made landfall
Hit the coast
Made landfall describes a storm—typically a hurricane or typhoon—reaching land after traveling over water.
The eye of the storm crosses the coastline: Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico as a Category 4 storm.
The phrase emphasizes the moment of arrival, after which the storm typically weakens but causes its most concentrated damage.
- stormSevere atmospheric disturbance
- shipSeagoing transport vessel
- hurricaneViolent tropical windstorm
- category fiveHighest storm intensity rating
- eye wallHurricane's fiercest circular band
typhoon · vessel · coastline · cyclone · tropical storm · spacecraft · monsoon · port · squall · tropical depression · coastal flooding · evacuation order · harbor · dock · anchorage · barrier island · touchdown · buoy