When Hurricane Ian crashed into Florida’s Gulf Coast as a Category 4 storm, it became one of the strongest hurricanes to ever hit the mainland of the United States.
There are many metrics used to determine a hurricane’s strength, ranging from its death toll, sustained wind speed, atmospheric pressure and winds at landfall. When it comes to winds at landfall, Ian’s 150-mph winds tied it with other previous hurricanes as the fifth strongest hurricane to ever hit the U.S. mainland.
Sustained wind speed determines a hurricane’s category, and Ian was a Category 4 hurricane when it made landfall, though it was just 7 mph away from ranking as a Category 5. Its speed at landfall made it the fifth hurricane in the 21st century to be ranked in the top 10 for wind speed.
Here are the strongest hurricanes to hit the U.S. mainland based on windspeed at landfall, according to the National Hurricane Center and USA TODAY records:
- Labor Day Hurricane of 1935: 185-mph in Florida
- Hurricane Camille (1969): 175-mph in Mississippi
- Hurricane Andrew (1992): 165-mph in Florida
- Hurricane Michael (2018): 155-mph in Florida
- Hurricane Ian (2022): 150-mph in Florida; Hurricane Ida (2021): 150-mph in Louisiana; Hurricane Laura (2020): 150-mph in Louisiana; Hurricane Charley (2004): 150-mph in Florida; 1932 Freeport Hurricane: 150-mph in Texas; 1919 Florida Keys Hurricane: 150-mph in Florida
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