Hurricane Karl (2020)

Hurricane Harold was notorious for being the most intense storm on record (and becoming one of the deadliest on record) before Hurricane Michael and Typhoon Noelani formed. Harold was a Cape-Verde storm that made landfall on the Texas Coast with winds of 215 mph (345 km/h) and a pressure of 850 millibars (25.10 inHg), killing 70,000 in and around the Houston-Galveston region.

Meteorological History
Harold formed when a tropical wave passed over warm waters on July 22. The wave helped to produce a tropical depression on July 24, just off the Cape Verde Islands. Being a slow-moving storm, it quickly gained energy, eventually reaching tropical storm status twelve hours later. It was given the name Harold. It reached winds of hurricane force on July 25.

Harold continued to intensify, and by July 26, it was a monstrous Category 3 hurricane, with a diameter of 600 miles and a wind speed of 115 mph (185 km/h). The storm system was also reported to be moving at a forward speed of 10 mph, continuing to grow even stronger. The storm stayed at Category 3 intensity for 4 more days, before it came across a massive area of water, estimated to have been 86*F (30*C). The storm quickly grew in intensity, and just 40 hours before making landfall on the Windward Islands, it was estimated to have been packing winds of up to 165 mph (270 km/h) and a pressure of 914 millibars (27.00 inHg). It hit the Windward Islands at full force on July 31.

After passing over the islands, the storm continued to intensify, eventually reaching wind speeds of 200 mph (320 km/h) and a pressure of 880 millibars by the time it hit Jamaica on August 3 as a 350-mile-wide (560-km-wide) storm.

Thereafter, the storm went through an eyewall replacement cycle, and it weakened from 200 mph to 125 mph (200 km/h), but it grew to a diameter of 600 miles. It hit the Cayman Islands with wind speeds of 135 mph (217 km/h) on August 4. It then increased back into a major storm, hitting Cozumel as a 175-mph (280 km/h) storm, with a pressure of 900 millibars and a diameter of 450 miles (720 km/h) just 13 hours later.

The storm then crossed into the Gulf of Mexico on August 4 as a high-end Category 4 hurricane. With ocean waters of 33*C (91.5*F), though, the storm intensified into a monstrous storm, with a diameter of 600 miles. It gained a 20-mile-wide eyewall, with a radius of maximum winds extending 25 miles from the eye. A Hurricane Hunter plane recorded wind speeds of up to 215 mph (345 km/h) and a pressure of 850 millibars (25.1 inHg), making Harold the world's strongest hurricane up until Hurricane Michael, Typhoon Noelani, and Cyclone Minnie formed. The storm had hurricane-force winds extending 155 miles (250 km/h) east of the eye, with tropical gale-force winds extending 325 miles (520 km/h) east of the eye, while winds exceeding 100 mph extended 35 miles (56 km) from the eye. The same gales extended 275 miles (440 km/h) west of the eye, affecting Corpus Christi with 63 mph (102 km/h) winds and tides of seven feet (2.1 meters) above normal.

Harold increased in forward speed to 20 mph (32 km/h), slamming into Galveston at peak strength at 7:15 AM on August 7. The storm continued inland at a phenomenal rate, even reaching as far as Dallas with winds of up to 110 mph (180 km/h). It finally dissipated over the Great Lakes on August 10.

Impact
Hurricane Harold left a path of destruction throughout the Caribbean, Mexico, and especially in Texas.

Windward Islands
Hurricane Harold hit the island of Martinique with winds of 170 mph (275 km/h) and a pressure of 900 millibars. The storm surge affected areas over 80 miles north of Martinique, including Dominica, which reported average gusts exceeding 120 mph and a 15-foot (4.5 meter) storm surge.

The storm moved over the islands at 15 mph, causing death and destruction everywhere. The total death toll was estimated to have been 1,000. Damages exceeded $5 billion.

Jamaica
After reaching winds of up to 200 mph (320 km/h), the storm slammed into Jamaica full force, killing hundreds all over the island. Particularly affected was Kingston, which reported gusts of 200 mph for over four hours. The city was devastated by a 23-foot (7-meter) wall of water, which moved inland at 15 mph (24 km/h), killing hundreds that were caught in its path, as the water flooded up to five kilometers inland in some areas.

In all, over 2,000 died, of which 1,600 perished in Kingston. Damages exceed $12 billion in the country.

Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands were hit by the storm as it was beginning to intensify, with wind speeds of up to 135 mph (217 km/h). Harold produced a storm surge of up to 13 feet (4 meters), causing over 100 deaths and over $3 billion in damage.

Mexico
Harold first hit Cozumel with wind speeds of up to 175 mph (280 km/h), producing a storm surge of 20 feet. The storm surge slammed into the island, killing hundreds trapped in the region. The storm system then moved north, affecting Cancun and several other cities in the Yucatan Peninsula, killing hundreds more. Overall, a total of 1,900 people died, while damages exceeded $25 billion in damages.

United States of America
The United States of America was particularly affected by Hurricane Harold, as the hurricane hit Texas as a large, intense "super hurricane", killing tens of thousands in and around the state of Texas.

Texas
The hurricane hit the state at the worst possible location, between Freeport and Galveston, putting the northeast quadrant of the storm on top of Galveston. The storm surge, pushed inland by the hurricane reached a height of 33 feet (10 meters) in Galveston, and as the storm moved inland at a speed of 20 mph (32 km/h), Harold exposed much of the Houston-Galveston Region to winds of 215 mph (345 km/h) and gusts of 250 mph (400 km/h). The storm system affected the area for over 15 hours, leveling the region. As the storm system moved through while millions of people were caught in the storm, thousands were killed in their cars.

The storm surge reached heights well over 50 feet (15 meters) in Houston and Baytown, flooding miles inland and killing thousands.

All told, the storm left 70,000 dead in the region. Another 2,000 died in the Port Author region, which received winds of 90 mph (145 km/h) for hours on end, and a 15-foot storm surge, along with other areas as the storm system moved inland. Many of the deaths were in Dallas, when the hurricane moved on top of the city, causing massive death and destruction. Total damages reached over $550 billion in damages.

Louisiana
The hurricane produced hurricane-force winds and a major storm surge that flooded as far inland as Lake Charles, killing over 500 in the state. Over $30 billion in damage was done to the state. Officials state that sea level rise, which was a foot above normal sea level, exasperated the destruction.

Inland
Harold brought massive rainbands to Tennessee and Missouri, causing major floods and tornadoes that killed 500 in the Midwest, and causing $25 billion more in damage.

Aftermath
Hurricane Harold left a total of 78,000 dead in the Caribbean islands and America, and it caused a total of $600 billion in damage. The National Guard was overwhelmed in the state of Texas. Many areas were simply abandoned, including much of Lake Charles, LA, and Galveston, Texas.

For many of the areas, it will likely take decades for the areas to heal.