15 jaw-dropping images of Hurricane Katrina's destruction
Digital Reporter
Monday, August 31, 2015, 3:56 PM - On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast, inundating New Orleans with blinding sheets of rain and winds up to 225 kilometres per hour.
An estimated 80 percent of New Orleans was flooded after the levee system failed, killing at least 1,800 people.
The storm produced catastrophic damage - topping $100 billion - making it the costliest U. S. hurricane on record. It formed as a result of a tropical wave, an upper-level trough, and the mid-level remnants of Tropical Depression Ten.
Katrina brought up to 355 mm of rain to southern Florida, and 200-300 mm of rain as it moved inland from the northern Gulf coast.
In addition 33 tornadoes were reported during the storm.
IN PHOTOS: HURRICANE KATRINA'S DESTRUCTION, AUGUST 2005: