COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL)-Today marks the 30th anniversary of Hurricane Opal. Opal caused widespread damage across the south, including here in Columbus.
Opal Forms: Opal began as a weak tropical disturbance near Mexico on September 27th. Extremely warm waters in the Gulf would cause the system to rapidly intensify into a Category 4 Hurricane with winds of 150 mph (just below Category 5 intensity). Opal would make landfall as a major Category 3 storm in Pensacola, Florida, the morning of October 4th, 1995.
Evacuations: Because the storm intensified so close to making landfall, Hurricane Warnings were only posted at 11 PM the night before landfall. Many Gulf Coast residents evacuated last minute. Many were stranded on the interstate and could not evacuate in time.
Local Impacts: Opal weakened to a tropical storm as it moved over Alabama. The primary cause of damage was damaging winds and heavy rain. Fort Benning measured a gust of 61 mph, and Auburn, AL measured a gust of 57 mph. More than ten thousand trees were knocked down across Georgia, according to the NWS. Nearly three million were without power in Alabama and Georgia, some for over a week. Schools were closed across both states for several days as the cleanup began.
Gulf Coast Impacts: Opal was a fast-moving tropical cyclone; this was one of the reasons the storm surge was so bad along the Panhandle. In Navarre, FL, 10 to 15 feet of surge was recorded.
Almost all homes from Navarre to Destin that were on the beach were completely demolished. More than 125 homes were destroyed, and 150 had major damage, according to the NWS. Several roads were destroyed, including US Highway 98 from Fort Walton Beach to Destin and Highway 399.
Despite Opal's speed, it was still able to bring heavy rain to the Gulf Coast. Some of the highest rainfall totals were in Brewton, AL where 19.42 inches were reported.
When Opal made landfall, sustained winds were estimated to be near 115 mph. Some of the peak observed winds were at Hurlburt Field and Eglin Air Force Base, per the NWS in Mobile. Hurlburt Field measured 84 mph sustained winds with gusts of 144 mph. Eglin Air Force Base measured 81 mph sustained winds with gusts of 115 mph.
The storm caused over $5 billion in damage and killed 63 people. Several of the deaths in Georgia were due to downed trees as the storm pushed through.
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