Hurricane Milton is approaching Florida as a category 5 storm with sustained maximum winds of 175 mph. It is expected to weaken before it hits, likely becoming a strong category 3 at the time of landfall.
Only two hurricanes of category 5 strength have held that strength as they made landfall on the U.S. mainland.
Hurricane Katrina, for example, was far more devastating in terms of loss of life and infrastructure when it made landfall near New Orleans in 2005, but it was a category 3 when it did. Here's what NOAA says.
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Strongest hurricanes to make landfall in continental U.S.
1. Unnamed - Sept. 2, 1935: This one came before hurricanes were even given names but it's referred to as the "Labor Day Hurricane" and made landfall in the Florida Keys with 160 mph max sustained winds. It killed more than 400 people and remains the strongest hurricane to ever make landfall on the U.S. mainland in terms of wind speeds.
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2. Hurricane Camille -- Aug. 17, 1969: It had sustained maximum wind speeds of 150 mph when it made landfall in Mississippi, killing more than 250 people and wreaking flooding havoc. It had strengthened to a category 5 storm just a day before making landfall there.
3. Hurricane Andrew -- Aug. 24, 1992: This one also targeted Florida, making landfall in Miami-Dade County with max sustained winds of 145 mph and destroying more than 50,000 homes. Nearly two dozen deaths were reported.
4. Hurricane Michael -- Oct. 10, 2018: The Florida Panhandle was victimized again here, when Michael hit with max sustained winds of 140 mph, according to NOAA. More than 40 deaths were attributed to the storm.
T5. Hurricane Ida -- Aug. 29, 2021: New York felt the impacts of this storm severely, but it made landfall near Port Fourchon, Louisiana, with max sustained winds of 130 mph. It came 16 years to the day Katrina made landfall in Louisiana.
T5. Hurricane Laura -- Aug. 27, 2020: Laura made landfall in Cameron, Louisiana overnight that day with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph. Nearly 50 deaths were directly attributed to it, and many others indirectly.
T5. Hurricane Charley -- Aug. 13, 2004: Another beast to hit Florida, Charley made landfall in Punta Gordo with max sustained winds of 130 mph. It caused an estimated $16 billion in damage.
T5. Unnamed -- Aug. 13, 1932: This one also came before hurricanes had names, but it's known as the Freeport Hurricane and hit Freeport, Texas, with max sustained winds of 130 mph.
T5. Unnamed -- Sept. 14, 1919: It hit the Florida Keys with max sustained winds of 130 mph
T5. Unnamed -- Aug. 20, 1886: This made landfall in Texas with max sustained winds of 130 mph. A 15-foot storm surge was recorded in Indianola, Texas, and destroyed the town.
T5: Hurricane Ian -- Sept. 28, 2022: It made landfall in Cayo Costa, Florida, as a category 4 storm with max sustained winds of 130 mph. Roughly 160 people died.
