08/29/2026
21 YEARS AGO TODAY — HURRICANE KATRINA 🌀
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made its devastating landfall along the northern Gulf Coast, becoming one of the most infamous hurricanes in U.S. history.
Just a day earlier, Katrina had exploded into a Category 5 hurricane over the Gulf of Mexico with 175 mph winds and a minimum pressure of 902 mb. Although it weakened before reaching the coast, Katrina still made landfall in southeast Louisiana as a powerful Category 3 hurricane with 125 mph winds, followed by another Category 3 landfall along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
The wind was only part of the story. Katrina drove a catastrophic storm surge onto the coast, reaching nearly 20 feet in some areas near the Mississippi-Alabama border. Levee failures also contributed to flooding that eventually covered roughly 80% of New Orleans.
In total, Katrina was responsible for 1,833 deaths and approximately $108 billion in damage in 2005 dollars, making it one of the deadliest and most destructive natural disasters in U.S. history.
Even 21 years later, the satellite imagery of Katrina sitting over the Gulf is still incredible to look at. A massive, extremely powerful hurricane that left a permanent mark on the Gulf Coast.
