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All storm pages · 2018 Atlantic season

Hurricane Michael 2018

Category 5 hurricane · Atlantic · October 7 to October 11, 2018

Michael's 160 mph landfall in Florida on October 10, 2018 ranks the third-strongest of the 229 storms with a landfall record there. It reached Category 5 with 160 mph winds, one of 44 Atlantic storms to do so since 1851. No other storm of the 2018 Atlantic season matched its 160 mph peak; the season had 16 storms. The name Michael is on the National Hurricane Center's list of retired Atlantic hurricane names.

Track of Michael (2018) from the best-track record, coloured by strength20°N30°N40°N80°W70°W60°W50°W40°W30°W20°WCharlotteMaconFlorida, 160 mphPeak 160 mphFirst recordNot tropicalDepressionTropical stormCategory 1Category 2Category 3Category 4Category 500 and 12 UTCLandfall

Strength over time

Maximum sustained wind of Michael (2018) over time, in mphTSCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 4Cat 504080120160200Oct 7Oct 8Oct 9Oct 10Oct 11Oct 12Oct 13Oct 14Oct 15mph
  1. First record (low) 105 miles east-northeast of Belize City, Belize, Belize
  2. Tropical storm 120 miles east-southeast of Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Quintana Roo, Mexico
  3. Hurricane 105 miles east-southeast of Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo, Mexico
  4. Major hurricane 270 miles west-southwest of Sarasota, Florida
  5. Peak 15 miles southeast of Panama City, Florida; lowest pressure 919 mb
  6. Landfall Florida
  7. No longer tropical (extratropical low) 40 miles north of Rocky Mount, North Carolina
  8. Last record far out at sea, at 41.2°N, 10.0°W

Against every Atlantic storm since 1851

Peak sustained wind160 mph · tied 28th of 1,98830 mph190 mph
Lowest central pressure919 mb · tied 27th of 1,277882 mb1016 mb
Accumulated cyclone energy12.5 · 426th of 1,7520.173.6
Days as a tropical or subtropical cyclone4.5 days · tied 1009th of 1,9880.0 days31.8 days

In the 2018 season

04080120160200Michael

Storm 14 of 16 in 2018, hurricane 7 of 8; it formed after Leslie and before Nadine. Michael produced 10% of the season's accumulated cyclone energy. See the season.

Places the center passed

The center came within 50 miles of at least 8 towns or cities of 10,000 people or more while the system was tropical. Distances are to the interpolated track line, not the storm's edge.

PlaceClosestWind thenDate
Rock Hill, South Carolina12 mi50 mphOctober 11
Albany, Georgia12 mi85 mphOctober 11
Panama City, Florida13 mi160 mphOctober 10
Charlotte, North Carolina16 mi50 mphOctober 11
Augusta, Georgia19 mi50 mphOctober 11
Macon, Georgia21 mi65 mphOctober 11
Salisbury, North Carolina23 mi50 mphOctober 11
Dublin, Georgia24 mi60 mphOctober 11

Every storm within 50 miles of Charlotte, North Carolina

Similar landfalls in Florida

Storms whose strongest landfall record in Florida came closest to Michael's 160 mph:

All 229 storms with a landfall record in Florida

Also peaked at 160 mph

Of 16 storms from other Atlantic seasons, the nearest in time: