Category Five Hurricanes – U.S. Landfalls
Take a look at each of the four Category Five Hurricanes on the Saffir-Simpson Scale that made landfall in the United States. Three of these storms came ashore in Florida. The most recent of these storms was Hurricane Michael in 2018.
Hurricane Michael
Year: 2018
Dates Active: 2018-10-06 to 2018-10-15
U.S. Landfall: Mexico Beach, FL
Maximum Sustained Winds: 160 mph
Minimum Pressure: 919 mb / 27.14 inches
Maximum Rainfall: 13.01 Inches @ Black Mountain, NC
Deaths: 49
Cost in Damages: $31.2 billion (2024 USD)
Figures 1-4: Satellite image, track, rainfall amounts, and tornado tracks for Hurricane Michael – Courtesy of TroPYcal, HURDAT, and NOAA.
Hurricane Andrew
Year: 1992
Dates Active: 1992-08-16 to 1992-08-28
U.S. Landfall: Near Homestead, FL
Maximum Sustained Winds: 175 mph
Minimum Pressure: 922 mb / 27.23 inches
Maximum Rainfall: 13.98 Inches @ Everglades National Park, FL
Deaths: 65
Cost in Damages: $60.5 billion (2024 USD)
Figures 5-8: Satellite image, track, rainfall amounts, and tornado tracks for Hurricane Andrew – Courtesy of TroPYcal, HURDAT, and NOAA.
Hurricane Camille
Year: 1969
Dates Active: 1969-08-14 to 1969-08-22
U.S. Landfall: Near Waveland, MS
Maximum Sustained Winds: 175 mph
Minimum Pressure: 900 millibars / 26.58 inches
Maximum Rainfall: 27.0 Inches Near Lick Mountain, Alleghany County, VA
Deaths: 259
Cost in Damages: $12.2 billion (2024 USD)
Figures 9-12: Satellite image, track, rainfall amounts, and tornado tracks for Hurricane Camille – Courtesy of TroPYcal, HURDAT, and NOAA.
Labor Day Hurricane
Year: 1935
Dates Active: 1935-08-29 to 1935-09-10
U.S. Landfall: Long Key, FL
Maximum Sustained Winds: 185 mph
Minimum Pressure: 892 millibars / 26.34 inches
Maximum Rainfall: 14.78 Inches @ Easton, MD
Deaths: 408
Cost in Damages: $1.89 billion (2024 USD)
Figures 13-16: Full track, landfall track, rainfall amounts, and wind chart for the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 – Courtesy of TroPYcal, HURDAT, and NOAA.