Hurricane Michelle was, at the time, the costliest tropical cyclone in Cuban history and the strongest hurricane in terms of barometric pressure of the 2001 Atlantic hurricane season. The thirteenth named storm and seventh hurricane that year, Michelle developed from a tropical wave that had traversed into the western Caribbean Sea on October 29; the wave had initially moved off the coast of Africa 13 days prior. In its early developmental stages, the depression meandered over Nicaragua, later paralleling the Mosquito Coast before intensifying into tropical storm intensity on November 1; Michelle was upgraded to hurricane strength the following day. Shortly after, rapid intensification ensued within favorable conditions, with the storm's central barometric pressure dropping 51 mbar in 29 hours. After a slight fluctuation in strength, Michelle reached its peak intensity as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 140 mph (230 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 933 mbar. This tied Michelle with 1999's Lenny as the fourth most powerful November hurricane on record in the Atlantic basin, behind only the 1932 Cuba hurricane and 2020 hurricanes Iota and Eta. At roughly the same time, the hurricane began to accelerate northeastward; this brought the intense hurricane to a Cuban landfall within the Bay of Pigs later that day. Crossing over the island, Michelle weakened significantly, and was only a Category 1 hurricane upon reentry into the Atlantic Ocean. The hurricane later transitioned into an extratropical cyclone over The Bahamas on November 5, before being absorbed by a cold front the following day. Category 4 hurricane: peak winds of 140 mph (120 knots), lowest pressure 933 mb. October 29 – November 6, 2001. Landfalls: November 4 at 140 mph, 21.5°N 81.8°W; November 4 at 130 mph, 22.1°N 81.2°W; November 5 at 90 mph, 24.3°N 78.0°W; November 5 at 85 mph, 25.4°N 76.4°W. Accumulated cyclone energy: 15.7. Wiki link Track: NOAA National Hurricane Center, HURDAT2 best track AL152001 (public domain).