How Milton is Stacking Up Against Some of the Worst Hurricanes

As Hurricane Milton barrels toward the Florida coastline, you may be wondering where this storm ranks on the list of most powerful tropical weather events. Even before making landfall later Wednesday, Milton is already taking its place in the record books. Here is a look at where this storm ranks from a historical perspective.

Strongest Storms Based on Air Pressure

It is difficult to tell with certainty how the modern-day storms stack up against their counterparts in the past. Improvements in the technology used to measure the storms have given meteorologists access to better data in recent years. This technology includes the use of hurricane hunter aircrafts and satellite images.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) uses two key metrics to rank the intensity of a hurricane. The first metric used is the storm's lowest pressure figure measured at the surface. In short, the lower the pressure reading, the stronger the storm. Pressure is measured in units known as millibars. For context, the average pressure hovering at sea level comes in at 1,013 millibars.

Only six storms to roam the Atlantic basin have measured pressure below 900 millibars, making it a significant distinction. As of Tuesday, Milton was in this elite ranking with a pressure reading of 897 millibars.

Hurricane Wilma of 2005 carries the distinction of having the lowest recorded pressure reading at 992 millibars. Wilma strengthened while churning over the western Caribbean Sea, also in the month of October. This storm also broke the record for the smallest recorded eye size at only 2.3 miles wide. An average hurricane eye measures 20 to 40 miles wide.

Hurricane Gilbert from 1988 is in second place at 888 millibars. Coming in at third place was what was known as the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, clocking in at 892 millibars. Hurricane Rita from 2005 is in fourth place at 895 millibars followed by the current Hurricane Milton. Hurricane Allen is just behind Milton with a reading of 899 millibars from 1980.

Of these storms, only the Labor Day Hurricane made a direct landfall on the U.S. while it was spinning at its peak intensity. The storm roared across the Florida Keys packing maximum sustained winds of 185 mph and storm surge that hit an eye-popping 20 feet. The Labor Day Hurricane was blamed on 408 fatalities.

Hurricane Camille of 1969 bottomed out at 900 millibars when it made landfall in Mississippi. Although the deadly Hurricane Katrina noticed a reading of 902 millibars while in the central Gulf of Mexico, it inched up a bit just prior to landfall.