from Opal comparable to the extensive damage from Hurricane Elena in 1985 were it not for the restoration projects constructed in the late 1980's and early >90's in those areas. It moved into southeast Canada during the night of the 5th, and weakened as it ejected eastward across New England.

Opal continued to strengthen, and a period of rapid strengthening late of the 3rd and early on the 4th made it a Category 4 hurricane. That storm was one of many that proves that people in our area need to be ready for hurricane season. Opal was the strongest hurricane of the 1995 season, killed more than 60 people and caused nearly $5 billion in damage.

Weakening followed, and Opal was a Category 3 hurricane when it made landfall near Pensacola Beach, Florida late on the 4th.

Hurricane Opal caused severe damage and 10 deaths in Georgia 20 years ago this week, in 1995. As much as $4.7 billion of damage …
Don't Edit Hurricane Danny, 1997 Opal formed on September 27 just off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. Hurricane Camille, category five, hit Mississippi and Louisiana in August of 1969, killing 256 people and causing damage in the millions.

Opal was a fast-mover, and its high winds reached well inland, knocking down many trees and causing structural damage in south and central Alabama. Pictured: a destroyed Navarre Beach home rests in a bay, Oct. 7, 1995, in Navarre Beach, Fla. Below is the track of Opal, created by the National Hurricane Center. Raw footage shot during and after Hurrican Opal struck the Florida Panhandle in October of 1995.
Since Opal tracked ashore farther west than Michael, a … View photos of the damage … Opal leaves trail of trees in Alabama.

A particularly dangerous aspect of Opal was its storm surge, with the sea rising 8 to 14 feet east of the storm center as it came ashore. According to the State of Florida - Hurricane Opal destroyed more coastal structures in Florida than all other coastal storms over the past 20 years combined.About 200 miles of shoreline suffered damage, from Pensacola Beach to St. Joseph Spit in Gulf County. View photos of the damage from 1995. Hurricane Opal cost $2.5 billion in damages when it struck in October of 1995. October 5, 1995 Web posted at: 12:10 p.m. EDT. Accelerating quickly to the northeast, Opal became extratropical on the 5th as it entered the Ohio Valley. Hurricane Opal was a major hurricane that formed in the Gulf of Mexico in September 1995. Hurricane Opal was a large and powerful Category 4 hurricane that caused severe and extensive damage along the coast of Destin and South Walton County. Preliminary Report Hurricane Opal 27 September - 6 October 1995 Max Mayfield National Hurricane Center 2 November 1995 Updated 9 September 2014 for U.S. damage Hurricane Opal made landfall near Pensacola Beach, Florida as a marginal Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir/Simpson Hurricane Scale, causing extensive storm surge damage to the immediate Updated 9 September 2014 for U.S. damage Hurricane Opal made landfall near Pensacola Beach, Florida as a marginal Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir/Simpson Hurricane Scale, causing extensive storm surge damage to the immediate coastal areas of the Florida panhandle. It's hard to believe it's been 23 years since Hurricane Opal.

Opal moved slowly across the Yucatan Peninsula, emerging into the southern Gulf of Mexico on September 30.

Hurricane Opal was an erratic storm in 1995 that changed strength quickly before landfall, as the strongest storm to hit the Panhandle in 20 years. But Hurricane Opal came right through Montgomery in 1995, leaving behind lasting damage. Hurricane Opal was a large and powerful Category 4 hurricane that caused severe and extensive damage along the coast of Destin and South Walton County. Hurricane Opal was the fifteenth named storm, tenth hurricane, and fourth major hurricane of the 1995 Atlantic hurricane season. Although its most forceful days were Oct. 4 and 5, the aftermath lasted well beyond.