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 second-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.

Overview and Summary

The season commenced with Hurricane Arlene, the first hurricane in the month since 1995’s Alicia. Arlene formed near the Cayman Islands and crossed western Cuba in its initial stages, growing to a large size and gradually attaining peak intensity near the Florida panhandle. Arlene later made landfall near Pensacola just under hurricane intensity and caused moderate damage. The subsequent storm, Tropical Storm Bret, formed in the Bay of Campeche on June 28. Bret peaked at a very modest 45 miles per hour and made landfall at that intensity near Tuxpan, Mexico. July kicked off with Hurricane Cindy, a storm that was upgraded to category 1 intensity in post-analysis. The storm made landfall at peak intensity near Grand Isle, Louisiana and triggered widespread tornado outbreaks and blackouts, affecting an area stretching from Texas to New England.

Seasonal activity continued at a torrid pace with the formation of Hurricane Dennis on July 3, previously the earliest-forming fourth named storm on record and one of only two category 5 hurricanes on record in the month. Dennis became one of only a handful of category 5 hurricanes to make landfall on Cuba before later re-intensifying over the Gulf of Mexico and striking the Florida panhandle at category 4 intensity. Damage was horrendous along its track; over 100 people were killed and $7 billion in damage was left in the storm’s wake. Hurricane Emily is the strongest hurricane ever recorded before August, beating Dennis’ record only eight days after it was set when the storm hit a minimum pressure of 922 millibars. The storm compounded damage from Hurricane Ivan in Grenada before later striking the Yucatán Peninsula with 140 mph winds. The storm made its final landfall just south of the Texas border at category 3 intensity, leaving behind at least $1.7 billion in damage.

Hurricane Floyd continued the sudden burst of activity, forming on July 20. The storm made landfall on Bermuda at hurricane status but left relatively insignificant damage. The genesis of Tropical Storm Gina three days after followed on the now evident activity trend, forming in the western Gulf of Mexico and making landfall in the region that was heavily damaged by Hurricane Emily only four days earlier. Hurricane Harold kicked off August, forming over the open Atlantic and causing minor damage on Bermuda at tropical storm strength. Hurricane Irene was a long-lived, moderately intense Cape Verde hurricane. The storm formed in the deep tropics but struggled to reach hurricane intensity and weakened on multiple occasions. Midway through its lifespan, it passed by the Outer Banks of North Carolina near hurricane intensity and reached category 3 status north of Bermuda. Irene became extratropical east of Newfoundland. Tropical Depression Ten was an insignificant tropical cyclone in the deep tropics that did not affect land, however, its remnants contributed to the formation of the legendary Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Julito was a brief tropical cyclone that formed just north of Tabasco. The storm rapidly intensified and continued to intensify after landfall in Veracruz.

Hurricane Katrina was an incredibly intense and formidable category 5 hurricane that initially formed over the Bahamas. Katrina reached minimal hurricane intensity and made landfall over Miami, Florida. The storm passed by the Florida Keys and began significant intensification in the Gulf of Mexico, just north of Havana, Cuba. The storm adopted a northerly track and grew to an enormous size as it bore down on the United States Gulf Coast. The highest levels of alert were raised in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. The hurricane peaked with 180 mph winds and a central pressure of 901 millibars on August 28, very near the Louisiana coastline. The following day, Katrina made landfall as a slightly weaker category 5 hurricane over Port Sulphur - the first category 5 hurricane to strike the United States since Colin only a year prior and the only category 5 hurricane on record to make landfall in Louisiana. New Orleans received low-end category 4 strength winds and was largely obliterated when massive waves toppled levees in Lake Pontchartrain, contributing to massive flooding throughout much of southern Louisiana. Much of the coastal topography in the region has remained underwater since Katrina. The hurricane made its final landfall in Ansley, Mississippi later that same day with winds of 165 miles per hour - the strongest in the state since Camille. The destruction from Katrina equates to $161 billion, making it the the costliest hurricane on record at the time. Over 22,000 fatalities were reported, and many more missing, making the hurricane the deadliest natural disaster in modern United States history. The exact damage and death tolls may never be known.

Tropical Storm Lee formed near the end of August in the deep tropics and initially dissipated as Tropical Depression Thirteen. The storm regenerated on September 1 and peaked as a strong tropical storm, later dissipating without affecting land. Hurricane Maria was a long-lived category 4 hurricane that brought significant impacts to Iceland in combination with the remnants of succeeding Hurricane Nate. While tropical, Maria remained over open water and had no impact on land - however, disrupted rescue and shipping efforts in combination with Hurricane Nate that were attempting to provide aid to Hurricane Katrina victims. Hurricane Nate formed south of Bermuda and rapidly intensified to category 2 intensity. The hurricane weakened somewhat due to its rapid forward motion but slammed Bermuda at minimal hurricane intensity, causing nearly $4 million in damage.

Hurricane Oprah was a highly erratic tropical cyclone that formed off the Atlantic coast of Florida. The storm aimlessly drifted off the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina, alternating between tropical storm and minimal hurricane intensity. As Oprah gained a northerly course, it briefly peaked as a major hurricane and came ashore Cape Hatteras, North Carolina just under that intensity. The hurricane journeyed up the East Coast and left behind massive damage, accruing $2.71 in losses. After genesis of no new tropical cyclones for roughly a week, Hurricane Philippe formed in the mid-Atlantic and attained peak intensity as a category 1 hurricane. The storm affected Bermuda as a remnant low.

The next major storm, Hurricane Rita, took a course that was very similar to Hurricane Katrina. The storm left minimal impact in the Bahamas and intensified in the Florida Straits, bringing hurricane-force winds to the Florida Keys. The storm became the record-breaking fourth category 5 hurricane of the season and the strongest ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico, achieving 190 mph sustained winds and a minimum pressure of 892 millibars - equivalent to the 1935 Labor Day hurricane. As it aimed towards Louisiana, at least 5 million residents along the Texas-Louisiana border evacuated. The storm made landfall in Louisiana as a category 3 but caused massive damage in neighboring Texas, specifically Port Arthur. The death toll was 137, approximately 80% of which was due to the evacuation. Rita left behind an estimated $14 billion in damage and incapacitated 50% of the oil refinery capacity in the Gulf of Mexico.

Tropical Storm Stan was a relatively weak tropical cyclone that stayed at sea for the entirety of its life, northwest of the Cape Verde islands. Concurrently, Hurricane Tammy was a moderately strong but horrendously destructive minimal hurricane. Forming in the western Caribbean, the storm began rapidly intensifying and struck Quintana Roo as a strong tropical storm. The storm achieved hurricane intensity in the Bay of Campeche and took an unusual southerly dive, striking Punta Roca at peak strength. Tammy made landfall within a large swath of non-tropical rains on the day the Santa Ana volcano erupted in El Salvador, causing catastrophic, rain-induced flooding and landslides. Over 2,000 people lost their lives and an estimated $4.07 billion in damage was left in the storm’s wake, stretching from El Salvador to Honduras.

Subtropical Storm Vince was a short-lived cyclone that caused moderate damage in the Azores as it passed through them at peak intensity. The next storm, Tropical Storm Wilma, formed off the Atlantic coast of Florida and hugged it throughout its entire lifespan, coming ashore near Atlantic Beach. The storm left moderate damage in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina but combined with a larger system to cause significant flooding in New England, particularly New York. Subtropical Storm Alpha marked the first instance in Atlantic history that the main list of names became exhausted and the National Hurricane Center resorted to naming with the Greek alphabet. It formed in subtropics and struck Bermuda with gale-force winds. The remnants of the system later became absorbed within the same system that absorbed Wilma and contributed to heavy rains across much of New England.

