Many are wondering if Hurricane Milton is one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded in US history. Under a day, Milton developed from a Category 1 to a Category 5 (and perhaps even stronger than that) due to rapid intensification, accelerating by way of the particularly warm waters from the Gulf. While many understandably compared Milton to Helene, given them arriving back-to-back within a week of each other, here’s where the storm places as of the most powerful hurricanes in the North Atlantic Ocean.
Is Hurricane Milton one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded in the US?
Hurricane Milton, among all of the hurricanes ever recorded in the United States, is tied for 6th place in terms of highest sustained wind speed and 5th in lowest barometric pressure.
Here’s how Milton compares to other hurricanes throughout US history for sustained 1-minute wind speeds:
1: Allen (1980) – 190 mph
2: Wilma (2005) – 185 mph
2: Gilbert (1988) – 185 mph
2: “Labor Day” (1935) – 185 mph
2: Dorian (2019) – 185 mph
6: Milton (2024) – 180 mph
6: Rita (2005) – 180 mph
6: Mitch (1998) – 180 mph
6: Irma (2017) – 180 mph
And this is how Milton ranks for lowest barometric pressure:
1: Wilma (2005) – 882 hPa
2: Gilbert (1988) – 888 hPa
3: “Labor Day” (1935) – 892 hPa
4: Rita (2005) – 895 hPa
5: Milton (2024) – 897 hPa
6: Allen (1980) – 899 hPa
7: Camille (1969) – 900 hPa
8: Katrina (2005) – 902 hPa
9: Mitch (1998) – 905 hPa
10: Dean (2007) – 905 hPa
The measurements above for Hurricane Milton were reached on Monday, October 7, at 8PM ET as recorded by the National Hurricane Center.
While Milton still threatens the United States with it expected to make landfall in Florida on Wednesday and impacting the area through to Thursday and Friday, those top measurements will like not change as the hurricane has already been downgraded to a Category 4. As of 11 AM ET on Tuesday, the wind speed for Milton has lowered to 150 mph. As the system continues to head toward Florida, forecasts indicate that it will continue to diminish in strength due to wind shear.
However, the most dangerous aspect of Milton remains the potential storm surge. The NHC still expects Tampa Bay to experience 10 to 15 feet of storm surge, more than twice the amount during Hurricane Helene that already devastated the city’s coastal areas.
