2005 Atlantic Hurricane Season Statistics - Strongest Storms

Strongest Storms

Hurricane Katrina was briefly the fourth most intense Atlantic hurricane on record, with a minimum central pressure of 902 mbar on August 28. It was surpassed by hurricanes Rita and Wilma later that season.

Hurricane Rita became the third most intense Atlantic hurricane and the most intense hurricane on record in the Gulf of Mexico after reaching a pressure of 895 mbar on September 21. It was surpassed by Wilma later in the season.

Hurricane Wilma became the most intense North Atlantic hurricane in recorded history shortly before 5:00 am EDT on October 18, when the central pressure was measured at 884 mbar. At 8:00 am EDT, Wilma continued to intensify, reaching 882 mbar. Wilma also holds the record of being the only storm recorded in the Atlantic basin to have a minimum central pressure below 900 mbar without also having Category 5 winds: on October 20 its winds were 155 mph and its a central pressure was 894 mbar. Katrina, Rita and Wilma are the three most intense storms ever in a single Atlantic hurricane season.

2005 was the first time two storms recorded pressures below 900 millibars in a single season (Rita, 895; and Wilma, 882).

Hurricane Wilma also underwent the most rapid deepening for a 24-hour period ever measured. At noon on October 18, Wilma had a central pressure of 980 mbar (28.93 inches). At noon on October 19, Wilma had a central pressure of 882 mbar (26.04 inches), a pressure fall of 98 mbar (2.89 inches), breaking the previous record of 92 mbar (2.71 inches) set by Super Typhoon Forrest in the Western Pacific in 1983. Some sources, however, say that Forrest's pressure was lower than originally measured (876 mbar instead of 883 mbar). This would imply that Forrest retains the record with a pressure fall of 100 mbar in 24 hours, and thus this uncertainty is noted here.

In addition, Hurricane Dennis and Hurricane Emily, both in July, reached 930 mbar and 929 mbar respectively, becoming the two strongest storms on record in July.

Katrina was also the third most intense hurricane on record to make landfall in the United States in terms of pressure (920 mbar), behind the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 and Hurricane Camille in 1969.

When Emily reached Category 5 intensity on July 16, it became the earliest Category 5 hurricane ever, shattering the record set by Hurricane Allen in the 1980 season. When Katrina reached Category 5 intensity on August 28, it became only the third time in recorded history (and the first time since the 1961 season) that there had been two Category 5 hurricanes in a single season. When Rita reached Category 5 intensity on September 21, 25 days after Katrina, the 2005 season became the first that had three Category 5 storms. When Wilma became a Category 5 storm on October 19, the 2005 season doubled the record set by the 1960 and 1961 seasons, becoming the first that had four Category 5 storms.