8th Anniversary of Hurricane Michael — October 10, 2018: A Day the Forgotten Coast Will Never Forget Eight years ago today, Hurricane Michael made landfall near Mexico Beach, Florida, as a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph. Here are some remarkable facts about one of the most devastating storms in American history: Hurricane Michael was one of only four hurricanes in recorded history to strike the contiguous United States at Category 5 strength. At T.H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park on @30ECSB Cape San Blas, Michael’s powerful storm surge and waves carved a massive breach through the peninsula—approximately 1,000 feet wide and 7 feet deep—connecting the Gulf directly to St. Joseph Bay. The breach effectively cut the state park in half, temporarily transforming the northern wilderness area into an isolated island. Michael holds the record as the most intense hurricane to make landfall in the United States during the month of October. In Mexico Beach, the destruction was catastrophic. Of the town’s 1,692 buildings, 1,584 were damaged, including 809 reported destroyed. That’s approximately 94% of the town’s buildings damaged or destroyed. The storm also produced extraordinary coastal flooding. In Port St. Joe, the U.S. Geological Survey documented a high-water mark exceeding 20 feet above a standardized elevation reference known as NAVD88, illustrating the extreme water levels associated with the storm. With a minimum central pressure of 919 millibars, Michael was the third-most intense hurricane to strike the contiguous United States by barometric pressure, trailing only the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane and Hurricane Camille in 1969. Despite weakening after landfall, Michael remained an exceptionally powerful hurricane as it moved into southwestern Georgia, bringing devastating winds and widespread destruction. The National Weather Service described Michael as Georgia's first major hurricane impact since 1898. In recognition of the catastrophic loss of life and approximately $25.5 billion in damage caused by the storm, the World Meteorological Organization officially retired the name Michael from the rotating list of Atlantic hurricane names. Michael’s powerful winds snapped, uprooted, or otherwise damaged trees across nearly 3 million acres of forestland in Florida alone. Eight years later, Hurricane Michael’s scars remain etched into the landscape and the memories of those who experienced it. Its devastation serves as a lasting reminder of nature’s extraordinary power and the resilience of the communities that endured it. #HurricaneMichael #FLWX #ForgottenCoast #CapeSanBlas #MexicoBeachFL #FloridaPanhandle

Post Hurricane Isaias—Current view over @30ECSB Cape San Blas, FL from the Rock Revetment (near the Stump Hole) to roughly the beginning of T.H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park. The water is still very churned up but the sky was beautiful. #HurricaneIsaias #30ECSB #30E #CapeSanBlas #StJosephPeninsula #ForgottenCoast #ThirtyE #GulfCountyFL #SevereWeather #ConeHeads8020