Hurricane Beta was highly unusual, forming in what would be considered the farthest east for a tropical cyclone since 1995’s Hurricane Van. Beta also became the first tropical cyclone to strike the Iberian peninsula while fully tropical, doing so with 40 mph winds. The next storm, Hurricane Gamma, was the final category 5 hurricane of the season, the strongest Atlantic hurricane on record, formerly the strongest in the Western Hemisphere, and one of only three Atlantic tropical cyclones (among Allen in 1981 and Katia in 2017) to achieve a top wind speed of 200 miles per hour or greater. The storm formed in the central Caribbean and underwent explosive intensification that has yet to be unmatched by any other Atlantic hurricane - going from 982 millibars to 879 millibars in less than 24 hours. The storm maintained category 5 winds for a little over three days and surpassed the Labor Day hurricane for most intense landfall after striking Cozumel with a central pressure of 890 millibars. The storm ravaged the Yucatán Peninsula for nearly two days as a category 5 and entered the Gulf of Mexico as a category 3 hurricane. The storm achieved a secondary peak intensity of 155 miles per hour in the Gulf of Mexico and was predicted to re-attain category 5 status. However, due to its rapid motion, the storm weakened and struck Cape Romano, Florida with 135 mph winds. The storm re-entered the Atlantic near the Bahamas as a category 3 and began a track to the northeast. The storm peaked for a third time with 125 mph winds before later striking Clam Harbour, Nova Scotia as a minimal hurricane. In its wake, Gamma had killed 174 people in total and left nearly $40 billion in damage, with approximately ¾ of it in southern Florida.

Tropical Storm Delta was an insignificant tropical cyclone that struck Hispaniola and the Turks & Caicos at tropical storm intensity. The storm left at least $160 million in damage and was absorbed into Hurricane Gamma shortly after entering the Gulf Stream. Hurricane Epsilon formed in the southwest Caribbean, just to the north of Panama. The storm peaked at category 3 status and made landfall in Nicaragua as a slightly weaker major hurricane, however, due to its small size, damage was significantly less than feared.

The final major hurricane hurricane of the season, Hurricane Zeta, was a highly destructive and unusual storm known for being the latest-forming Cape Verde hurricane on record. The storm crossed Barbados and St. Vincent as a tropical depression and traversed the southern Caribbean without much change in strength. After passing the ABC islands, Zeta underwent extremely explosive intensification and went from a 45 mph tropical storm to a 140 mph category 4 hurricane in 18 hours. Zeta curved to the northwest and struck Iralaya, Honduras at peak intensity. Zeta took a hard turn north and executed a small loop south of Cuba prior to gaining a straight southern path towards the northeastern edge of Honduras. The storm then struck a city only a couple miles from its initial landfall, Iriona, as a high-end category 2 hurricane. The storm moved inwards into Nicaragua and later dissipated. Zeta was the third hurricane this year to cause at least 1,000 fatalities and had the highest death toll anywhere in Central America since Hurricane Mitch, with 4,721 fatalities attributed to it. However, because Greek names do not have the ability to be retired for destruction, the storm remains on the Greek list for future use, to much controversy.

Hurricane Eta was another unusual tropical cyclone that formed in the eastern subtropics, near the Canary Islands. The storm was highly erratic and peaked as a category 1 without affecting land. However, the extratropical remnants hit the Canary Islands with severe winds, causing at least $400 million in damage and destroying a local monument. Hurricane Theta was also a highly unusual hurricane, becoming the record-breaking 21st and final hurricane of the year. The storm persisted into December and maintained hurricane status for five days in highly unfavorable conditions, in addition to surpassing 1998’s Hurricane Nicole for the strongest storm in the month of December. Tropical Storm Iota tied Hurricane Alice of 1954 for the latest-forming Atlantic tropical cyclone on record, and is the only one on record alongside Alice to span two calendar years. Theta dissipated over open water in the central Atlantic on January 6, 2006.

Systems

Hurricane Arlene

Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS)
Duration	June 8 – June 14
Peak intensity	75 mph (120 km/h) (1-min) 989 mbar (hPa)

Arlene was the first hurricane in the month of June since 1995's Alicia. The storm initially formed from a sprawling disturbance south of the Cayman Islands and only gradually intensified. It advanced on a linear track north, making landfall on the western tip of Cuba as a moderately strong tropical storm. Once it entered the Gulf of Mexico, Arlene organized more. A mid-level eye feature became present as more deep convection fired near the center, and Arlene became a strong tropical storm approximately 175 miles south of the Florida panhandle. Arlene's forward motion slowed a bit on June 13, and the storm gained minimal category 1 intensity around 05:00 UTC the same day. This peak was short-lived, as it was noted that shelving due to the storm's interaction with land would limit additional strengthening before landfall. Arlene later made landfall that same day near Pensacola Beach just under hurricane intensity. The storm's broad circulation brought tropical storm-force winds to portions of eastern Louisiana, impacting an area much larger than previously thought. As slow as it was to strengthen, Arlene was also slow to weaken over land and remained a tropical depression near the Indiana-Michigan border. The storm became post-tropical the following day and dissipated over Quebec.

Arlene's impacts in northern Florida are regarded as moderate. The storm surge peaked at six feet near Fort Walton Beach, and minor coastal flooding ensued. Most beaches were closed for less than a day. Rip currents claimed the life of one woman near Cedar Key, while three more died in Mexico Beach after losing control of their vehicle. Approximately 10,000 residences lost electricity at the height of the storm, and high winds downed over 100 utility poles in the Pensacola area alone. Gusts reportedly peaked at 78 miles per hour at a reporting station just offshore. Heavy inland flooding ensued in Kentucky, Indiana, and western Ohio as the storm's large circulation nearly stalled over the region, with accumulations reaching at least 14 inches in some locations. In total, Arlene left $79 million (2005 USD) in damage, the majority of it in the United States.

Tropical Storm Bret

In late June, a tropical wave that had been traversing the central Atlantic for more than a week entered the Bay of Campeche on June 27. It slowly consolidated overnight, and was designated as Tropical Depression Two the following morning. Around 00:00 UTC June 29, the system gained tropical storm-force winds per reconnaissance data. Due to its proximity to land and the marginally favorable conditions, Bret did not intensify much further and slowly advanced westward. The following afternoon, Bret made landfall near Tuxpan while maintaining peak winds. Only hours later, convection collapsed and the system dissipated over central Mexico.

Bret's damage in Mexico is regarded as minimal. The storm caused one fatality in Veracruz City as an individual was struck by lightning. Heavy rain fell along its path - at least 12.5 inches were recorded in El Raudal over a 24-hour period. Impact from winds was minimal, if at all present. Over mountainous regions inland, heavy rains triggered landslides and destroyed more than 70 dwellings. At least four different villages in the state of Veracruz were isolated as a result, and 5,500 customers lost electricity or filtered water. Throughout Mexico, Bret left more than $10 million (2005 USD) in damage.

