The Fury of October Hurricanes

 

Hurricane Opal Making Landfall, October 1995  (Source: NOAA)

Although September is the busiest month of the Atlantic hurricane season, it continues until the end of November.  Many damaging and deadly hurricanes have occurred in October.

Michael (2018) – Hurricane Michael was only the fourth Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the United States.  It was the first to do so since Hurricane Andrew 26 years earlier and it remains one of the few hurricanes that intensified up until its landfall.  Michael reached its peak intensity as it made landfall along the Florida panhandle with sustained winds of 160 mph and a minimum central air pressure of 919 millibars (mb).  That part of Florida had seen several Category 3 hurricanes, but Michael was the first Category 4 or 5 storm.

Sandy (2012) –While not an unusually intense storm, what made Sandy memorable was its track.  At peak intensity, Sandy was a major Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 115 mph.  However, instead of heading harmlessly out to sea, Sandy turned westward and made landfall in New Jersey on October 29.  Shortly before its landfall, Sandy was declared a “non-tropical” or “post-tropical” storm, meaning it had lost its tropical characteristics.

No matter what type of storm it was officially called, Sandy caused significant coastal erosion combined with flooding rainfall and damaging winds well-inland.  It became one of the costliest systems on record, causing an estimated $75 billion in damages.  Sandy brought record rainfall and wind damage to the DC Metro Area on October 29-30.

Wilma (2005) – Before impacting the United States, Wilma was the strongest Atlantic hurricane on record with a minimum central air pressure of 882 mb, compared to standard sea level air pressure of approximately 1013 mb.  Its sustained winds reached 185 mph, making it the fourth Category 5 hurricane of the epic 2005 season.  Fortunately, Wilma weakened significantly before it reached southwest Florida on October 24 as a Category 3 storm.  Wilma was also the last hurricane to make landfall anywhere in Florida until Hermine in 2016.

Mitch (1998) – Hurricane Mitch set several important benchmarks.  It ended a modest six-year stretch without a Category 5 Atlantic hurricane and was the first since Andrew in 1992.  Mitch was also the Atlantic’s first October Category 5 since “Hattie” in 1961.  At peak intensity, Mitch had sustained winds of 180 mph and a minimum air pressure of 905 millibars.  Mitch caused devastating flooding in Central America that claimed more than 10,000 lives. 

Opal (1995) – Hurricane Opal underwent a period of rapid intensification while over a warm core ring in the Gulf of Mexico.  In less than 24 hours, Opal went from being a minimal hurricane to a strong Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 150 mph and a minimum central air pressure of 916 mb that set a record for lowest air pressure in a hurricane that didn’t reach Category 5 intensity.  Although Opal weakened to Category 3 storm before its October 4 landfall in the Florida panhandle, it was destructive and deadly.  Opal’s remnants brought heavy rain and severe weather to the Mid-Atlantic Region on October 5.