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The Most Unforgettable Moments of Hurricane Irma

At a Glance

There are many aspects of Hurricane Irma many of us will never forget.
This includes a 142-mph wind gust in Naples, Florida, water retreating out of Tampa Bay and major flooding in Florida and the Southeast.

Hurricane Irma was a record-breaking tropical cyclone that caused destruction from the Leeward Islands to Florida and the southeastern United States.

(MORE: Hurricane Central)

It's likely a hurricane many of us will remember for the rest of our lives. Here's a rundown of Irma's most unforgettable moments.

Category 5 Hurricane for More Than 3 Days

Hurricane Irma was a Category 5 hurricane for a total of 3.25 days, tying it with the Cuba Hurricane of 1932 for the longest lifetime as a Category 5 in the Atlantic Basin, according to Dr. Phil Koltzbach, a tropical scientist at Colorado State University.

A Category 5 hurricane features winds of 157 mph or higher. Irma's peak sustained winds were 185 mph.

In the satellite era, since 1966, Irma was the longest-lived Category 5 hurricane, Klotzbach added.

(MORE: Irma's Notable Extremes: All the Historical Benchmarks it Hit)

Naples, Florida, Recorded a 142 MPH Wind Gust

As Hurricane Irma's eyewall moved north along Florida's west coast after making its second Florida landfall in Marco Island as a Category 3 hurricane, the Naples Municipal Airport recorded a wind gust of 142 mph.

This gust was stronger than the 130-mph gust that was clocked at the Marco Island Emergency Operations Center.

Even well away from Irma's center of circulation, the Miami International Airport measured a 99-mph wind gust at one of its elevated tower observing sites.

The Weather Channel meteorologist Mike Bettes reported live from Naples where winds were gusting frequently over 100 mph as the eyewall roared through the city.

"That could end up being about the longest 15 minutes of my life," Bettes said as the destructive winds nearly knocked him off his feet.

Water Retreated Out of Tampa Bay Before the Storm Surge Arrived

Images and videos posted to social media showed the exposed mucky seabed of Tampa Bay and residents walking through puddles of sludge near the Bayshore Boulevard seawall.

Strong northeasterly winds ahead of Hurricane Irma's center of circulation pushed water out of Florida's waterways on the Gulf coast from the Keys to Tampa Bay.

Winds swirl in a counterclockwise motion around a hurricane's eye. This resulted in a northeasterly wind direction across Florida's west coast on Sunday morning, Sept. 10.

(MORE: Why the Water Retreated From Florida Bays Before Irma's Storm Surge Arrived)

Since the winds were strong and persistent from the same general northeast direction, the water had nowhere to go but away from the coast, exposing the underlying sand bed for an unusually long distance.

You can visualize this by thinking about how a small amount of water would move to one side of a bowl if you were blowing on it.

The retreating water led to tide levels that were more than 6 feet lower than normal for that time of day in Tampa Bay, but it ended up getting a storm-surge inundation of just over 2 feet by Monday morning, Sept. 11, as the water abruptly returned.

Once the center of Irma moved north of Tampa, the winds reversed direction and turned to the west and southwest. This quickly funneled the water back toward the coast and sent water levels surging.

Miami Storm Surge

Significant storm-surge inundation was observed in downtown Miami on Sunday, Sept. 10. A NOAA tide gauge at Virginia Key, in Biscayne Bay, measured tide levels of nearly 4 feet above normal.

This flooded the streets of downtown Miami where water was waist-deep in some areas. At its closest pass, the center of Hurricane Irma was about 90 miles from Miami.

(MORE: Water is the Deadliest Factor in U.S. Hurricanes and Tropical Storms)

Record Flooding in Jacksonville

Monday, Sept. 11, a gauge on the St. Johns River near Main Street Bridge in Jacksonville exceeded its previous record level, set during Hurricane Dora in 1964. At this level, extensive flooding of roads and structures occurs in that area.

A storm surge of over 6 feet was measured along the St. Johns River at the Interstate 295 bridge.

Evacuation zones A and B were urged by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office to evacuate immediately. Multiple swift water rescues were also reported.

(MORE: 'Get Out Now': Deadly Irma Pounds Florida's First Coast; Record Flooding Hits Jacksonville)

To top it all off, winds gusted as high as 86 mph at the Jacksonville International Airport.

Major Flooding in Charleston, South Carolina

Storm surge and heavy rainfall caused widespread flooding in Charleston, South Carolina, on Monday, Sept. 11.

The Charleston Harbor tide gauge topped the level it reached during Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and also hit its third-highest mark on record.

The rising water breached dunes at Edisto Beach, and several water rescues took place in the area, according to National Weather Service reports.

(MORE: Irma Prompts Water Rescues, Massive Power Outages)

Barbuda, Virgin Islands Devastation

Barbuda lost an estimated 95 percent of its buildings after Hurricane Irma blasted the island as a Category 5 hurricane early Wednesday, Sept. 6. Prime Minister Gaston Browne described the island that is home to some 1,600 residents as "barely habitable."

(MORE: Hurricane Irma Strikes the Caribbean)

Residents were evacuated from the island at an estimated cost of $15 million. Browne said roads and telecommunications systems were destroyed and it will take months, if not years, to recover.

Catastrophic damage was also widespread in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.

On the island of St. Thomas, power lines and towers were toppled, leaves were stripped off plants and trees, a water and sewage treatment plant was heavily damaged and the harbor was in ruins, along with hundreds of homes and dozens of businesses.