How Hurricane Ian compares to the strongest hurricanes that hit Florida

An empty intersection ahead of Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers, Fla., on Sept. 28. Photo: Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images

According to the NHC, Hurricane Ian made landfall on Wednesday close to Cayo Costa, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph and "catastrophic" winds and storm surge.

The big picture: Since Storm Michael destroyed the Florida Panhandle in 2018, Ian is the strongest hurricane to make landfall in Florida.

According to Philip Klotzbach, a researcher at Colorado State University, a total of 14 Category 4 or 5 hurricanes have made landfall in Florida since 1851, the oldest data made public by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Ian's maximum sustained winds were 150 mph when it made formal landfall, down from 155 mph when it initially hit Sanibel and Captiva.

According to Klotzbach, only four hurricanes with maximum sustained winds of more than 155 mph have ever made landfall in the United States.

Here is a look at some of the most powerful storms to hit Florida in the previous 20 years, along with their effects.

Hurricane Andrew, 1992

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Hurricane Andrew had maximum sustained winds of 165 mph, making it the "strongest and most destructive hurricane on record to reach southern Florida."

One of only four Category 5 hurricanes to impact the United States since 1900, Hurricane Andrew made landfall in Miami-Dade County and left behind an estimated $26 billion in damage nationwide, according to NOAA.

23 Americans died as a direct result of the storm.

A Homestead, Fla., resident returns to his home following Hurricane Andrew. Photo: Steve Starr/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

Hurricane Charley, 2004

According to Weather.gov, Hurricane Charley made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on the southwest coast of Florida, close to the island of Cayo Costa.

According to NOAA, Hurricane Charley was one of four storms that formed in under six weeks in the 2004 hurricane season.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Tuesday referenced Hurricane Charley in issuing a warning for Hurricane Ian, saying: "I know there are folks in southwest Florida who remember Hurricane Charley was projected to make a direct impact into Tampa Bay and then it turned and went into southwest Florida."

I would just want to add that, although this is a very different storm, the track may end up doing something similar.

A shredded palm tree in Punta Gorda, Aug. 14, 2004, after Hurricane Charley passed through. Photo: Gary W. Green/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Hurricane Wilma, 2005

According to the National Weather Service, Storm Wilma made landfall in South Florida as a Category 3 hurricane with wind gusts up to 120 mph.

According to NOAA, Wilma caused damage in southern Florida that cost an estimated $16.8 billion and resulted in 22 deaths, five of which were in Florida.

Debris litters the ground outside a building in Marco Island, Fla., on Oct. 24, 2005. Photo: Gerald Weaver/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Hurricane Irma, 2017

Millions of customers in the state lost power as Hurricane Irma, a Category 4 storm with wind gusts of 130 mph and tornadoes, made landfall in the Florida Keys.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the storm caused damage worth $50 billion in Florida and caused seven deaths directly related to it.

A house raised from its foundations near the Atlantic coast in Key Largo, Fla., on Oct. 26. Photo: Michael Donhauser/picture alliance via Getty Images

Hurricane Michael, 2018

Hurricane Michael, which made landfall near Mexico Beach, Florida, was initially rated as a Category 4 hurricane in 2018, however, NOAA later elevated the storm to Category 5 following a post-storm investigation months later.

In the Florida Panhandle, the hurricane left behind significant damage. According to Reuters, there were eight direct fatalities confirmed, including seven in Florida.

Nine-year-old Jazzmyne Brock helps her mother and grandmother salvage items from a friend's trailer after it was destroyed by Hurricane Michael in Panama City, Fla., on Oct. 20, 2018. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

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