Camille strengthened further over the Gulf of Mexico and made landfall with a pressure of 905 mbar ( hPa ) , estimated sustained winds of 190 mph ( 305 km\/h ) , and a peak storm surge of 24 feet ( 7.3 m ) ; by maximum sustained wind speeds , Camille was the strongest landfalling tropical cyclone recorded worldwide , and one of only four tropical cyclones worldwide ever to achieve wind speeds of 190 mph . The hurricane flattened nearly everything along the coast of the U.S. state of Mississippi , and caused additional flooding and deaths inland while crossing the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia . Camille strengthened further over the Gulf of Mexico and made landfall with a pressure of 905 mbar ( hPa ) , estimated sustained winds of 190 mph ( 305 km\/h ) , and a peak official storm surge of 24 f ; by maximum sustained wind speeds , Camille was the strongest landfalling tropical cyclone recorded worldwide , and one of only four tropical cyclones worldwide ever to achieve wind speeds of 190 m. The hurricane flattened nearly everything along the coast of the U.S. state of Mississippi , and caused additional flooding and deaths inland while crossing the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia .