Hurricane Statistics Fast Facts Notable Hurricanes in Recent US History Category 5 storm. Made landfall in Florida near Mexico Beach and the Tyndall Air Force Base. The hurricane was designated as a Category 4 storm when it made landfall in Florida but a post storm analysis revealed that winds reached 160 mph, prompting the upgrade by the National Hurricane Center. It is rare for category 5 storms to directly hit the mainland United States. The storm’s atmospheric pressure was 919 millibars at landfall, the third lowest pressure on record for a hurricane hitting the United States in modern times. The town of Mexico Beach was devastated by the storm. Out of 1,692 buildings in town, 1,584 buildings were reported damaged, with 809 of those reported destroyed. At the Tyndall Air Force Base, all buildings in the complex were reported damaged.