The Florida Keys count as landfall. Don’t know where the article gets first landfall in 1966. Hurricane Donna went right through Central FL in 1960. Galveston, TX hurricane was devastating in 1900 greatest natural disaster in US history, so stated.
Donna: https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/mwre/89/3/1520-0493_1961_089_0099_thso_2_0_co_2.xml
Galveston: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1900_Galveston_hurricane
Donna (1960) made US landfall on September 10th.
The 1900 Galveston hurricane made landfall on September 9th.
Hurricane Alma in 1966 made US landfall on June 9th.
June 9th is much earlier than September 9th or 10th. Alma hit the US earlier than any other hurricane. That was the entire point of the article. They aren’t saying it was the first hurricane to hit the US, they are saying it hit earlier in the year than any other hurricane.