The 5 Most Intense US Hurricane Landfalls On Record | Weather.com
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Based on pressure at landfall, here are the five most intense hurricanes to make landfall in the U.S.

ByChris DolceAugust 16, 2024

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W​e're heading into the part of hurricane season when the United States has recorded its most intense landfalls on record.

All of them, based on lowest atmospheric pressure, struck between Aug. 17 and Oct. 10, which is right in the peak of the season. In general, a lower pressure means a more intense hurricane in terms of its winds and overall destructive potential.

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H​ere's a look at the top five, including one that hit just six years ago.

1. Labor Day Hurricane (1935)

With a pressure of 892 millibars at landfall in the Florida Keys, the Category 5 Labor Day hurricane of 1935 is the most intense hurricane on record to hit the U.S.

The small hurricane strengthened from a Category 1 to a Category 5 as it moved from Andros Island in the Bahamas on Sept. 1 to the Florida Keys on the evening of Sept. 2. Maximum sustained winds at landfall were estimated to be 185 mph, with storm surge reaching 20 feet, according to NOAA.

The combination of winds and surge caused 408 fatalities, primarily among World War I veterans working on construction in the area.

1935laborday.jpg

2. Hurricane Camille (1969)

Hurricane Camille devastated the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

At the time of its landfall on the night of Aug. 17, 1969, the pressure was 900 millibars. In a re-analysis by the National Hurricane Center winds were estimated at 175 mph.

The storm surge of 24.6 feet in southern Mississippi set a U.S. record that would later be surpassed by Katrina. Because Camille was more compact, that devastating surge focused on a narrower swath of coastline.

A total of 143 people were killed by Camille's Gulf Coast landfall and another 113 perished in Virginia from flash flooding resulting from Camille's remnants.

camille-1969-boat-house-noaa.jpg

A ship carried by Camille's storm surge rests alongside a home in Biloxi, Mississippi

(NOAA Photo Library)

3. Hurricane Michael (2018)

Hurricane Michael made a catastrophic Category 5 landfall on Oct. 10, 2018, near Mexico Beach, Florida. The estimated minimum central pressure was 919 millibars and maximum sustained winds were determined to be 160 mph in post-storm analysis.

Michael's strong landfall in October was unusually late - the majority of continental U.S. Category 4 and 5 hurricane landfalls have typically happened in August or September.

Michael produced devastating storm surge, wind damage and flooding. It contributed to 49 deaths and an estimated $31 billion in damage (CPI adjusted).

Satellite image of Hurricane Michael on October 10, 2018

4. Hurricane Katrina (2005)

Katrina struck Florida, then the central Gulf Coast as a damaging hurricane, but its greatest fury was reserved for its second landfall in Louisiana. Katrina made landfall near Buras, Louisiana, with a pressure of 920 millibars. It remains the lowest pressure on record for a Category 3 landfall.

Katrina was a large hurricane, guaranteeing a devastating storm surge that was estimated as high as nearly 28 feet around Waveland and Pass Christian, Mississippi, the highest surge on record in the U.S. The surge penetrated six miles inland across most of southern Mississippi and up to 12 miles inland along bays and rivers.

Water pushed west into Lake Pontchartrain, leading to a storm surge of 10 to 19 feet. Water also surged into the network of canals and channels around New Orleans, and the subsequent overtopping and breaching of levees and floodwalls eventually combined to flood 80 percent of New Orleans. It took six weeks to remove all the water from the city.

katrina-28aug2005-satelllite-NOAA.jpg

Satellite image taken Aug. 28, 2005, about 10 hours prior to landfall

(NOAA)

5. Hurricane Andrew (1992)

Andrew, like Katrina, impacted both Florida and the central Gulf Coast. Unlike Katrina, it was a small hurricane.

Andrew had extreme winds estimated to be Category 5 strength at landfall along the southeastern Florida Coast and its pressure at landfall was 922 millibars.

After striking southern Florida, Andrew made a second landfall in south-central Louisiana as a Category 3 hurricane.

The intense winds caused catastrophic damage in southern Florida, destroying or damaging approximately 125,000 homes. Andrew's total cost was $60.2 billion (CPI adjusted), mostly in Dade County, Florida. At the time, it was the most costly natural disaster in U.S. history.

Radar image of Hurricane Andrew at landfall in South Florida on August 24, 1992

(NOAA/AOML)