Category 5 Hurricane Explained: What Is It Like Being In Its Path?

A Category 5 hurricane, such as Milton, poses a catastrophic threat to those in its path, but the true experience of such a storm is difficult to grasp until it strikes. The strength of hurricanes is assessed using the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which categorizes storms based on their sustained wind speeds. A Category 5 hurricane can devastate homes, rendering areas uninhabitable for weeks or even months after it passes. With maximum sustained winds of at least 157 mph, it can rip roofs off, shatter windows, and demolish walls, trees, and power lines.

Power outages, floods

Power outages in the wake of such storms can persist for months, isolating affected communities. Flooding can cut off escape routes, and low-lying structures near the coast may be completely destroyed. The psychological impact can also be significant, as both adolescents and adults may suffer from post-traumatic stress long after the storm has passed.

Experts say that damage caused by a Category 5 hurricane is nearly impossible to survive. They compare it to an EF-4 tornado, explaining that while a tornado affects a relatively small area, a hurricane of this strength impacts a much larger region with winds exceeding 150 mph. The storm can generate storm surges exceeding 20 feet, inundating two-story homes near the shore.

Category 5 hurricane wind speed

Winds would be extraordinarily powerful, with debris traveling at 150 mph, making it potentially lethal to anyone caught outside. He stated that standing in such conditions would be nearly impossible.

People who have experienced Category 5 hurricanes in past, describe the winds as akin to the uncomfortable sensation of driving at 75 mph with your head out the window. Hurricane Irma, which hit in September 2017, stripped trees of their leaves, and recovery efforts were complicated by the imminent arrival of Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 storm that caused additional devastation.

Hurricane Milton intensifies into a Category 5 hurricane

Decades earlier, Mississippi was hit with Hurricane Camille, another catastrophic Category 5 hurricane. Survivors, likened the sound of the storm to a relentless train, with the unsettling noise of trees cracking and power lines snapping all around.

As Hurricane Milton intensified into a Category 5 storm, it prompted evacuations in Florida, just days after the state was battered by Category 4 Helene.

While the continental US has seen numerous hurricanes since the 1850s, it wasn’t until 1935 that a Category 5 storm made landfall, specifically the Labor Day hurricane in the Florida Keys. Since then, only a few others, including Camille, Andrew, and Michael, have reached this level of intensity. Since 2016, there have been ten Category 5 hurricanes in the Atlantic, with over 40 storms of this magnitude recorded since 1924.

Read More: Hurricane Milton To Hit Florida With 165mph Winds And Horror Floods