Hurricane Corrin

The formation of Hurricane Corrin on July 4th signified an uptick in the pace of tropical cyclone formation this year, developing from a broad low-pressure area over the western Caribbean Sea. While chances for tropical cyclogenesis were only 50% through five days, reconnaissance aircraft indicated a closed surface circulation around 11:00 UTC later that same day, resulting the classification of Tropical Depression Three approximately 125 miles east of Cozumel. Moving slowly westward, Tropical Depression Three intensified to Tropical Storm Corrin only twelve hours later, passing just south of Cozumel. Around 22:00 UTC July 5, Tropical Storm Warnings were hoisted from Playa del Carmen to Tulum in advance of an impending landfall. Corrin was a disorganized tropical storm, and the center wobbled inconsistently westward towards the Yucatán Peninsula. Approximately 24 hours later, Corrin made landfall directly over Tulum as a marginal tropical storm and quickly unraveled soon after. Measured winds fell to gale-force, and the storm was downgraded to a tropical depression just south of Cobá. Initial forecasts predicted the storm would continue to the northwest and strike Texas. However, satellite imagery indicated a new center of circulation reformed overnight, further northeast of the original. Fueled by waters on the north side of the peninsula, convection coalesced around the new center and Corrin began moving sharply to the north, towards Louisiana.

After a day over the Yucatán, Corrin entered the Gulf of Mexico on the north side of the peninsula. The storm immediately began re-intensifying over water, and attained winds of 35 knots approximately six hours later. Convection increased near the center, and the probability of hurricane status was noted before landfall. Corrin stayed on its near-northerly track, with Hurricane Watches hoisted for much of southern Louisiana. Slight dry air entrainment halted additional intensification on July 7th, resuming only hours later. Hurricane Warnings were issued for Grand Isle and the surrounding wetlands as another reconnaissance flight revealed SFMR measurements of 50 knots. Corrin continued to intensify up until it made landfall, coming ashore directly over Grand Isle at peak intensity. However, hurricane intensity was not realized until post-season evaluation, when NHC forecaster Stacy Stewart noted Corrin was indeed a category 1. The storm only weakened slightly due the Louisiana topography alllowing much of the circulation to still have access to water, making its final landfall in Gulfport, Mississippi as a strong tropical storm. Shortly after, the circulation of the storm became elongated, and weakened to a tropical depression as it moved northeast into Alabama. It became post-tropical the following day, with its remnants moving through New England and over Atlantic Canada before officially dissipating on July 17.

Corrin was much more destructive than anticipated. Strong winds knocked down power lines and caused widespread electrical outages throughout southern Louisiana. New Orleans was only running at 20% capacity at the height of the storm, one of the worst outages in the region since Hurricane Betsy. Many towns in Plaquemines and Lafourche Parishes were largely underwater and without electricity. At least 72 tornadoes were spawned along its path, particularly in Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. The strongest and most destructive occurred just outside of Atlanta, causing at least $24 million in damage. In New England, baroclinic conditions caused the remnants of Corrin to strengthen, resulting in widespread severe thunderstorms and additional tornadoes. In Massachusetts especially, heavy rain triggered catastrophic freshwater flooding, particularly around the Springfield area. Corrin left at least $346 million in damage and seven dead.

Hurricane Dennis

Hurricane Dennis originated from a strong tropical wave initially identified over Senegal in late June. The system traversed the deep tropics without much development for several days. Unexpectedly, the wave rapidly organized near the Windward Islands and was designated as a tropical depression 10:00 UTC July 3. It crossed Grenada while continuing to intensify, becoming a tropical storm just west of the island. Dennis's center wobbled to the northwest, becoming a hurricane 13:00 UTC July 6th. As a partial eyewall developed, and more convection wrapped around the center, Dennis became a category 2 hurricane that same night. The hurricane continued to rapidly intensify overnight, with a pinhole eye noticeable on satellite imagery. Reconnaissance aircraft and dropsonde measurements indicated Dennis became a major hurricane around 13:00 UTC July 6th, with surface pressures falling to 958 millibars - Dennis was the strongest hurricane in the month of July since 1996's Bertha. 

Around this time, Dennis's track was unclear. Some models took it directly over Jamaica, while the NHC officially predicted it would pass in between Cuba and Haiti. Hours later, Dennis's eyewall closed off fully, and the rate of intensification took off "like a rocket," according to NHC forecaster Lixion Avila. The storm quickly attained category 4 intensity, making it the first storm of the intensity ever record in the month of July. Despite moving through the Jamaica Passage, the inner core remained undisrupted and Dennis continued its intensification. Dennis's eye cleared out after passing northeast of Jamaica, and dropsonde measurements indicated central pressures of 930 millibars. Maximum sustained winds were 135 knots, just a hair away from category 5 intensity. After interacting with the mountainous terrain of Cuba and Jamaica for several hours, Dennis weakened some prior to coming ashore Cabo Cruz in the Granma Province in eastern Cuba. The landfall intensity was approximately 150 miles per hour. The storm rapidly crossed the tip of the peninsula and remerged over open water on the south side of the Camagüey province, still a category 4. As the storm hugged the southern coast, the inner core lashed the offshore islands as it began to reintensify. Dennis's eye cleared out, and the storm looked much more organized than it ever did before per satellite imagery. Radar in La Jagua indicated surface-level winds of ≥140 knots. To confirm this data, the NHC sent out two reconnaissance aircrafts simultaneously. Despite a central pressure of 935 millibars, one plane indicated an SMFR measurement of 139 knots in the northeastern quadrant. On this basis, Dennis was upgraded to category 5 intensity around 15:00 UTC July 8th. This made Dennis the first official category 5 in the Atlantic before August, and the strongest storm on record in the month to do so. At the time, the storm was situated directly over the Cayos Pingues, a small group of offshore islands south of the Camagüey province.

Shortly after achieving its record peak intensity, Dennis made landfall as a category 5 hurricane over central Cuba - near Cayo Ramona. The storm roared across the island nation with ferocity and entered the Gulf of Mexico on the north side of the peninsula approximately 145 miles west of the Florida Keys. The storm missed a direct hit on Key West but brought hurricane-force winds and storm surge to the area. An anomalous blocking pattern kept Dennis on a near-northerly track throughout the Gulf, threatening the western Florida panhandle - a region that was heavily devastated by 2004's Hurricane Ivan, a similar storm in size and intensity at landfall. The abnormally warm Loop Current, in addition to virtually no shear, provided Dennis with the necessary energy to re-intensify. Approximately 225 miles south of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Dennis attained a secondary peak intensity of 155 miles per hour in conjunction with a minimum pressure of 927 millibars, breaking its 3-day old record of 930 millibars. The storm was predicted to regain category 5 intensity, however, as the storm drew near land, possible shelving and upwelling due to its slow movement imparted minor weakening. Within twelve hours, the storm weakened to 140 miles per hour. The eye clouded, and a concentric eyewall was noted on satellite imagery. Dennis began to undergo an eyewall-replacement cycle (ERC) as it drew nearer to the coastline. It made landfall over Navarre Beach, still undergoing the ERC, with maximum sustained winds of 130 miles per hour. The point of landfall was only a few miles east of where Hurricane Ivan made landfall the previous year, and cities in the region were still recovering. The cyclone continued its northerly track across the eastern United States, weakening as it did so. Within 4 hours of landfall, Dennis underwent massive weakening and entered Alabama as a minimal tropical storm. It became extratropical over Kentucky and dissipated as it entered Michigan.

