The Storm
Healy, Jack. "Wind Rocks the House as Florence Moves in." The New York Times, September 13, 2018.
Hurricanes:
Intensely powerful storms that original at sea in typically tropical waters. Characterized by circular wind patterns, with violent wind spirals around the potentially hundreds of miles wide eye. Disastrous combination of high winds, torrential rains, and tidal surges. A tropical storm becomes a hurricane when its winds reach 74 miles per hour, but hurricane winds have reached 150 and 200 miles per hour. Sea levels can rise 15 to 20 feet under a tidal surge, drowning many coastal areas and people. (1)
Solomon, Josh. "Watch out Florida: Forecasters Predict Active 2018 Hurricane Season." Tampa Bay Times, April 5, 2018.
The Wind Speeds
It's very hard to gauge exactly what the maximum speeds were because all the wind-speed gauges and pressure gauges were destroyed as the storm came ashore. Best estimates hold that there were sustained winds of 150 miles an hour and gusts of 200 or better that struck Galveston. (2)