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- #41
I was channel hopping and found this list of facts about Hurricane Michael and other storms that have besieged our friends in the greater gatorlands…
- Michael was the first Category 4 storm on record to make landfall in the Florida Panhandle.
- It was also the first major hurricane (Category 3 or above) to strike the Florida Panhandle since Hurricane Dennis in 2005.
- After Michael was downgraded Wednesday afternoon, it became the first Category 3 hurricane to hit Georgia since 1898.
- A wind gust of 130 mph was reported near Tyndall AFB, close to Panama City, before the instrument failed.
- Only three major hurricanes made landfall in the Panhandle since 1950 before this: Eloise in 1975, Opal in 1995 and Dennis in 2005.
- Hurricane Michael, with 155 mph winds at landfall, is the strongest storm to make landfall in the continental US since Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
- The "forecast cone" for Michael (the storm's projected path) stretches from Florida all the way north to Maryland.
- Before Michael made landfall, about 30 million people were under a hurricane watch or warning, or tropical storm watch or warning, across six states (Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina).
- Michael is the seventh hurricane of the year in the Atlantic Basin. On average, the Atlantic has about five hurricanes by October 8.
- Its tropical-storm-force wind speeds stretch for more than 320 miles -- equal to the distance between New York City and Pittsburgh.
- Florida has had more hurricanes in October than in any other month.
- Hurricane Michael rapidly intensified by 45 mph in the 24 hours leading up to landfall.
