Hurricane Melissa (2019)

Hurricane Melissa, commonly known as the Spooktober Hurricane, was the sixth costliest Atlantic hurricane on record, and the most destructive storm of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season. The thirteenth named storm, seventh hurricane, and the third major hurricane of the season, Melissa was a long-lived, powerful, and destructive Cape Verde hurricane that inflicted $53.5 billion in damages on the East Coast of the United States. It was also the worst the East Coast has seen since Sandy in 2012.

Melissa developed from a tropical wave off the coast of Africa, organizing into a tropical storm 12 hours later. Throughout the early portion of its life, Melissa only slowly strengthening, only becoming a major hurricane on October 25. However, on that day it began rapidly intensifying, becoming a Category 5 hurricane late on October 26. It briefly weakened to Category 4 status, but regained Category 5 status on October 28, and peaked in intensity that day. Over time, it weakened, and by its landfall on October 31, it was already a Category 1 hurricane. After landfall, it stalled over North Carolina, and eventually started weakening, becoming a remnant low on November 2, with its remnants dissipating on November 3.