Hurricane Michael: One Year Later

Hurricane Michael: One Year Later

Hurricane Michael struck the Florida Panhandle on October 10, 2019 causing 16 U.S. direct fatalities and causing an estimated 25.1 billion dollars in damages (1). After being initially listed as a Category 4 hurricane, the National Hurricane Center increased Hurricane Michael to Category 5 with estimated wind speeds of 160 mph (2). Michael is the first hurricane to make landfall in the United States as a Category 5 since Hurricane Andrew in 1992, and only the fourth on record.