Hurricane Michael Upgraded to Category 5
In October 2018, Hurricane Michael made landfall near Mexico Beach, Florida in the Panhandle region of the state, leaving a trail of death and destruction in its wake. Tragically, 16 people lost their lives due to Michael while the storm left behind $25 billion in damage. This made Michael the 8th costliest hurricane in American history. Initially, it was believed that Michael made landfall as a category 4 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph. That made it the strongest hurricane to ever strike the Florida Panhandle.
Source: WRAL
However, upon further review, the National Hurricane Center determined that Michael was a category 5 hurricane at landfall, with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph. The category 5 designation at landfall put Michael into rare territory, making it just the fourth hurricane to strike the U.S. mainland since 1900, and the first since Hurricane Andrew made landfall near Miami, FL in 1992. Michael was also the first category 5 hurricane to make landfall along the Gulf Coast since Hurricane Camille struck Mississippi in 1969.
