 Opal shortly before peak intensity south of Louisiana early on October 4 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | September 27, 1995 |
| Extratropical | October 5, 1995 |
| Dissipated | October 6, 1995 |
| Category 4 major hurricane | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
| Highest winds | 150 mph (240 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 916 mbar (hPa); 27.05 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 63 total |
| Damage | $4.7 billion (1995 USD) |
| Areas affected |
|
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1995 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Hurricane Opal was a large and powerful tropical cyclone that caused severe and extensive damage along the northern Gulf Coast of the United States in October 1995. The fifteenth named storm, ninth hurricane and strongest tropical cyclone of the unusually active 1995 Atlantic hurricane season, Opal developed from the interaction of a tropical wave and a low-pressure area near the Yucatán Peninsula on September 27 as Tropical Depression Seventeen. The depression crossed the Yucatán Peninsula and intensified into a tropical storm on September 30. Opal intensified into a hurricane on October 2 after entering the Gulf of Mexico. The cyclone turned northeastward and strengthened significantly. By October 4, Opal was an intense 150 mph (240 km/h), Category 4 hurricane. With a minimum pressure of 916 millibars (916 hPa; 27.0 inHg), Hurricane Opal was the most intense category 4 Atlantic hurricane on record. However, the cyclone abruptly weakened to a low-end Category 3 hurricane prior to making landfall on the Florida Panhandle near Pensacola later that day. The storm quickly unraveled as it moved inland and became extratropical on October 5. The remnants of Opal moved northward and dissipated over Ontario the following day.
The precursor and initial stages of Opal brought heavy rainfall and flooding to Guatemala and Mexico. In the former, flooding and landslides left about 34,000 people homeless and damage to infrastructure and agriculture. A total of 31 deaths occurred in Guatemala. In Mexico, a number of rivers overflowed in the states of Campeche and Tabasco, forcing more than 42,000 people to evacuate. The storm left hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to agriculture in Campeche alone. Nineteen people were killed in the country. In Florida, high winds and storm surge left extensive damage in the panhandle. The majority of structures were swept away or experienced some degree of damage, particularly from Wakulla County westward. In Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Bay counties, nearly 300 homes were destroyed and 1,000 others suffered major damage. The storm left at least $2.1 billion in damage in Florida alone. Several other states were impacted by the storm, especially Alabama, where the storm spawned many tornadoes and strong winds downed numerous trees and left about 2.6 million people without electricity. A total of 27 deaths were attributed to Opal in the United States. The hurricane overall left about $4.7 billion in damage, much of which took place in the US. Due to its destructive effects, the name Opal was retired in the spring of 1996 and replaced with Olga for the 2001 season.