CATEGORY 5

The Saffir-Simpson scale is what is used to measure the intensity of hurricanes, which are defined by 5 categories, ranging from 1 to 5, with 1 being minimal in strength and damage potential, and 5 being the most powerful with catastrophic damage potential. Sustained winds of a tropical cyclone that are 74 mph or greater, classify a tropical cyclone as a hurricane. In the Western hemisphere, that is. Elsewhere around the world they're called Typhoons.

Hurricane classifications in our part of the world:

Category 1 - winds of 74-95 mph

Category 2 - winds of 96-110 mph

Category 3 - winds of 111-129 mph

Category 4 - winds of 130-156 mph

Category 5 - winds greater than 157 mph

The scale only goes to category 5 because the scale was created to measure potential damage to human made structures. Once you get past a certain threshold, in this case sustained winds of 157 mph or greater, it doesn't really matter how much stronger the winds get, the damage on human made structures is basically the same. So there won't be a category 6 classification for storms like Hurricane Patricia in the eastern Pacific in 2015, that maxed out with winds of 215 mph, the strongest ever recorded in the world.

Category 5 hurricanes are somewhat rare. There's only been 37 category 5 hurricanes recorded in the Atlantic since 1924. That averages out to about 1 every 2½ years. There most definitely have been cat 5 hurricanes before 1924, but there's no official measurements of such storms, especially for those out in open water that never affected land. And those that did affect land, the wind instruments at the time would get blown away before thresholds like that could be measured. So only 37 are on record.

Even with better technology, and in an era of increased activity, there have only been 14 category 5 hurricanes recorded in the Atlantic since 2000. That's about 1 every year and a half. Sometimes category 5 hurricanes aren't classified as such right away. Further analysis months afterwards often have these systems getting an upgrade to cat 5. Sometimes it works in reverse. It was just 2 years ago (2020), that Hurricane Iota was given the designation of category 5, as it was happening. A few months later, analysis determined that Iota had not attained cat 5 status and is now considered a strong cat 4.

Dorian - 2019

The last official category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic was Hurricane Lorenzo in 2019. In fact, there were 2 cat 5 blows in '19, the other, Hurricane Dorian. Lorenzo was way out in the eastern Atlantic bothering no one. It was, and still is, the easternmost cat 5 hurricane on record. Lorenzo's stay at cat 5 only lasted 3 hours.

Hurricane Dorian, about 4 weeks earlier, made landfall in The Bahamas as a cat 5, tied for the strongest Atlantic landfalling hurricane ever. Dorian made a direct hit on Great Abaco Island with winds of 185 mph. Hours later, Dorian made landfall on Grand Bahama Island at the same intensity. Dorian began weakening as it approached the east coast of Florida, where it changed direction and started skirting up parallel to the coast. Dorian made U.S. landfall at Cape Hatteras, NC as a cat 2 blow before scooting on up into the Canadian Maritimes as an extratropical system.

Of the 37 category 5 hurricanes on record, 19 have made landfall at cat 5 strength. Of those 19, only 4 have made U.S. landfall. The 1st on record is the 1935 Labor Day hurricane. Until Dorian tied it in 2019, the Labor Day hurricane was the strongest ever to make landfall in the Atlantic. This system formed just to the east of The Bahamas, and quickly intensified as it made a beeline to the southern tip of the Florida peninsula. Though landfall was not on the peninsula itself, this system made landfall in the Florida Keys with 185 mph winds.

Camille - 1969

The 2nd U.S. landfalling cat 5 didn't occur until 1969, Hurricane Camille. This system formed just west of Jamaica, clipped the western tip of Cuba, and headed straight for the upper Gulf coast. Camille makes landfall on the U.S. mainland at Bay St. Louis, MS with 175 mph winds. Camille is still the strongest hurricane to ever make landfall on the U.S. mainland.

