5-Years Ago: Historic Hurricane Season Began

Five years ago, the 2005 Atlantic Hurricane Season burst onto the scene, beginning a seven-month period of historical hurricanes, widespread Gulf Coast destruction and unimaginable records.

Four historical hurricanes, Dennis, Katrina, Rita and Wilma each topped the billion dollar mark for damage. Katrina was the costliest U.S. natural disaster with an estimated $81.8 Billion in storm damage. Rita and Wilma storm damage exceeded $10 Billion each, with Wilma approaching $30 Billion in damage. Nearly 4,000 people were killed by hurricanes and tropical storms in 2005, with more than 1,800 dying in Katrina and its aftermath alone.

Besides setting damage records, the 2005 hurricane season set numerous meteorological records never before seen in the north Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico.

Just the number of named storms was record-setting. A total of 28 named storms formed from June all of the way to the end of the year, exhausting the 21 names on the standard hurricane name list, forcing the National Hurricane Center to name six additional storms using the Greek alphabet. On December 29, the last named storm of the season, Zeta formed in the central Atlantic and it reached its peak strength in the new year of 2006 before dissipating.

Another record set were the ferocity of the hurricanes that formed in the summer and fall of 2005. Four hurricanes (Emily, Katrina, Rita and Wilma) reached Category 5 status (wind in excess of 155 mph), the highest category on the Saffir-Simpson damage scale. This shattered the previous record of two seen in a season. Hurricane Wilma set the record for strongest Atlantic hurricane record, when the central pressure dropped to 882 millibars and winds peaked at 185 mph on October 18.

Story Image: This satellite image shows Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005, as it approaches the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts. (NOAA)