Dennis left a long swath of damage along the course of its path, beginning in the Windward Islands. The storm moved directly over Grenada, bringing heavy rains. Mudslides and flooding triggered mudslides and isolated many villages that had only recently re-established communications after Ivan. As it passed to the east of Jamaica, the large circulation dumped an extended period of heavy rains. With accumulations reaching 23.7 inches in Port San Antonio, Dennis became the wettest storm on record for the nation. High winds destroyed the island's agriculture, particularly sugarcane and citrus, the latter of which had more than 80% capacity completely decimated. Significant storm surge was reported on the northern end of the island, particularly Montego Bay. Strong waves destroyed much of Kent Avenue along its route, and water rushed into facilities that housed the University of the West Indies. In neighboring Haiti, effects were also severe. The outer bands brushed the Tiburon Peninsula, bringing torrential rains to the mountainous nation. The resultant flooding had a substantial impact on the nation's infrastructure, obstructing roads and washing away residences. Residents in Les Cayes reportedly stood on their roofs awaiting rescue because water was so deep. More than 70 people were killed there alone.

Dennis made two landfalls in Cuba as a very strong hurricane, considered to be much worse than that of Hurricane Colin the previous year. The storm initially came ashore near the southern tip of the Granma Province, accompanied by a fifteen-foot storm surge. Hurricane-force winds reached as far east Santiago de Cuba. Over 60,000 dwellings were destroyed by its initial landfall, and sugar, tobacco, and citrus crops were severely affected by the storm. Making its second landfall in Cayo Ramona as a category 5, Dennis's winds destroyed virtually the entire city. Every resident who lived there reported their houses were either completely washed away by storm surge or blown apart by the winds. Gusts reached an astounding 201 miles per hour in La Jagua before the weather instrument was later destroyed. In mountainous regions, rainfall accumulations reached 51.42 inches - this made Dennis the wettest storm on record for the island nation, surpassing Hurricane Flora of 1963. Dennis remained a major hurricane throughout its entire passage through Cuba, causing significant damage along the northern coastline. Havana, the nation's capital, experienced hurricane-force winds for the first time since Hurricane Laura in 2002. In the city, rainwater flooding was more than a foot deep in some places, while storm surge incapacitated coastal hotels and restaurants that previously served as hurricane shelters, forcing the evacuation of more than 900 people. The storm left more than $3 billion in damage in Cuba, and killed at least 21 people. 

In the Florida Keys, Dennis's large circulation brought strong winds and minor flooding. Key West was most affected. Widespread power outages plagued the islands, high winds brought down trees and power lines, therefore obstructing roads, and storm surge caused significant beach erosion and flooding. As Dennis explosively re-intensified over the Gulf of Mexico, residents from Pensacola to Panama City were urged to evacuate by President Bush. The storm was predicted to make landfall in two days very close to category 5 status, making it one of the strongest storms ever to threaten the region. Despite weakening, Dennis made landfall over Navarre Beach as a category 4 hurricane, less than a year after Hurricane Ivan. Newly rebuilt homes in the region were completely wiped out by the storm. Fort Walton Beach was completely isolated after Dennis cut power to the city. To the west, Pensacola endured strong winds, blowing off roofs and obstructing roads with sand and other debris. As it made landfall, Dennis spawned more than 85 tornadoes throughout Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. Areas in Mississippi recorded as much as 14 inches of rain combined from both Dennis and predecessor Hurricane Corrin. Dennis's effects reached far from the center. In St. Marks, in the Big Bend region, a 10-foot storm tide reportedly "wiped the town off the map". Damage in some places was compared to a bomb, particularly in Fort Walton Beach. Further inland, Dennis's remnants produced heavy rains and widespread tornadoes. Louisville, Kentucky received more than six inches of rain from the storm, triggering widespread flash flooding. Throughout the course of its track, Dennis left exactly 112 dead and damage in the range of $7-8 billion (2005 USD).

Hurricane Emily

Emily formed on July 11th from a tropical wave that moved off the coast of Senagal on July 2nd. Strong atmospheric convection led forecasters to issue a HIGH chance of development through five days. The small system increased in organization and began producing storm-force winds over subsequent days, but ASCAT data failed to obtain signs of a closed circulation. Overnight July 11th, a Hurricane Hunters flight obtained data supporting a closed circulation, and Tropical Storm Emily was declared approximately 340 miles east of the Windward Islands, with 45 mph winds. Traveling west-northwest, Emily initially struggled to intensify due to strong wind shear and the low latitude in which it formed. After maintaining a disheveled appearance approximately 12 hours after it formed, convection blossomed to the northeast of the center. Satellite imagery indicated a new center of circulation reformed to the northeast of the original, within the heart of the blossoming convection. Emily wobbled more westward, just as probable impacts in Grenada were realized.

As Emily continued across the tropical Atlantic, its center wobbled more to the southwest and began to rapidly intensify. Convection rapidly increased, and curved rainbands formed around the outer edges of the cyclone. Emily was declared a hurricane approximately 36 hours after designation. Around this time, its forward speed picked up considerably and hurricane warnings were issued for Grenada. Only 12 hours later, Emily made landfall around 06:00 UTC with sustained winds of 80 knots, despite having a slightly disorganized appearance. The hurricane quickly entered the Caribbean Sea, and, abided by very warm waters and virtually no wind shear, Emily went from a minimal hurricane to a category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 130 miles per hour in a matter of hours. As noted by the NHC, this intensification trend was short-lived, and an outer eyewall began to form after maintaining category 4 intensity for roughly 12 hours. Emily underwent an eyewall-replacement cycle shortly after, weakening the storm to category 2 intensity. A ridge to the southwest steered Emily to the west-northwest, into a pocket of 37ºC waters created by Dennis just a week prior.

As Emily closed in on Jamaica, it achieved category 4 intensity once more. The eye rapidly cleared out and shrunk in size, signaling explosive intensification was commencing. Emily became a C5 roughly 66 miles south-southwest of Jamaica, with its outer rainbands spilling over the island. Emily gained a more westerly track as it passed south of Cuba, continuing its intensification the entire time. About 105 miles south of Cienfuegos, Emily achieved its peak intensity - a record shattered by the one set by Dennis only days prior - 175 miles per hour, with a minimum pressure of 922 millibars. This peak was barely maintained for 6 hours before Emily hit a wall of shear just south of the Yucatán Channel. The hurricane rapidly weakened down to C4 before making landfall on the island of Cozumel with 150 mph winds. Emily's appearance continued to degrade as it neared the Yucatán Peninsula, though reconnaissance flights consistently reported the storm maintained category 4 intensity. Only hours later, Emily made landfall directly over Playa del Carmen with winds of 140 miles per hour, making it the strongest storm to strike the region since Michael of 1988. This record would later be surpassed by Hurricane Gamma in October.

Emily shifted to the northwest after crossing the Yucatán, entering the Gulf of Mexico on the north side of the peninsula with 90 mph winds. Whether or not the storm would re-intensify became a matter of debate as it remained stable as it began advancing towards the Mexican mainland, though after 18 hours, the hurricane's inner core prevailed and Emily began to explosively intensify once more. Very close to landfall, the hurricane re-attained category 4 intensity, though land interaction with the storm's western eyewall weakened it prior to landfall. Around 14:00 UTC July 22nd, Emily made landfall over San Fernando, Tamaulipas as a high-end category 3 hurricane. As the storm moved inland, explosive weakening ensued, and Emily ultimately dissipated the following day.

