Notable October Hurricanes

 

Hurricane Gonzalo, 2014  (Source: NOAA)

Hurricane Delta made landfall in Louisiana on Friday as a Category 2 hurricane just six weeks after Hurricane Laura.  Although not as powerful as Laura which made landfall as a Category 4, Delta still caused widespread damage on the coast and in areas well inland.  It will take several weeks, if not months, to fully ascertain the scope of damage from Delta.  Its remnants will bring the DC Metro Area appreciable rainfall later today through tomorrow.  Some other significant hurricanes have also occurred in October. 

Gonzalo (2014) – Hurricane Gonzalo became a hurricane on October 13 and was the strongest hurricane of the 2014 season.  At peak intensity, Gonzalo had sustained winds of 145 mph with a minimum air pressure of 940 millibars (mb), making it a solid Category 4 hurricane.  It’s important to note that air pressure is a more accurate measure of the intensity of a hurricane than wind speed.  The lower the air pressure, the stronger the storm is.  Standard sea level pressure is approximately 1013 mb, so 940 mb denotes a strong area of low pressure.  Although Gonzalo weakened to a Category 2 storm before passing over Bermuda, it still caused roughly $400 million in damage (unadjusted for inflation).

Lili (2002) – Hurricane Lili came ashore in Louisiana as a Category 1 on October 3.  Lili caused extensive damage totaling $860 million in 2002.  At its strongest, Lili was a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph and a minimum central air pressure of 938 mb.  Lili was the first hurricane to make landfall in the United States since Floyd in 1999. 

Opal (1995) –  Opal was one of five major hurricanes to form during the active 1995 season.  It was also the strongest hurricane of the season as a Category 4 with peak winds of 150 mph and a minimum central air pressure of 916 mb.  Fortunately, it weakened to Category 3 intensity before its October 4 landfall near Pensacola, Florida.  Nevertheless, Opal brought a significant storm surge to the U.S. Gulf Coast, with additional impacts far inland.  The DC Metro Area saw severe weather from the remnants of Opal on October 5.  

Hurricane Opal had the lowest pressure of any Atlantic hurricane that didn’t achieve Category 5 status.  Meteorologists also remember Opal for undergoing a period of rapid intensification as it went from being a Category 2 storm with 100 mph sustained winds at 11 PM on October 3 to a powerful Category 4 storm just 12 hours later with its peak sustained winds of 150 mph.  There was a 53 mb pressure drop in Opal in a 24-hour period and a 42-mb drop in just 12 hours.

Hilda (1964) – Hilda underwent a period of rapid intensification in the Gulf of Mexico and reached its peak intensity on October 2 as a Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 150 mph and a minimum central air pressure of 941 mb.  Fortunately, Hilda weakened to Category 2 intensity before it made landfall in Louisiana on October 3.  That made it the last Category 2 hurricane to make landfall in Louisiana during the month of October prior to Hurricane Delta.