ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — On Aug 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfalls in Louisiana and Mississippi before weakening and falling apart over the Southeast United States. 

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Katrina's first landfall was on Aug 25 in Southeast Florida as a category 1 hurricane.

It is hard to believe that 13 years has passed since Katrina. I remember working the morning before Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana and Mississippi. At that time, Katrina was a monster category 5 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, moving slowly to the north. 

With a specific landfall location still somewhat uncertain, we knew that Southeast Louisiana and Southern Mississippi were going to be devastated by Katrina. 

I remember the statement put out by the National Weather Service office in New Orleans on Sunday morning, Aug 28, 2005. I can still remember the feeling I had in reading the chilling message the day before the storm was going to make its landfall. 

Seeing statements like this…"MOST OF THE AREA WILL BE UNINHABITABLE FOR WEEKS...PERHAPS LONGER" was chilling indeed.

Now, it turns out that the statement from that office was correct but for the wrong reason. But, that is a discussion for another time.

But, what Katrina did do was unbelievable regardless.

Katrina made is 2nd landfall (1st on the 29th) in extreme Southeast Louisiana as a strong category 3 storm. Winds just offshore were around 125 mph. 

Storm surge was estimated at 14 feet in some of the parishes of SE Louisiana. Because of how big Katrina was, and how much water it brought from the Gulf, and the angle in which it was approaching the coastline, the east and east southeast wind on the north side of the hurricane brought incredible amounts of water into Lake Pontchartrain which ultimately led to the failure of the levees around New Orleans. 

The flooding, devastation, and death that resulted is what most people remember about Katrina.

As such a large storm and moving slowly in the Gulf, the amount of water it was able to bring with it from the Gulf was amazing. Once it made its 3rd landfall near Bay St. Louis, MS it brought a 27 foot storm surge that move inland as much as 6-12 miles. 

When all was said and done, Katrina was responsible for as many as 1800 deaths and damage exceeded $125 billion.

Katrina is one of those storms, that anyone with even a remote weather interest will remember.