Ian is Latest Dangerous “I” Storm

 

Hurricane Ian, September 28, 2022 (Source: WUSA9/NOAA)

Hurricane Ian made landfall on Florida's west coast on September 28 as a powerful Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 150 mph and a minimum central air pressure of 940 millibars (mb).  Air pressure is considered a more accurate measure of hurricane intensity than wind speed.  More "I" name storms have been retired by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) for being destructive or deadly than any other letter (13), with Ian almost certain to be #14.  Here are some of the other significant "I" storms that have occurred in the last 20 years.

Iota (2020): The strongest storm of the active 2020 hurricane season, Iota was just under Category 5 intensity with sustained winds of 155 mph and a minimum central air pressure of 917 millibars (mb).  By comparison, standard sea level air pressure is approximately 1013 mb.  Iota caused widespread damage in Central America after its November 17 landfall.  This was the first time since the 2001 hurricane season that the strongest storm of the season occurred in November.  

Irma (2017): Irma reached Category 5 intensity on two separate occasions.  At peak intensity, Hurricane Irma had sustained winds of 180 mph and a minimum central air pressure of 914 millibars (mb).  Irma left a deadly trail of destruction across much of the Caribbean and made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, the first to do so since 2004.  Irma did $59.5 billion in damages (2022 dollars), making it the sixth costliest natural disaster in U.S. history, according to NOAA.  Hurricane Irma also claimed 92 lives in the United States.

Irene (2011):  Irene was the first major hurricane of 2011.  However, it weakened to Category 1 status before its first landfall in North Carolina.  Its impacts were far reaching from the Mid-Atlantic to New England.  According to the National Hurricane Center, Irene remains one of the costliest hurricanes on record in the United States with $17.4 billion in damages (2022 dollars) along with 40 fatalities.

Ivan (2004): Ivan was the strongest hurricane of a busier-than-average hurricane season.  It was also a Category 5 storm that caused significant damage to Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and the Cayman Islands.  At peak intensity, Hurricane Ivan’s lowest air pressure was 910 millibars.  Its highest sustained winds around the center of the storm reached 165 mph.  Fortunately, Ivan weakened to Category 3 intensity before it made landfall in Alabama on September 16.  It caused nearly $31.6 billion in U.S. damages (2022 dollars), according to the National Hurricane Center along with 25 lives lost.

Isabel (2003):  Hurricane Isabel reached peak intensity as a Category 5 on September 11, with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph and a minimum central air pressure of 915 millibars.  Isabel weakened to Category 2 intensity before its landfall in North Carolina on September 18.  Despite weakening, Isabel still claimed dozens of lives and caused major flooding and damage across much of the Mid-Atlantic Region and northeastern United States.  In the D.C. Metro Region, Isabel caused approximately one million power outages and was directly responsible for 17 U.S. fatalities.