Hurricane Safety and Preparedness

The Four Category 5 U.S. Hurricane Landfalls Prove Why You Should Be Prepared Before Hurricane Season Begins

Tracks of the four U.S. hurricanes to make landfall as a Category 5. All four were tropical storms within three days of landfall, proving that you should be prepared well in advance in case storms rapidly escalate.

At a Glance

The four Category 5 U.S. hurricanes were tropical storms three days before they made landfall.
It's important to prepare for hurricane season before it starts in case storms form quickly.
This is hurricane preparedness week in the U.S.

The four Category 5 hurricanes to make landfall in the United States were all tropical storms just three days before they struck, providing a reminder of why you should be prepared before the season begins in case there are rapidly-escalating storms.

This is hurricane preparedness week in the U.S. (May 3-9, 2020), which is an annual NOAA event that calls attention to the importance of making preparations before the season begins. This includes restocking supplies in your hurricane kit, checking important documents and your insurance coverage and also making sure you have multiple destination options if ordered to leave a hurricane evacuation zone.

It will also be important this year to factor in the latest CDC guidelines for the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, NOAA says.

Hurricane Michael in 2018 is the most recent Category 5 to hit the U.S. It was just a tropical storm a few days earlier. It brought catastrophic storm surge to the Florida Panhandle and also caused extensive wind damage well inland from the panhandle into southwest Georgia.

Michael was a tropical storm with 50 mph winds early in the afternoon on Oct. 7, 2018. About 72 hours later, it roared ashore in Florida with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph.

Satellite loop of Hurricane Michael from when it first formed into a tropical storm to near its Category 5 landfall.

The other three Category 5 U.S hurricanes, all of which were tropical storms about three days prior to landfall, are Hurricane Andrew in South Florida in 1992, Hurricane Camille in Mississippi in 1969 and the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 in the Florida Keys.

It doesn't take a Category 5 to produce devastating impacts. Other storms, like Hurricane Harvey, have also rapidly intensify before striking land.

Harvey was a Category 4 when it made landfall near Rockport, Texas, on Aug. 25, 2017. Just two days before landfall, it was a tropical storm.

In 1983, Hurricane Alicia first became a tropical depression on the morning of August 15 about 160 miles south of New Orleans. It made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane just 67 hours later on Galveston Island, Texas, and caused $3 billion in damage and 21 deaths.

Last year's Tropical Storm Imelda made landfall just hours after it formed near the Texas coast. It wasn't a big wind or storm surge threat, but flooding from heavy rainfall on the upper Texas coast contributed to 5 deaths and $5 billion in damage.

The 2020 hurricane season is predicted to be more active than usual, but it's impossible to know what, if any, areas of the U.S. coastline might be threatened this year.

Some locations go many years without facing a significant threat of a tropical storm or hurricane; that can lead to complacency. So it's important to make sure you have your plan in place prior to each season instead of getting caught off guard.

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