Reflecting on the destruction wrought by Hurricane Ian in southwestern Florida, Hal Summers sees echoes of the Category 5 hurricane that nearly took his life four years earlier.
Hurricane Michael crashed ashore in the Florida Panhandle on Oct. 10, 2018, near Mexico Beach and Tyndall Air Force Base with Category 5 winds and towering storm surge. At landfall, the storm’s maximum sustained winds were found to have clocked in at 160 mph — easily surpassing the Category 5 threshold of 157 mph and earning Michael the title of the strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in the Florida Panhandle. Storm surge reached 9 to 14 feet at Mexico Beach to Indian Pass, according to the National Weather Service.
