NHC HURDAT2 · OpenFEMA · NWS Storm Events
Hurricane Michael (2018)
Michael in the federal records: the 861 cities near its track, flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and NWS reports.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
Hurricane Michael (2018) passed within 75 miles of 861 cities on this site in 7 states, 139 of them while it was at hurricane strength. Its peak wind on the NHC track was 161 mph (Category 5); the track runs from October 6, 2018 to October 15, 2018. It is on this list for 59 deaths in NWS reports that name it. The most cities within 75 miles were in North Carolina (319), Georgia (187), South Carolina (151) and Virginia (120).
- Cities within 75 mi
- 861
- Peak wind
- 161 mph
- NFIP claims
- 5,120
- Deaths in NWS reports
- 59
139 at hurricane strength
Category 5
$252.1 million
713 reports
The full track, landfalls and every city it passed →
Where it came closest
| City | Closest | Wind on the track | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apalachicola, FL | 34 mi | Category 5 (161 mph) | October 10, 2018 |
| Port St Joe, FL | 15 mi | Category 5 (160 mph) | October 10, 2018 |
| Eastpoint, FL | 38 mi | Category 5 (160 mph) | October 10, 2018 |
| Miramar Beach, FL | 57 mi | Category 5 (160 mph) | October 10, 2018 |
| Panama City Beach, FL | 23 mi | Category 5 (159 mph) | October 10, 2018 |
| Inlet Beach, FL | 31 mi | Category 5 (159 mph) | October 10, 2018 |
| Santa Rosa Beach, FL | 48 mi | Category 5 (159 mph) | October 10, 2018 |
| Destin, FL | 61 mi | Category 5 (159 mph) | October 10, 2018 |
| Eglin Afb, FL | 69 mi | Category 5 (159 mph) | October 10, 2018 |
| Shalimar, FL | 70 mi | Category 5 (159 mph) | October 10, 2018 |
| Fort Walton Beach, FL | 72 mi | Category 5 (159 mph) | October 10, 2018 |
| Hurlburt Field, FL | 74 mi | Category 5 (159 mph) | October 10, 2018 |
The 12 cities with the strongest wind on the NHC best track at its closest point, of 861 within 75 miles. Wind on the track is not the wind felt in the city.
Flood insurance claims and federal declarations
National Flood Insurance Program policyholders filed 5,120 claims under its name and were paid $252.1 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of the time; that is the 41st most of the 104 tropical systems with claims under their name. Florida had 4,291 of them (84%), then North Carolina with 548 and Virginia with 221. Among the cities on this site, the most claims came from Port St Joe, FL: 1,494, paid $173.1 million. Claims data as of September 8, 2026. FEMA issued 5 major disaster declarations and 3 emergency declarations naming it, covering 310 designated areas in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia; the first came on October 9, 2018.
| City | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Port St Joe, FL | 1,494 | $173.1 million |
| Panama City, FL | 904 | $19.6 million |
| Eastpoint, FL | 574 | $8.4 million |
| Lynn Haven, FL | 372 | $8.6 million |
| Panama City Beach, FL | 266 | $1.5 million |
| Kill Devil Hills, NC | 162 | $1.3 million |
| Panacea, FL | 161 | $6.1 million |
| Crawfordville, FL | 120 | $3.7 million |
FEMA, OpenFEMA FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3 (claims whose flood event carries the storm's name, ZIP codes summed by city) and Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What the National Weather Service recorded
The National Weather Service logged 713 reports whose account names it, in 14 states: 180 tropical storm, 92 marine thunderstorm wind, 90 flash flood, 90 flood and 64 heavy rain. They record 59 deaths and 3 injuries, and $15.85 billion in estimated property and crop damage.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, reports dated within the storm's track whose account names it. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses; some reports are unverified.
More notable storms
Why these storms and how each figure is counted: methodology.