Satellite image of Hurricane Michael on October 10, 2018.

At a Glance

U.S. hurricane landfalls have been ranked by pressure since 1851 and lower pressure means a more intense hurricane.Here is a look at the five most intense U.S. hurricanes at landfall.The most recent hurricane to be one of the most intense U.S. landfalls is Michael.

Almost 300 hurricanes have made landfall in the U.S. since 1851, but the most intense, based on pressure, are the ones that caused catastrophic damage.

When meteorologists are tracking hurricanes, the pressure near the center of the cyclone is closely monitored. In general, a lower pressure means a more intense hurricane in terms of its winds and overall destructive potential. Conversely, a higher pressure indicates a weaker system. It is important to note that rainfall impacts do not depend on a hurricane's pressure and wind.

Here are the top five most intense contiguous U.S. hurricane landfalls based on pressure.

1. Labor Day Hurricane (1935)

With a pressure of 892 millibars at landfall in the Florida keys, the Labor Day hurricane of 1935 is the most intense hurricane on record to hit the U.S.

The small hurricane underwent strengthened from a Category 1 to a Category 5 as it moved from Andros Island in the Bahamas on Sept. 1 to the Florida Keys on the evening of Sept. 2. Maximum sustained winds at landfall were estimated to be 185 mph, with storm surge reaching 20 feet, according to NOAA.

NOAA says that the combination of winds and surge caused 408 fatalities, primarily among World War I veterans that were working on construction in the area. Many victims were waiting for the arrival of a train from Miami that would evacuate them. It never arrived, however, since much of it was swept from the tracks by the hurricane.

Track of the 1935 Labor Day hurricane.

(NOAA)

2. Hurricane Camille (1969)

Hurricane Camille was devastated the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

At the time of its landfall on the night of Aug. 17-18, 1969, the pressure was 900 millibars. The exact wind speeds will never be known. All wind-measuring instruments near the core of Camille were destroyed. However, in winds were estimated at 175 mph.

The storm surge of 24.6 feet in southern Mississippi set a U.S. record that would later be surpassed by that of Katrina. Because Camille was more compact, that devastating surge focused on a narrower swath of coastline than that of Katrina.

One hundred forty-three people died from Camille's landfall and another 113 perished in Virginia from flash flooding resulting from Camille's remnants.

A ship carried by Camille's storm surge rests alongside a home in Biloxi, Mississippi

(NOAA Photo Library)

3. Hurricane Michael (2018)

Hurricane Michael made a catastrophic landfall on Oct. 10, 2018, near Mexico Beach, Florida. The estimated minimum central pressure was 919 millibars and maximum sustained winds were determined to be .

(MORE: Hurricane Michael Was the Third Most Intense Continental U.S. Landfall on Record)

The majority of continental U.S. Category 4 and 5 hurricane landfalls have typically happened in August or September, but Michael made landfall in the Florida Panhandle in October, unusually late for such a strong landfall in the U.S.

Michael produced devastating storm surge, wind damage and flooding. It caused 16 deaths and an estimated $25 billion in damage.

Hurricane Michael Track

4. Hurricane Katrina (2005)

Katrina struck both Florida and the central Gulf Coast as a damaging hurricane, but its greatest fury was reserved for its second landfall in Louisiana. Katrina made landfall near Buras, Louisiana, with a pressure of 920 millibars. It remains the lowest pressure on record for a landfall.

(MORE: Hurricane Katrina)

Katrina was a large hurricane, guaranteeing a devastating storm surge that was estimated as peaking at nearly 28 feet around Waveland and Pass Christian, Mississippi, the highest surge on record in the U.S. The surge penetrated six miles inland across most of southern Mississippi and up to 12 miles inland along bays and rivers. Over 200 people lost their lives in Mississippi, mostly due to the surge.

Water also pushed west into Lake Pontchartrain, leading to a storm surge of 10 to 19 feet. Water also surged into the network of canals and channels around New Orleans and the subsequent overtopping and breaching of levees and floodwalls eventually combined to flood 80 percent of New Orleans. It took six weeks to remove all the water from the city.

Satellite image taken August 28, 2005, about 10 hours prior to landfall

(NOAA)

5. Hurricane Andrew

Andrew, like Katrina, impacted both Florida and the central Gulf Coast, but unlike Katrina it was a small hurricane.

Andrew had extreme winds estimated to be strength at landfall along the southeastern Florida Coast and its pressure at landfall was 922 millibars.

After striking southern Florida, Andrew made a second landfall in south-central Louisiana as a hurricane.

(MORE: Hurricane Andrew Remembered, 25 Years Later)

The intense winds caused catastrophic damage in southern Florida, destroying or damaging approximately 125,000 homes. Andrew's total cost was $26.5 billion, mostly in Dade County, Florida. At the time, it was the most costly natural disaster in U.S. history.

Radar image of Hurricane Andrew at landfall in South Florida on August 24, 1992.

(NOAA/AOML)