


The storm came ashore on the afternoon of Oct. 10, 2018, near Mexico Beach and Tyndall Air Force Base, with winds of 140 knots, or 160 mph, the Hurricane Center determined. Category 5, the strongest on the one to five Saffir-Simpson scale, begins at 157 mph. Its winds were previously estimated at 155 mph, a high-end Category 4.


The upgrade comes after the National Hurricane Center sifted through and reanalyzed reams of data. It examined "aircraft winds, surface winds, surface pressures, satellite intensity estimates, and Doppler radar velocities - including data and analyses that were not available in real time," the Hurricane Center's post-storm analysis reported.

The change from a high-end Category 4 to a low-end Category 5 is small from a practical standpoint, just a five-knot (6 mph) increase in wind from the initial estimate, but it does solidify Hurricane Michael's place among powerful storms that have made landfall in the United States.



In its reanalysis of the storm, the Hurricane Center notes its intensity has an uncertainty margin of plus or minus 10 percent, leaving open the possibility for additional modifications to Michael's statistics in the future.

While Michael's Category 5 winds were confined to a relatively small area near its center, its damage was rather extensive, resembling the destruction of a super-wide tornado. In addition to packing 160 mph winds, the storm pushed a 16-foot surge of ocean water onto the coastline and was strengthening right up until the moment its center intercepted land.


The storm mowed down everything in its path - including 72 million tons of timber. While power was quickly restored and roadways cleared and repaired, thousands remain without permanent housing. Some have argued that the region has been forgotten among other disasters.
