FLORIDA – November 21st 1985 Hurricane Kate struck the Florida panhandle as a category 2 storm, breaking tropical records in the process. This year marks 35 years Kate has held the title for the strongest and latest a hurricane has struck the contiguous United States. Visible satellite of Hurricane Kate over the Gulf of Mexico November 1985 (NOAA)Packing winds of 100 miles per hour, Kate moved onshore in Mexico Beach, Florida, the eye of the storm a massive 20 miles wide. Path Hurricane Kate took November 1985 (National Hurricane Center)The weather dynamic for Kate was a little different. The system then weakened as it passed through Georgia as a tropical storm.