Hurricane Tony (Hitman)

Hurricane Tony was a massively powerful Category 5 hurricane that caused mass destruction in the Atlantic basin, especially in the Western Atlantic in October and November 2018. Until Hurricane Sigma later that year and very early in the next year, 2019, Tony was the hurricane ever, causing around $458 billion (2018 USD) in damages.

On October 7, the NHC began to monitor a tropical wave that moved off off of Senegal, and the next day, the system became Tropical Storm Tony.

On October 11, rapid intensification occurred, and Tony became a Category 4 when the system hit Northern South America. The Greater Antilles, along with the Caribbean, were hit head on, causing catastrophic damage. 6,347 were killed and $85 billion in damages. Tony slowed down before a final approach to Cuba.

Cuba was hit as Tony was a Category 5 with wind speeds of 175 mph and a barometric pressure of 905 mbar. Starting to head north, Tony began to towards the northeast. Texas was hit as a Catgeory 5 with 190 mph winds and a new barometric pressure of 892 mbar.

Catastrophic damage was done in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas and $92 billion in damages was done in those states, along with 988 deaths. Tony then turned towards the Gulf of Mexico once again and the system regained Category 5 strength. Crossing South Florida as a Category 5 with 200 mph winds and a new barometric pressure of 877 mbar. Bermuda was then hit as Tony slightly weakened. 180 mph winds were recorded with pressure recorded at 899 mbar.

Paralleling the East Coast of the U.S., a brief landfall of the Carolinas caused heavy rainfall, and an estimated $7 billion in those 2 states. Tony then rapidly re-intensified, reaching peak strength of 225 mph and a barometric pressure of 846 mbar.

States of emergencies were declared from Virginia to Massachusetts. Hitting the East Coast head on, catastrophic damage was done on the East Coast as heavily populated cities such as Washington D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City, Hartford, and Boston each got at least 25 inches of rain with wind speeds up to 200 mph. On the East Coast, an estimated $188 billion in damages was done, along with 1,244 deaths. Making a 180 degree turn, Tony re-intensified with 215 mph winds speeds and a barometric pressure of 851 mbar when the system slammed into Virginia on November 10.

Barely weakening, Tony slammed into Ohio and actually re-intensified over Lake Ontario. Slamming into Canada, Tony brought strong straight-line winds, heavy rains and huge storm surges. After causing $22 billion after making another landfall on the U.S. East Coast, Tony caused another $64 billion in damages and killing 3,759 after another landfall.

Tony then pushed out over the Atlantic and fully dissipated on November 19. In all, Tony caused 12,338 deaths, over 100,000 injuries, and a record $458 billion (2018 USD) in damages, making it the costliest natural disaster in world history, until Sigma later in the season. Due to record intensity, flooding, and damage, Tony was retired from hurricane usage, being replaced with Taylor for the 2024 season.