The 3rd cat 5 U.S. landfall came 23 years later. 1992, Hurricane Andrew. Andrew initially made landfall on Eleuthera Island in The Bahamas as a cat 5, and also struck Elliot Key, FL, before plowing into the mainland in Dade County, near Homestead, FL, with 165 mph winds. Andrew crossed the peninsula and entered the Gulf threatening to regain cat 5 status, but fell short. Andrew did get to cat 4 again, before weakening and making a 2nd U.S. landfall near Morgan City, LA as a cat 3.

Michael - 2018

The 4th, and so far, last U.S. landfalling cat 5 hurricane was 26 years later when Hurricane Michael struck Mexico Beach in the Florida Panhandle just 4 years ago (2018). Michael formed in the far western Caribbean and basically headed due north towards the Florida Panhandle, making landfall with 160 mph winds.

There have been several hurricanes that have hit cat 5 status and made U.S. landfall, but they had weakened from cat 5 by the time they made landfall. Three cat 5 hurricanes just from the 2005 season alone are examples of that. Hurricane Katrina peaked with winds of 175 mph just a couple of hundred miles south of New Orleans, but made landfall as a cat 3 with 125 mph winds. Hurricane Rita peaked at 180 mph in the central Gulf before making landfall as a low end cat 3 with 115 mph winds. And Hurricane Wilma, the most intense hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic basin (with regards to barometric pressure), and 2nd most intense in the Western Hemisphere. Shortly after peaking with 185 mph winds, Wilma made landfall in the Yucatan as a strong cat 4 (150 mph). A few days later, Wilma scooted across the Gulf towards Florida, making landfall there as a cat 3.

Allen - 1980

Wilma was the strongest hurricane ever in the Atlantic pressure-wise. It had a pressure of 882 millibars, or 26.05 inches of barometric pressure. Normal pressure at sea level averages 29.60 - 30.20 inches, or about 1013 millibars. Wind speed doesn't always catch up to pressure and vice-versa. The highest wind speed ever recorded from an Atlantic hurricane was Hurricane Allen in 1980. Allen hit category 5 status on 3 separate occasions, peaking at 190 mph as it crossed the Yucatan channel, entering the Gulf of Mexico. Allen however, is listed as 5th in pressure, peaking at 899 millibars (26.55 in). Allen made landfall near Port Isabel, TX as a cat 3.

As we enter the 2022 hurricane season, it's been since 2019 since we last had an official cat 5 blow. Again, 2020 saw Hurricane Iota classified as a cat 5, but was later downgraded in post-season analysis. Last year Hurricane Sam came close to cat 5, and as far out in the central Atlantic as Sam was, there was some thought it had a chance to be upgraded in post-season analysis but never was.

If there's going to be another cat 5 blow, September would be the most likely month it would happen. Of the 37 recorded cat 5 storms, 22, nearly 60%, have occured in September. August is 2nd with 7, October with 6. July and November each have 1. There has never been a June cat 5, or offseason (Dec-May) cat 5.

Allison - 2001

All tropical systems are serious business, even those that don't become hurricanes. In 2001 Tropical Storm Allison devastated the Greater Houston area with torrential rains causing mass flooding and billions of dollars in damage. Allison never attained hurricane strength. Hurricanes from category 1-4 can cause massive damage. Hurricane Ike struck Galveston Island as a cat 2 hurricane and changed the landscape along the seawall there forever. So it doesn't take a powerful category 5 hurricane to make everlasting impacts. But when those rare category 5 hurricanes come along, there's usually no escaping destruction. Andrew obliterated Homestead, FL in 1992 and most of the damage was done by the extremely high winds, not so much storm surge and floods.

They don't happen often, but that doesn't mean they can't come in bunches. The 2005 season saw four cat 5 hurricanes form that year. And it's more rare that they strike the U.S. at cat 5 intensity, again, just 4 on record. So when we have a storm that hits category 5 intensity, know that it is indeed something rare and very, very dangerous. If only they were all like Lorenzo and stayed out in the middle of nowhere.