Storm slices through Florida
The first Katrina advisory on Aug. 26, 2005, predicted the storm would "produce a significant heavy rainfall event over South Florida." The 11th and final advisory of the day, issued at 11 p.m. EDT, ends with these words: Stubborn Katrina continues toward the west-southwest ... expected to become an intense hurricane in the central Gulf of Mexico ...
• Katrina moved ashore as a Category 1 hurricane, weakened to a tropical storm over land, strengthened again to Category 1 when it moved over the eastern Gulf of Mexico and intensified to a Category 2 hurricane by 11:30 a.m. EDT.
• The storm cut diagonally across the southern part of Florida from just north of Miami on the east coast, through the Everglades, to Cape Sabel on the west coast.
• Eleven fatalities were attributed to Katrina in Florida.