As Emily passed over Grenada, hurricane-force winds downed hundreds of trees and power lines. The storm compounded effects from Ivan the year prior and left over 15,000 residences without electricity, including 2,000 residual outages from Ivan. At least 40 homes were rendered as uninhabitable. The storm's outer rainbands produced flash flooding in Jamaica. Emily claimed her first life after landslides killed one person on the island. Along the Yucatán Peninsula, Emily was regarded as the worst hurricane to strike the region since Michael of 1988. In some instances, concrete utility poles were snapped in half by the powerful winds. Storm surge peaked at more than 17 feet in height and wiped out a number of coastal attractions and businesses. Intense lightning was reported in the hurricane's eyewall, which reportedly triggered a deadly wildfire on Cozumel. More than 300,000 people across the region were left without power, while swaths of trees experienced defoliation. Officials in Tulum estimated tourism would be down more than 30% through the sumnmer. 

In mainland Mexico, several communities along the sparsely populated coast of Tamaulipas were essentially eliminated due to the storm surge and torrential rainfall. Emily's slowed movement as it progressed inland in combination with its 14 foot storm surge resulted in significant flooding throughout the municipality. As the system moved over the mountainous terrain, torrential rainfall triggered catastrophic mudslides that displaced thousands of people. Flooding was reported as far inland as Monterrey. Along the coast, numerous towns were essentially "wiped out", with communications and infrastructure all but completely destroyed. The outer bands of the system reached as far north as Texas, with an anemometer in Brownsville measuring gusts upwards of 65 miles per hour. Some sporadic power outages were reported, alongside isolated tornadoes. Property damages amounted to nothing more than $250,000 (2005 USD) alone there. In all, Emily caused at least $1.7 billion in damage along its track.

Hurricane Floyd

Near the beginning of Emily's life, a tropical wave that had moved off the coast of Africa. The wave was invested soon after entering the tropical Atlantic, but moved steadily to the west-northwest without a significant change in organization. However, on July 19th, while east of The Bahamas, the system gradually organized and was designated as a tropical depression at 00:00 UTC July 20th. The system intensified to Tropical Storm Floyd the following day, while simultaneously making landfall on Great Abaco. Initially predicted to strike Florida, Floyd moved to the north, and then to the northeast, over open water. Moderate levels of wind shear and a cooler Gulf Stream inhibited further intensification, and a disheveled Floyd continued to the northeast, threatening Bermuda.

As Floyd continued its advance northeast, wind shear unexpectedly abated, and the storm began to develop an inner core. Slowly tracking across open water further aided in allowing strengthening to occur, and National Hurricane Center forecasters noted the possibility for Floyd to attain hurricane status. Late July 23rd, Floyd strengthened to 70 miles per hour, and six hours later, Dvorak estimates in combination with a dropsonde signaled Floyd had become the fifth hurricane of the season. Hurricane warnings were issued for Bermuda, as the storm was forecasted to make landfall on the island. The following morning, around 15:00 UTC July 24th, Floyd made landfall on the island territory at peak intensity. Satellite imagery suggested the small hurricane may have tried to develop an eye before landfall, though soon after clearing the territory, Floyd moved erratically to the west and strong wind shear imparted rapid weakening. It drifted to the northeast several hundred miles away from New York, briefly becoming a tropical depression once more.

The disorganized system slowly moved back into warmer waters as it passed to the southwest of Nova Scotia, which allowed Floyd to re-intensify. The storm hit a secondary peak intensity of 50 miles per hour as it entered Canadian waters. However, this peak was short-lived as Floyd began accelerating to the northeast. Its increased forward speed in combination with strong wind shear ripped the storm apart, and it became extratropical July 30th. Across the Bahamas, showers and light rain was reported. There were no reports of damage. Despite striking Bermuda at hurricane intensity, the strongest winds were confined to the eastern eyewall, which remained offshore. The highest measured winds reached 67 miles per hour there, triggering rough surf and sporadic power outages. Waterspouts were reported just offshore. Several homes suffered roof leaks and broken windows. Total property damage from Floyd is estimated to be less than $600,000 (USD).

Tropical Storm Gina

The same tropical wave that spawned Hurricane Floyd earlier on had split in two just east of the Leeward Islands. While one part moved to the north and became the aforementioned hurricane, the second half, a disorganized mess of plentiful convection, continued to the west and entered the Caribbean. The wave began to organize just east of Quintana Roo, but failed to develop further as it eventually made landfall. A new center of low pressure formed to the northwest, bordering the Bay of Campeche, and quickly fired deep convection due to extremely warm sea surface temperatures. About six hours later, at 08:00 UTC July 23rd, Tropical Depression Seven was designated while positioned just west of the Mexican state of Campeche.

Later that day, the depression increased in thunderstorm activity and buoys reported sustained winds of 36.7 knots. Thus, the system was upgraded to tropical storm status and the NHC assigned it the name Gina. Despite relatively little time to intensify, abundant moisture and the extremely warm waters of the region allowed Gina to strengthen, and it quickly reached its peak intensity of 50 miles per hour, 1002 millibars 25 miles east of Veracruz. Gina was unable to maintain this intensity for long, as wind shear quickly displaced convection to the southwest, triggering heavy rains over much of Veracruz. Gina slowly weakened as it approached land, coming ashore near Pánuco, Veracruz overnight July 25th. Land interaction continued to erode the storm, where it dissipated completely roughly 18 hours later.

Despite making landfall in Veracruz, much of the damage surprisingly occurred in neighboring Tamaulipas. While over water, the displaced convection spread over Veracruz and brought a swath of heavy rains. Rain was so heavy in some areas that gauges broke. Hundreds of vehicles were disabled. Landslides and flooding collapsed or destroyed hundreds of power lines, isolating nearly every city in the municipality for miles and left thousands without electricity. In Tamaulipas, Gina affected areas that were already in a state of crisis from Emily days earlier. The circulation of the storm was broad, bringing rain as far north as Nuevo Léon. The city of San Fernando, which experienced a direct landfall from Emily, was effectively isolated. Over 2,000 residences, many of which were located in farmland, were isolated or damaged in some way. At least two homes in Altamira collapsed due to landslides, which stranded a further 200 people. Throughout Mexico, Gina accrued more than $16 million (US) in damage and claimed six lives.

Hurricane Harold

In late July, yet another tropical wave moved off the coast of Africa. Like the waves preceding it, the system remained disorganized and relatively lacking in atmospheric convection as it moved across the tropical Atlantic. On July 29th, the system developed spiral rainbands, which increased the chances of formation. By July 30th, the system had gained all necessary characteristics of a tropical cyclone with the exception of a closed surface circulation. A reconnaissance aircraft flew into the system later that day as it shifted towards the north and obtained evidence of tropical storm-force winds. However, the system was still incredibly disorganized, with forecaster Lixion Avila noting that any chance of development would be "about as likely as a category five striking New York". The following morning, however, the effects of dry air and wind shear unexpectedly abated, and a different reconnaissance flight acquired evidence of a closed circulation. Thus, Tropical Storm Harold was designated approximately 380 miles southwest of Bermuda at 05:00 UTC August 1st, skipping the tropical depression stage as the precursor had maintained tropical storm-force winds.

