2005’s Katrina to 2025’s Erin: America’s storm problem is growing

On August 25, 2005, right before it made landfall north of Miami, Tropical Storm Katrina became Hurricane Katrina. As it blew through the southern tip of Florida, it caused some damage and 11 fatalities, but no one ranked it as one of the storms of the century at the time.

After crossing the southern tip of the state, though, the storm entered the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, where it rapidly grew, eventually reaching Category 5 status, the highest on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

Four days later, on August 29, 2005, Katrina made a second landfall over Hancock County, Mississippi as a strong Category 3 storm, affecting areas from New Orleans to Mobile, Alabama. The destruction is well known today. Nearly 1,400 people lost their lives and damages totaled $125 billion.

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