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Hurricane Katrina: Quick Facts

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Facts

Date August 23, 2005 - August 31, 2005
Location Louisiana • Gulf of Mexico / Gulf of America • Mississippi • New Orleans • United States

Did You Know?

  • If all the debris from Hurricane Katrina were stacked on a football field, the pile would reach over ten miles high.

Photos and Videos

Satellite image of Hurricane Katrina as a large, well-defined spiral with a clear eye over the Gulf of Mexico, approaching the southern United States coastline.
Infographic showing Hurricane Katrina's path from its formation over the Bahamas to landfall in Florida and Louisiana, with a curved track across the southeastern U.S. It highlights nearly 1,400 lives lost, about $125 billion in damages, 62 tornadoes in 8 states, and a maximum storm surge of 26 to 28 feet in Mississippi. Flooded areas of New Orleans and storm categories at each location are also illustrated.
Hurricane Katrina
View from inside Hurricane Katrina's eye wall, showing a ring of dense, towering white clouds with blue sky visible above the storm.
Aerial view of flooded homes and scattered debris surrounded by water and trees after Hurricane Katrina in Port Sulphur, Louisiana.
Trees destroyed by Hurricane Katrina
Infographic comparing the storm surge during hurricanes Ian, Irma, and Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Superdome
President George W. Bush leans forward and looks out the window of Air Force One during daylight, gazing at the scene below with a serious expression.
Five hands on a concrete wall; above a torn edge are scenes of outdoor dining, floodwater, and a crowded street; text reads “Who gets to move on?”
Satellite view of two swirling storms over the ocean with a blue Hello my name is ??? name tag superimposed.
Can We Predict Natural Disasters?
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Warm water fuels Hurricane Katrina. This image depicts a 3-day average of actual dea surface temperatures for the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, from August 25-27, 2005.
Disasters of Historic Proportion
Warm water fuels Hurricane Katrina. This image depicts a 3-day average of actual dea surface temperatures for the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, from August 25-27, 2005.
Disasters of Historic Proportion