Despite passing through waters upwelled by Hurricane Floyd the previous month, lack of any sort of atmospheric detriments allowed Harold to strengthen. The storm made a direct hit on Bermuda as a strong tropical storm with 65 mph winds. After clearing the territory, Harold developed a small eye, albeit clouded, and further strengthened to become the sixth hurricane of the season. The atmospheric pressure bottomed out at 989 millibars before Harold made a slight shift to the northeast. Moving over cooler waters, Harold began to weaken and lost hurricane intensity around 18:00 UTC August 5th. Wind shear imparted additional weakening, and maximum sustained winds fell to 60 miles per hour. The appearance of the cyclone became ragged, though it still maintained a shallow eye and cyclonic shape. Because of this, the storm maintained said wind speeds as it moved further north. Around 12:00 UTC August 8th, Harold transitioned to an extratropical cyclone. The extratropical remnants of the former hurricane meandered around around the subtropical Atlantic near the Azores for an additional three days before dissipating north of Flores Island.

The only landmass impacted by the storm was Bermuda. The northern part of the circulation moved directly over the island, and harbored the storm's most intense winds. Gusts reached 79 miles per hour at the highest elevation. Several homes had roofs partially torn off, over 1,500 people lost electricity, and widespread tree damage occurred. The Bermuda International Airport measured rainfall in excess of 4 inches, making Harold one of the wettest storms on record for Bermuda. The storm was among one of the costlier tropical cyclones for the territory, incurring $1.1 million (USD) in losses.

Hurricane Irene

In early August, a vigorous tropical wave entered the Main Development Region (MDR) after previously producing showers and thunderstorms over Cape Verde. Around 04:00 UTC August 4th, convection associated with the disturbance increased, and the system was designated as a tropical depression approximately 445 miles southwest of the Cape Verde islands. Upon being designated, the newly-formed system shifted to the northwest. While the presence of the Saharan Air Layer (SAL) caused dry air to become entrained in the circulation, the area was laden with above-average sea surface temperatures, allowing the system to strengthen to tropical storm status the following day. Over subsequent days, gradual yet steady intensification ensued, and the newly designated Irene intensified to minimal hurricane status. Upper-level wind shear continued to relent, and more rapid strengthening ensued, allowing Irene to become a category 2 hurricane at 22:00 UTC later that night. A central dense overcast formed around a small eye, and the storm eventually reached an initial peak intensity of 105 miles per hour.

Irene maintained peak winds for roughly 18 hours before the effects of wind shear and colder waters allowed weakening to commence, and Irene became a tropical storm early August 10th. The storm took on a more westerly track, around the Bermuda-Azores High, eventually moving to the south of Bermuda as a marginal tropical storm. Initially, the storm was predicted to continue westward and make landfall in South Carolina. Irene soon entered the Gulf Stream, and began re-intensifying. It nearly became a hurricane for a second time but curved to the northeast, paralleling the Outer Banks of North Carolina while just under hurricane status. At 00:00 UTC August 15th, Irene passed to the northwest of Bermuda and began unexpectedly intensifying. Because the size of the storm was so small, the NHC eventually assessed in its post-season analysis that was the primary reason why Irene was so prone to fluctuations in intensity. Irene continued to rapidly intensify north of Bermuda, eventually becoming the season's third major hurricane at 10:00 UTC August 16th. Throughout the following days, Irene rapidly weakened below hurricane intensity and became an extratropical cyclone while 415 miles east-southeast of Newfoundland.

As Irene passed just 15 miles east of the Carolinas, the outer edge of the eyewall brought heavy rains and gusty winds to the Outer Banks. Rough surf caused minor beach erosion on Hatteras, worsening the environmental problems created by Hurricane Karla two years earlier. Over 350 homes lost electricity. Further inland, the outer bands of the system spawned multiple tornadoes, none of which exceeded the EF0 classification. As Irene was at sea, it posed an elevated risk of rip currents along the East Coast of the United States, particularly in the Mid-Atlantic region. These rip currents claimed two lives - one a teenage boy in New York, and the other a man in Virginia Beach. Overall damage from Irene was minimal.

Tropical Depression Ten

In a fashion similar to the storms that preceded it, the same tropical wave that spawned Hurricane Irene retained a small remnant area of convective energy that continued to the west, and began to consolidate roughly 2,000 miles east of the Lesser Antilles. The wave was designated a tropical depression at 15:00 UTC August 12th, 1,800 miles east of Barbados. Despite relatively bleak environmental conditions, the depression quickly organized and developed curved banding, per satellite imagery. At the subsequent advisory, Tropical Depression Ten intensified to 35 miles per hour, which would become its peak intensity. Almost overnight, wind shear increased by nearly 20 knots, ripping the convection apart and exposing much of the circulation. Winds fell to 25 miles per hour, and the system was never able to re-intensify beyond that. The depression drifted aimlessly to the west-northwest, ultimately becoming a remnant low approximately 1,400 miles east of the Lesser Antilles. The remnant circulation, however, remained active, and churned across the deep tropics where it merged with another tropical wave adjacent to The Bahamas. This system would later become Hurricane Katrina.

Hurricane Julito

The origins of Julito can be traced to a tropical wave first identified over Morocco at the start of August. Enhanced by a convectively-coupled Kelvin wave (CCKW), there was a broad area of convection that spawned two systems in the deep tropics - Hurricane Irene, and Tropical Depression Ten. The remnants of the wave later crossed the Windward Islands and was enhanced by the plentiful tropical moisture and record warm sea surface temperatures in the Caribbean Sea. Convection exploded, albeit most of it was displaced northeast of the center. The disturbance continued across the Caribbean without much organizational change, moving over the Yucatán Peninsula and later entering the Bay of Campeche.

Upon reaching water once more, the system quickly developed a well-defined center of low pressure, and fired deep convection. Around 07:00 UTC August 21st, the NHC initiated advisories on Tropical Depression Eleven, while situated very close to Veracruz. Despite being so close to land, the system was small and very prone to intensity fluctuations. In addition, conditions in the region were conducive for rapid intensification. Shortly after being designated, a reconnaissance flight uncovered sustained tropical storm-force winds at the surface, and the NHC issued a special advisory, declaring Eleven to be a tropical storm, and assigning it the name Julito. The storm continued to intensify as it moved westward, ultimately making landfall at just under hurricane intensity over Veracruz City. At the time, it developed a small eye and central dense overcast. Shortly after the eye moved onshore, another recon flight obtained evidence of hurricane intensity, and Julito was upgraded to category 1 intensity while inland. Julito managed to maintain this strength for two hours before its inner core collapsed, and dissipated approximately 12 hours after making landfall, on August 25th.

Because Julito's intensification was so abrupt and unprecedented, there was very little time to prepare in advance of the storm, and preparations were rushed and inadequate. Officials in Veracruz told residents to stay in their homes and wait the storm out. Because Julito intensified to a hurricane while inland and was not expected to be a hurricane at all by the NHC, hurricane warnings were not issued for the region. Damage was very severe, amounting to more than $50 million (USD). High winds from the storm cut electricity to over 6,500 people and obstructed roads with debris, effectively trapping people in their homes and inhibiting rescue services. Rainfall was torrential, measuring more than 4.2 inches, and washed away over 40 miles of road networks. Various crops were ruined, most notably sugarcane. Due to the storm's effects and lack of advance warning, twelve fatalities were attributed to Julito.

Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina originated from a merge between the remnants of Tropical Depression Ten, and a separate tropical wave east of The Bahamas. The system was designated a tropical depression just east of Abaco Island at 11:00 UTC August 22nd, and quickly reached tropical storm status, making landfall on the aforesaid island with winds of 45 miles per hour. Steadily intensifying as it moved northwest across the islands, Katrina later struck the Berry Islands as a slightly stronger storm. Convection steadily increased with the system, with land interaction not an inhibiting factor. Eventually, Katrina entered a pocket of extremely warm water in between the Bahamas and the Atlantic coast of Florida. This provided the necessary fuel for rapid intensification, and Katrina became a hurricane only hours before landfall. Radar at a weather office in Ft. Lauderdale indicated Katrina was developing a well-defined eye, and the hurricane continued to organize up until landfall. At 22:00 UTC August 25th, Katrina made landfall over Miami Beach, Florida with 85 mph winds.

Katrina remained at hurricane strength for the duration of its passage over the Florida peninsula, and immediately began re-intensifying upon hitting open water. The minimum pressure dropped by more than 10 millibars, as indicated by a dropsonde. Katrina then passed directly over the Dry Tortugas with winds of 90 miles per hour. Steering currents weakened slightly, thus the hurricane dipped a bit to the southwest, just north of Havana, Cuba. At the time, Katrina was under rapid intensification, aided by the record warm Loop Current, and the southern eyewall moved over western Cuba with 120 mph sustained winds. An eyewall-replacement cycle took place soon after it cleared the island nation, weakening the storm only slightly but doubling its size. Katrina shifted more to the north, threatening the United States Gulf Coast. The massive hurricane continued to grow in size, with hurricane-force winds spreading for almost 150 miles on either side of the center. By 13:00 UTC August 26th, Katrina explosively intensified, and was upgraded to category 5 intensity at 06:00 UTC August 27th. With virtually no wind shear, dry air, or cold sea surface temperatures, Katrina continued to explode as it slowly approached the Gulf Coast. President Bush, noting the threat Katrina posed, urged residents in southeast Louisiana, particularly New Orleans, to leave, as the NHC predicted Katrina would continue to intensify till landfall and potentially make landfall at category 5 status.

By 14:00 UTC August 28th, Katrina reached its peak intensity, with winds of 180 miles per hour and a minimum pressure of 901 millibars. This made Katrina the strongest storm in the Gulf of Mexico since 1969's Camille, which was only barely stronger. In addition, Katrina's peak made it the 6th most intense Atlantic hurricane at the time, though it would later be knocked down to 8th overall. Simultaneously, Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco requested assistance of the National Guard to help with the evacuations and last-minute preparations. Because Katrina was such a large system, tropical storm-force winds began spilling onshore more than 24 hours before landfall and caused significant problems. Katrina maintained peak winds for 12 hours, and began to slowly weaken only hours before landfall. At 12:00 UTC August 29th, Katrina made landfall over Port Sulphur, Louisiana with winds of 175 miles per hour, making it the only category 5 hurricane on record to strike the state. Katrina continued slowly weakening as it moved further inland, though the marshy terrain of the region may have helped to keep the storm stable at category 5 intensity. Katrina made its final landfall over Ansley, Mississippi later that morning, still at category 5 intensity. This made Mississippi (alongside Florida) one of only two states in the United States that has seen more than one category 5 hurricane make landfall.

Once inland, Katrina began rapidly unraveling, though it remained a hurricane a decent 200 miles inland. It was still a tropical storm over Kentucky, but soon split into two separate systems. One continued northward into the Great Lakes region as a small remnant area of low pressure, while the other accelerated to the northeast, merging with an extratropical low on August 30th. In the initial portion of its track, officials in the Bahamas described Katrina as "nothing more than a mere atmospheric disturbance." Steady rainfall was reported across the entire archipelago, with more heavy rain and gusty winds occurring on the islands where it made landfall. Waterspouts were also observed from residents' homes. However, the storm reportedly caused no damage in the region.

Because Katrina made landfall in a densely populated area in south Florida as a hurricane, damage was widespread and heavy. Many people did not take the storm seriously as it had just strengthened to hurricane status, resulting 24 deaths throughout the area. Katrina's winds toppled thousands of trees and utility poles, resulting in 800,000+ outages at the height of the storm. Hundreds of houses were damaged or destroyed, of which falling trees accounted for 60%. The hurricane was the first to make a direct strike on Miami since 1992's Charley, meaning that at least 70% of the region's population had not experienced hurricane-force winds. At the National Hurricane Center's office, measured winds reached 84 miles per hour, with gusts of 113 miles per hour. After Katrina moved out into the Gulf of Mexico and began intensifying, the outer edges of its southern eyewall moved over Cuba and brought an extended period of torrential rain. In Havana, rainfall accumulations reached 11.5 inches in just 18 hours. Strong winds, gusting to 65 miles per hour, unmoored boats and shredded trees. All of Havana was without power and clean water. At least $4.1 million in damage was wrecked upon the sugarcane and tobacco crops.

Katrina's most significant impact occurred along the United States Gulf Coast, where it made landfall as a massive category 5 hurricane. The estimated pressure at landfall was 911 millibars, which ranks Katrina the fourth-most intense hurricane landfall in the United States. The most devastating damage came from the storm surge, which topped 50 feet in height. Localized surges reached higher than 60 feet. A solid 140 mile stretch of coastline was submerged, with approximately 68% of the coastal topography in the region still underwater. Many towns were simply obliterated and never rebuilt. In New Orleans, significant flooding isolated the entire city. Wind-driven waves in Lake Pontchartrain, topping 35 feet in height, toppled the levees meant to prevent water from escaping the floodplains below. When the levees failed, water quickly rushed into the city and trapped over 100,000 people who sought refuge there. Because the hurricane passed east of the city, it received lower-end category 4-force winds. At the height of the storm, the entire region - over 2 million customers - were without power. In neighboring Mississippi, damage was equally as horrendous. The storm surge shrunk the coastline, pushing it inland by roughly 5 miles. Biloxi was all but completely destroyed, and remained underwater nearly a week later. Across both states, Katrina's winds defoliated and flattened trees for hundreds of miles. Satellite imagery of the location a week after the storm depicted a largely drown and desolate coastline. Many people failed to heed evacuation warnings, resulting in the deaths of more than 22,000, making it the deadliest hurricane on U.S. soil. Katrina's fatality count also surpassed the Great Hurricane of 1780 for the deadliest Atlantic hurricane of all time. At the time, Katrina was the costliest tropical cyclone ever recorded, with more than $161 billion (2005 USD) in damage. However, the true totals may never actually be known. In 2017, Katrina's title as costliest tropical cyclone ever was usurped by Hurricane Irma, which caused more than $200 billion in damage in southeast Texas.

Tropical Storm Lee

In late August, another tropical wave emerged over the deep tropics, just off the coast of Morocco. The wave moved directly over Cape Verde, harboring intense thunderstorms. The disturbance gradually organized during its journey across the tropical Atlantic, but was unable to consolidate due to lack of distinct surface circulation. Convection pulsated during this time, waxing and waning due to random pockets of wind shear. By August 27th, the disturbance was approximately 2,000 miles east of the Lesser Antilles, and the adverse conditions that had plagued it throughout much of its initial existence began to relent. Around 09:00 UTC that day, the disturbance began to organize, and soon consolidated to a tropical depression. The initial depression lasted for two days, quickly moving to the west-northwest. Tropical storm watches were issued in advance of a possible strike on Antigua & Barbuda, though most models predicted the system would open up into a tropical wave before it made it there.

