NEW ORLEANS — In 2005, Katrina made its first Gulf coast landfall around 6 a.m. CDT in southeast Louisiana as a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph. A second landfall with winds of 120 mph occurred near Meridian, Mississippi, about 3 hours later.

Friday, August 29, 2025 marks 20 years since Hurricane Katrina made its most notable landfall.

A lot can change in 20 years. And for the team of meteorologists at the National Hurricane Center, it’s been 20 years of reflection, lessons, and improvement.

Robbie Berg is the Warning Coordination Meteorologist for the National Hurricane Center. He said there has been major improvements in track and intensity forecasts.

This means a more accurate and smaller storm track since confidence is higher — while intensity forecasts

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