Last updated October 14, 2023
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Hurricane Michael October 2018

Mexico Beach, FL

Hurricane Michael made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane near Mexico Beach, Florida on the afternoon of Wednesday, October 10th, 2018 with sustained wind speeds up to 160 mph.[1] Michael is the strongest hurricane landfall on record in the Florida Panhandle and only the second known Category 5 landfall on the northern Gulf coast.[3]

Climate change affects hurricane activity and amplifies the damages in several ways including: (1) increasing the rainfall that drops during the storm, (2) increasing sea surface temperatures which in turn raises the maximum potential energy that a storm can reach, and (3) elevating storm surge, via sea level rise, which extends the storm's reach along low-lying areas. The seas over which Michael traveled before landfall were up to 3.6°F (2°C) warmer than the historical average, a significant increase.[2]

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Damage from hurricane force winds
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Global Warming
Air Mass Temperature Increase
Sea Surface Temperature Increase
Land Surface Temperature Increase
Atmospheric Moisture Increase
Intense Atlantic Hurricane Frequency Increase
Glacier and Ice Sheet Melt
Thermal Expansion of the Ocean
Extreme Precipitation Increase
Storm Surge Increase
Sea Level Rise
Runoff and Flood Risk Increase
Wind Damage Risk Increase
Coastal Flooding Increase
Hurricane Michael October 2018