Post-storm analysis on Hurricane Michael has revealed that the estimated intensity at landfall was 140 knots (160 mph), making it the fourth Category 5 storm on record to hit the United States. The storm made landfall on October 10, 2018, near Mexico Beach and Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. The storm was the first Category 5 storm to strike the United States since Hurricane Andrew hit in 1992. The other two Category 5 hurricanes to make landfall in the U.S. are the Labor Day Hurricane in 1935 and Hurricane Camille in 1969.
analyses from the NOAA Ocean Prediction Center. Map: NOAA, 2019
The decision to reclassify Hurricane Michael from a Category 4 to a Category 5 storm comes after a detailed post-storm analysis by NOAA’s National Hurricane Center. Data from available aircraft winds, surface winds, surface pressures, satellite intensity estimates and Doppler radar velocities was used in determining the estimated maximum sustained wind speed.
What are the Category 5 hurricanes to make landfall in the United States?
- Hurricane Michael
landfall: October 10, 2018, near Mexico Beach and Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida
40 knots (160 mph)
central pressure at landfall: 919 millibars (mb) - Hurricane Andrew
landfall: August 24, 1992, southern Florida
central pressure at landfall: 922 millibars - Hurricane Camille
landfall: August 18, 1969, Pass Christian, Mississippi
175 mph
central pressure at landfall: 900 millibars - Labor Day Hurricane of 1935
landfall: September 2, 1935, southern Florida
160 knots (185 mph)
central pressure at landfall: 892 millibars
