In August 2005 Hurricane Katrina became one of the most powerful storms to strike the United States, with winds of 257 kilometers (160 miles) per hour and stronger gusts. The air pressure, another indicator of hurricane strength, at the center of this Category 5 storm measured 902 millibars, the fourth-lowest reading on record for an Atlantic storm. This image shows the massive hurricane covering much of the Gulf of Mexico, from the US coast to the Yucatan Peninsula. Before Katrina was over, an estimated 1,833 people died in the storm and the flooding that followed, and millions of others were left homeless along the Gulf Coast and in New Orleans. August 28, 2005.