At a Glance

Michael was one of the most intense continental U.S. landfalls on record.Only 27 hurricanes made landfall in the continental U.S. at Category 4 or stronger intensity.Hurricane Michael did so in a location unprecedented in records since the mid-1800s.Michael was also the first October U.S. Category 4-plus landfall in 64 years.

Hurricane Michael made a landfall on Oct. 10, 2018, not only of unprecedented strengthin the Florida Panhandle, but also as one of the most intense landfalls on record in the continental United States

(MORE: Complete Coverage of Hurricane Michael)

Michael plowed ashore just after midday Oct. 10, 2018, near Mexico Beach, Florida, packing maximum sustained winds of 160 mph.

With an estimated minimum central pressure of 919 millibars, Michael was the third-most-intense hurricane landfall in the continental U.S., according to NOAA's Hurricane Research Division.

As measured by minimum central pressure at landfall, here are the most intense continental U.S. hurricane landfalls from 1851-2017.

(Data: NOAA/HRD; Graphic: Infogram)

Only a pair of landfalls, Hurricane Camille in 1969 and the Florida Keys Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, had a lower central pressure at continental U.S. landfall than Michael.

A hurricane's central pressure is just one metric meteorologists use to put hurricanes into historical context. The lower the pressure, the more intense the hurricane.

Among the hurricane landfalls Michael's central pressure beat out were Katrina (920 millibars), Andrew (922 millibars) and Irma (931 millibars).

Michael was by far the most intense hurricane to landfall in the Florida Panhandle, according to NOAA's167-year best-track hurricane database.

Prior to Michael, there were 27 Category 4 or stronger hurricanes that made landfall in the continental U.S. in records dating to 1851, according to NOAA's Hurricane Research Division.

Locations of Category 4 continental U.S. hurricane landfalls from 1851-2017, with infrared satellite imagery of Category 4 Hurricane Michael at landfall on Oct. 10, 2018.

(Data: NOAA/HRD)

Florida had the most such Category4-plus landfallswith 13, followed by Texas with 7.All 13 of those Florida landfalls had happened in South Florida prior to Michael.

There hadn't been any Category 4 or strongerlandfalls farther north along the FloridaGulf Coastthan Hurricane Charley, whichslammed ashore on Sanibel Island, near FortMyers/Cape Coral,in 2004.

Prior to Michael, no Category4 or strongerhurricane made landfall in the U.S. in the 600-plus-mile stretch between Charley's landfall in southwestern Florida and where Camille roared ashore as ain Mississippi in 1969.

October Oddity

The majority of continental U.S. Category 4-plus hurricane landfalls havehappened in either September or August.

Michael was also the first Category 4-plus continentalU.S. hurricane landfall to happen in October in 64 years.

There have been only four other such October landfalls since the mid-19th century:

Hazel (1954) in the CarolinasKing (1950) in South FloridaThe Georgia Hurricane (1898)Chenier Caminanda Hurricane (1893) in southeastern Louisiana

The number of continental U.S. Category 4 or stronger hurricanes to landfall, by month, from 1851-2017.

(Data: NOAA/HRD; Graphic: Infogram)

Dr. Jeff Masters of Weather Underground noted thatonly Hazel and King made a Category 4 continentalU.S. landfall later in the yearthan Michael. Given both hit with winds of 130 mph, Michael isthe strongest U.S. landfalling hurricane on record so late in the year, Masters said.

Michael madelandfall more than a month later than the five most intense hurricanes by pressure listed above, according toBob Henson of Weather Underground.

(MORE: Weather Underground Cat.6 Blogs)

insulated Michaelfrom as the storm was organizing. Over the Gulf of Mexico, winds aloft ventilated the hurricane, allowing it to form an intense inner core of convection to intensify.

Given the historical rarity, intensity and impact, the name Michael was retired from future use in theAtlantic by the World Meteorological Organization.

This was the third straight "M" hurricane to be retired, following in 2017 and in 2016.