Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina was one of the deadliest hurricanes to ever hit the United States and the second Category 5 hurricane of the record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season.

Hurricane Katrina

Category 5 major hurricane (SSHWS/NWS)
Hurricane Katrina at peak intensity in the Gulf of Mexico on August 28, 2005
Formed	August 24, 2005
Dissipated	August 31, 2005[1]
(Extratropical after August 29)
Highest winds	1-minute sustained: 175 mph (280 km/h)
Lowest pressure	902 mbar (hPa); 26.64 inHg
Fatalities	1,933 total
Damage	125 billion (2005 USD) (Tied as costliest tropical cyclone on record[2])
Areas affected	Bahamas South Florida, Central Florida and the Florida Panhandle Cuba Louisiana (especially Greater New Orleans) Mississippi Alabama most of the Eastern United States Eastern Canada
Part of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season

Storm history

Main article: Storm history of Hurricane Katrina

Storm path

The storm formed over the Bahamas on August 23, where it moved west and hit south Florida as a Category 1 hurricane two days later. Katrina then crossed over Florida and strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane moving west in the Gulf of Mexico.

The storm then turned north, had an eyewall replacement cycle, and hit east Louisiana and Mississippi, flooding coastal areas on the morning of August 29.

The leftovers of Katrina then died out over the Great Lakes on August 31.

Impact

People on the roofs of their houses, to avoid the flood waters

80% of New Orleans was flooded when the levees protecting the city broke.^[3][4] Most of the people killed by Katrina were thought to have died from drowning. Many of the survivors had swum to higher roofs or tree branches.

Related pages

• 2005 Atlantic hurricane season
• Hurricane Rita
• Meteorological history of Hurricane Katrina
• Hurricane Katrina tornado outbreak
• National Weather Service bulletin for New Orleans region
• List of hurricanes in Florida