2005 Atlantic hurricane season (Sass's version)

The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season is regarded as one of the most destructive, deadly, and historic tropical cyclone seasons in history. The season remains the most active on record in the Atlantic, with a total of 30 named storms forming throughout the course of the year. It marked the first occurrence that the main list of names was exhausted (after Wilma) and the NHC resorted to naming the renaming nine storms with the initial letters of the Greek alphabet. Aside from its striking activity and the torrid pace in which storms formed, numerous records for intensity, destruction, and the like were shattered. The season is notable for its extreme destruction, in which it usurped the title for costliest Atlantic hurricane season on record from the 2004 season, which held that title for only a year. The season was also the deadliest in modern history, and second deadliest overall, behind 1780. Most of the season's destruction can be attributed to Hurricane Katrina, the first category 5 hurricane to move ashore the United States Gulf Coast in nearly 40 years. The storm caused more than 22,000 fatalities along its path and brought a record-shattering 45-foot storm surge to the Mississippi coastline, wiping out nearly every city along the coast. In terms of intensity, the season produced an astounding ten major hurricanes, approximately half of which were category 5 hurricanes, the strongest categorization for tropical cyclones according to the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. Three of the storms made the list for the top 10 most intense Atlantic hurricanes ever, topped off by Hurricane Gamma, formerly the most intense hurricane in the Western Hemisphere and one of only three Atlantic hurricanes to have a maximum wind speed at or exceeding 200 miles per hour.

At least six hurricanes made landfall in the United States, four of which were at major hurricane intensity. The most destructive of the season's impacts were felt along the United States Gulf Coast, stretching from eastern Texas through the western portion of the Florida peninsula. Aside from the Hurricane Katrina's impacts, four other hurricanes made landfall along the Gulf Coast (Corrin, Dennis, Rita, and Gamma). Hurricane Corrin struck Louisiana and caused significant wind damage and blackouts along its path. Hurricane Dennis struck the region affected by Hurricane Ivan the year prior at a nearly identical intensity, compounding devastation in the region and destroying at least 3,000 newly-built homes for residents who lost everything in Ivan. Hurricane Rita threatened to be a twin of Katrina but veered into eastern Texas, where its large wind field and storm surge caused heavy damage to oil refineries and destroyed many buildings in Port Arthur. The final storm, Hurricane Gamma, made landfall in south Florida near Naples as a category 4 hurricane only a few miles south of where Hurricane Colin struck the previous year. The storm totally disrupted life across southern Florida and racked up a damage total in the United States that is second to Hurricane Katrina.

Many storms set records for early formation for their respective number of Saffir-Simpson category this year. Nearly every storm from Emily onwards set a record for early formation. Hurricane Dennis is the earliest recorded category 5 hurricane, and, alongside Hurricane Emily, are the only two category 5 hurricanes to form before August. Only eight days after Hurricane Dennis set a record for strongest pre-August storm, Emily broke it, hitting 175 mph sustained winds and a minimum pressure of 922 millibars at peak. The season is also the only on record to feature three storms make landfall at category 5 intensity. Most forecasting agencies predicted an active season, though even revised mid-season forecasts proved to be too low. The season's extreme notoriety, level of impact, and hyperactivity has yet to be superseded and will most likely remain unmatched for some time to come.