi Line - August 29

- The hurricane rapidly intensified by 50 mph over 12 hours on August 28; A change from 115 mph to 165 mph

Waves Kicked Up Long Before Landfall:

- Katrina’s large size enhanced wave heights and storm surge in the Gulf

Time Katrina Lasted:

- Katrina’s genesis came from two different tropical waves from Africa

- The first tropical wave launched from Africa three weeks before landfall.

- Katrina spent 3.5 days in the Gulf

Jonathan Belles has been a digital meteorologist for weather.com for 9 years and also assists in the production of videos for The Weather Channel en español. His favorite weather is tropical weather, but also enjoys covering high-impact weather and news stories and winter storms. He's a two-time graduate of Florida State University and a proud graduate of St. Petersburg College.

Graphics were illustrated and designed by Madie Homan