Hurricane Opal was a worst case scenario for weather forecasters. In the eighteen hours before its landfall just east of Pensacola on October 4, 1995, Opal went from a Category 2 Hurricane, to a strong Category 4 Hurricane, back to a Category 2 just before landfall.
At 4:45 a.m. CDT, Air Force Reconnaissance reported an alarming central pressure of 916 mb and winds were estimated at a devastating 150 mph, making the storm the strongest of record in the Atlantic in October. The storm had rapidly intensified that morning, dropping from 951 to 916 mb in just nine hours. At this time Opal was 250 nautical miles south-southwest of Pensacola, Florida.
Fortunately, Opal could not maintain peak intensity as the inner eyewall collapsed within a few hours. The maximum sustained winds were 115 mph near the center of the storm. Mary Esther, Florida recorded sustained winds of 80 mph with a questionable wind gust to 144 mph.
Although winds were diminishing at the time of landfall, extensive damage due to a storm surge of 15 feet and breaking waves occurred over most of the coastal areas of the Florida panhandle. The U.S. death toll was nine. Total damage was $3 billion.
Researchers believe that Opal moved over a warm water eddy over the Gulf of Mexico which had broken off from the Gulf Stream. Water in the eddy was a degree or two warmer than in the surrounding area, allowing the storm to strengthen rapidly.
