This article is about the Atlantic hurricane of 2024. For other storms of the same name, see List of storms named Tony.
| Category 5 major hurricane (SSHWS/NWS) | |
 Hurricane Tony at peak intensity south of Louisiana on September 29 | |
| Formed | September 22, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Dissipated | October 4, 2024 |
| (Remnant low after October 3) | |
| Highest winds | 1-minute sustained: 180 mph (285 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 901 mbar (hPa); 26.61 inHg |
| Fatalities | 3,593 total |
| Damage | $175 billion (2024 USD) |
| Part of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Hurricane Tony was an extremely powerful and destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane and the costliest on record, inflicting $175 billion in damages when it made landfall in the U.S. state of Louisiana during the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. It is the deadliest Atlantic hurricane to affect the United States since the Galveston hurricane in 1900, over a century prior, causing 3,593 fatalities. In addition, it was the second-strongest landfalling Atlantic hurricane on record with winds of 180 mph (290 km/h).
Tony originated from a tropical wave which exited the west coast of Africa on September 19, organizing into a tropical depression on September 22 after obtaining adequate convection and organization to be designated as a tropical cyclone. Shortly after, the system intensified into Tropical Storm Tony. It entered the Caribbean Sea, and plateaued in intensity for the next few days, until finally entering more favorable conditions which permitted the storm's intensification into a hurricane on September 25 at 18:00 UTC, making landfall in Haiti twelve hours later at that intensity. The system made a second landfall in Pilón, Cuba at 18:00 UTC the next day, and twelve hours later, it intensified into a Category 2 hurricane despite land interaction. At 00:00 UTC on September 28, Tony made landfall on Isla de la Juventud, the second storm in the season to do so, and made yet another landfall in Cuba near Pinar del Río six hours later after weakening back to a Category 1 hurricane.
Upon reaching the Gulf of Mexico, Tony entered a very warm environment conducive for strong tropical cyclone activity, and began explosively deepening, with its pressure falling from 973 mbar (28.73 inHg) to 901 mbar (26.61 inHg) and winds doubling from 90 mph (145 km/h) to 180 mph (290 km/h) in a 24-hour period. This therefore resulted in Tony becoming the most intense tropical cyclone in the Gulf of Mexico since Hurricane Rita in 2005. Tony maintained Category 5 hurricane intensity for 18 hours, making landfall near Port Sulphur, Louisiana late on September 29 with a minimum pressure of 905 millibars (26.72 inches of mercury). Land interaction caused the system to begin rapidly weakening, and made a sixth and final landfall on September 30 at 01:45 UTC near Gulfport, Mississippi as a high-end Category 4 hurricane. The system rapidly weakened inland, progressing through the Southeastern United States, losing hurricane intensity over Birmingham, Alabama. It was downgraded to a tropical depression over Knoxville, Tennessee, and degenerated into a remnant low over West Virginia on October 2. The remnants persisted until they dissipated over West Virginia twelve hours later.
Hurricane Tony caused catastrophic damage in the states of Louisiana and Mississippi. Total damage from the storm reached $175 billion, causing a storm surge of 38 feet (11.8 m), the highest storm surge recorded for an Atlantic hurricane. It penetrated New Orleans' levee system, which was unable to survive Tony's extreme damages, and left the city underwater for over three months. The storm surge also heavily damaged structures along coastal Mississippi and Alabama, causing catastrophic damage. Tony's intense winds and large size caused heavy structural damage hundreds of miles from the landfall region, downing power lines and structures across Mississippi and Louisiana. The United States federal government spent up to $120 billion in relief and restoring the damage caused by Hurricane Tony, using the funds to rebuild houses and repair the levees that were damaged by the storm.
Meteorological history[]
Map plotting the storm's track and intensity, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
Tropical storm (39–54 mph, 63–87 km/h)
Category 1 (74–95 mph, 119–153 km/h)
Category 2 (96–110 mph, 154–177 km/h)
Category 3 (111–129 mph, 178–208 km/h)
Category 4 (130–156 mph, 209–251 km/h)
Category 5 (≥157 mph, ≥252 km/h)
Extratropical cyclone / remnant low, tropical disturbance, or monsoon depressionPreparations[]
Impact[]
Aftermath[]
Retirement[]
On April 10, 2025, during the 47th Session of the RA IV Hurricane Committee, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) retired the name Tony due to the widespread devastation it occurred, and it will never be used again for another Atlantic hurricane. It was replaced with Trevor for the 2030 season.