Further east, the storm tide was estimated at 6.3 feet above astronomical tide in the Pensacola area, 4.5 feet above astronomical tide across coastal Santa Rosa County and 4.0 feet above astronomical tide across coastal Okaloosa County. Most property damage along the immediate coast was caused by high water. The water was estimated at nearly 10 feet above the astronomical tide on the night of August 17th through the 18th along Dauphin Island and coastal Mobile County. No reporting station across the Florida panhandle observed hurricane force winds. Further east from the path of Camille, hurricane force winds were reported on Dauphin Island and along the coast of Grand Bay and Portersville Bay. Moderate wind damage extended inland to Stone and George Counties in Mississippi with minor damage further inland, mainly restricted to fallen trees and power lines. Winds gusted to 100 mph across much of southern Mississippi. Counties in southeast Mississippi had the greatest damage due to the proximity to Camille's path across the state of Mississippi. Hurricane Camille impacted the entire region, especially counties across southeast Mississippi and southwest Alabama in our area. Photo courtesy of NOAA, Office for Coastal Management, DigitalCoast A devastating storm tide of 24.6 feet occurred west of our area in Pass Christian, MS. Re-analysis data found peak winds of 150 knots (roughly 175 mph) along the coast. The actual maximum sustained winds of Hurricane Camille are not known as the hurricane destroyed all the wind-recording instruments in the landfall area. Camille ranks just below the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane with 892 mb and 160 knots, while slightly stronger than Hurricane Andrew with 922 mb and 145 knots and Hurricane Michael with 919 mb and 140 knots. ( Note: It is worth mentioning that the 1928 San Felipe Hurricane made landfall as a Category 5 Hurricane on Puerto Rico)Ĭamille ranks as the 2nd most intense hurricane to strike the continental US with 900 mb pressure and landfall intensity of 150 knots. Camille is one of only FOUR Category 5 hurricanes ever to make landfall in the continental United States (Atlantic Basin) - the others being the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane, which impacted the Florida Keys Hurricane Andrew in 1992, which impacted south Florida and Hurricane Michael in 2018, which impacted the Florida panhandle. Late in the evening on August 17 in 1969, Hurricane Camille made landfall along the Mississippi Gulf Coast near Waveland, MS.