Page "Hurricane Camille" Paragraph 5

Initially, Hurricane Camille was forecast to turn northeastward toward the Florida panhandle.

Instead, it continued northwestward and rapidly intensified.

Its eye contracted to a diameter of less than 8 miles ( 13 km ), and strong rainbands developed around the entire hurricane.

Due to the small eye, Hurricane Hunters at first had difficulties in obtaining the strength ; however a flight late on August 16 recorded a very low pressure of, with winds estimated at 150 mph ( 240 km / h ).

At the time, it was not expected to intensify further.

However, a subsequent Hurricane Hunters flight early on August 17 recorded a pressure of, at the time the lowest pressure recorded by reconnaissance aircraft.

Additionally, the winds of the hurricane were estimated at 160 mph ( 260 km / h ), making Camille the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, which had not been developed at the time.

That made Camille the most intense hurricane since the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane ; currently it is tied for the seventh most intense Atlantic hurricane, as ranked by lowest pressure.