Major October Hurricanes: Past and Present

 

Hurricane Wilma at peak intensity, October 2005  (Source: NOAA)

October 2021 has been a quiet month in the tropical Atlantic, unlike recent seasons.  However, a number of significant hurricanes have impacted the United States during the month of October.  These are a few of them:

Zeta (2020):  Zeta reached peak intensity as a major Category 3 hurricane as it was making landfall in Louisiana on October 28.  Its highest sustained winds were 115 mph with a minimum central air pressure of 970 millibars (mb).  Standard sea level air pressure is approximately 1013 mb.  Although Zeta quickly weakened after its landfall, it remains noteworthy for being the latest in the season a major hurricane has made landfall in the contiguous United States. 

Michael (2018):  Hurricane Michael became only the fourth Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the United States and first since Hurricane Andrew in 1992.  It also 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 never a Category 4 or 5 storm.

Wilma (2005):  Before impacting the United States, Wilma became the strongest Atlantic hurricane on record with a minimum central air pressure of 882 millibars.  Its sustained winds also reached 185 mph, making it a Category 5 hurricane.  Fortunately, Wilma weakened significantly before it reached southwest Florida where it made landfall October 24 as a Category 3 storm.  Wilma was also significant for being the last hurricane to make landfall anywhere in Florida until Hermine in 2016.

Hazel (1954):  Hazel remains the only Category 4 hurricane to make landfall in North Carolina (on October 15).  Due to Hazel’s fast rate of speed, it remained a powerful system after it tracked well inland.  It also brought Washington, D.C. its highest wind gust on record of 98 mph.  Although the state of North Carolina feels the impacts of tropical storms and hurricanes fairly often, no major hurricane (Category 3+) has made landfall there since Fran in 1996.