The depression briefly became Tropical Storm Lee later that afternoon, but a degrading satellite appearance and waning convection caused the NHC to downgrade it back to a depression only six hours later. The subsequent morning, Lee opened back up into a tropical wave, adhering to most model predictions. Soon after, steering currents changed, and the wave moved to the north. The remnants, after drifting northward, began to regenerate more than 2,300 miles southeast of Bermuda. The storm, despite accelerating north at speeds close to 60 miles per hour, rapidly intensified, and attained a new peak intensity of 50 knots well away from any landmass. Due to the torrid pace at which Lee was moving, it sped up extratropical transition, and Lee became a post-tropical cyclone to the northeast of Bermuda, three days later.

Hurricane Maria

Near the middle of August, the NHC stated "a train of tropical waves are currently moving off the coast of Africa." One particular wave, noted for its unusually large size, was immediately forecasted to develop even before moving off the coast of Senegal. Due to a recession in the presence of the Saharan Air Layer, in addition to the Madden-Judan Oscillation (MJO), many of these waves would later develop in various spots around the Atlantic through the month of September and become particularly intense hurricanes. The first in the set of disturbances entered the tropical Atlantic in late August, being designated as a tropical depression at 08:00 UTC August 30th. After being designated, the system slowly moved to the northwest, firing more deep convection along its path. Dvorak estimates placed the system at tropical storm status, and after curved rainbands began to develop, the NHC upped it to a tropical storm approximately 18 hours after being designated. Maria, as it was known as, kept on contributing to the now apparent record activity that year, being the earliest known formation of the 13th storm in any Atlantic hurricane season on record. Shortly after becoming a tropical storm, Maria shifted to the northwest and was slow to intensify, due in part to dry air entrainment in the south side of the circulation, as well as cool sea surface temperatures. In addition, the storm was broad, and embedded in a region of tropical moisture with many other tropical waves. At times, the surface circulation was difficult to distinguish on satellite imagery. 

Maria was noted for its extremely slow pace, and even slower rate of intensification. Approximately two days after forming, the storm couldn't even intensify to attain wind speeds of 60 miles per hour. Maria nearly weakened back to a tropical depression, with strong wind shear decoupling most of the primary convection from the center of circulation. In addition, Maria's track slowly shifted northward, shrinking a probable Bermuda threat. By 11:00 UTC September 4th, Maria began to re-intensify, albeit slowly. Six hours later, Maria attained a new peak intensity of 60 miles per hour. The structure continued to get better organized, despite still being in 15 knots of winds shear. Later that evening, the rough eye began to clear out, all while the storm's organization continued improving. Maria was upgraded to hurricane status soon after, becoming the 10th hurricane of the season. Despite having a round-ish eye and abundant convection, the storm's central dense overcast was noted as lopsided. In addition, wind shear continued to disrupt its ability to intensify. Despite all odds, Maria achieved category 2 intensity 14 hours later. The eye began to grow in size as Maria intensified, an unusual feat as most storms under rapid intensification have a pinhole, or shrinking, eye. Cloud tops continued to cool well into the afternoon, and at 00:00 UTC September 5th, Maria was upgraded to category 3 status, making it a major hurricane. Shortly after, the storm's brief phase of rapid intensification ended, and Maria stalled in intensity. The storm briefly stalled in movement, as well, sitting approximately 475 miles east of Bermuda. During this time, the maximum radius of winds expanded, spreading out for over 300 miles on either side of the cyclone. After briefly weakening to a category 2 due to upwelling, Maria turned to the northeast and resumed rapid intensification. At 13:00 UTC September 6th, Maria attained its peak intensity as a category 4 hurricane, with 130 mph winds.

Maria's peak barely lasted six hours before intrusive wind shear and cooler waters wrought havoc on the storm's environment, and it quickly degraded to category 2. Maria accelerated to the northeast, where it expanded in size yet the inner core contracted. Baroclinic processes caused a brief spurt of re-intensification, and Maria attained a secondary peak intensity of 90 miles per hour shortly before becoming extratropical. Roughly 18 hours later, after weakening back down to 85 miles per hour, Maria merged with another extratropical cyclone east of Newfoundland while maintaining hurricane-force winds. Shortly after, the extremely large system absorbed the remnants of Hurricane Nate. The powerful post-tropical cyclone accelerated northward where it deepened to attain a minimum pressure of 957 millibars. The system soon made landfall in Iceland, where it brought torrential rains, strong winds, and unseasonably cold temperatures to the region. Further north, severe weather advisories were initiated in Ireland and the British Isles as the system approached. Heavy rain pummeled the region, leading to more than a foot of flooding in some places. At least 60,000 people lost electricity due to strong winds. In Iceland, a rockslide forced a house off its foundation in Reykholt, killing three people.

Hurricane Nate

Shortly after Tropical Depression Fourteen was designated, the NHC began monitoring an upper-level low south of Bermuda for potential subtropical development. Embedded within an elongated trough, the low merged with a dying tropical wave that had moved out of the Caribbean Sea. With conducive atmospheric conditions, the system began developing convection along the former wave axis. The system rapidly organized, and developed a closed lower-level surface circulation, allowing tropical depression fifteen to be designated approximately 750 miles southwest of Bermuda. Quickly intensifying, the depression attained tropical storm status six hours later. It accelerated northeast, threatening the island territory with a possible hurricane landfall. Eventually, steering currents collapsed in combination with Hurricane Maria to the east and a developing system moving over the Bahamas, leaving the newly-designated Nate to drift south of Bermuda. At 10:00 UTC 2 days later, Nate began rapidly intensifying as satellite imagery took notice of an improving cloud pattern. Soon after, a reconnaissance flight obtained evidence of hurricane-force winds, and Nate was appropriately upgraded to hurricane status.

With convection coalescing around the center of the newly-forming eye, Nate proceeded to intensify despite strong outflow from nearby Hurricane Maria. Nate managed to hold its own strength, with the western eyewall crossing Bermuda late September 8th. Despite its relatively short distance away from Hurricane Maria, Nate managed to peak as a category 2 hurricane with winds of 105 miles per hour for a brief six hours at 03:00 UTC September 9th. At the time of its peak, Nate featured a well-defined, circular eye amidst abundant convection embedded within a strong central dense overcast (CDO). Nate was only a category 2 for six hours before later weakening due to its proximity to Maria. In addition, a shortwave trough near the Bahamas caused Nate to change direction and shift east-northeast, more into Maria's path. Despite the former storm beginning to weaken at the time, Nate was much more compact and faster-moving that Maria, and was nearly absorbed into it. However, Nate slowed some as it changed direction, and yet again managed to avoid being absorbed. Even though it weakened, Nate maintained hurricane intensity until it became extratropical. The hurricane's cloud pattern continued to degrade as Nate continued to the northeast, treading into the much cooler Canadian waters. By 14:00 UTC September 11th, Nate became extratropical and soon merged with the remnants of Maria to form a strong extratropical storm system that left massive damage across much of western Europe.

Nate was the third hurricane to impact Bermuda within a 2-month period and the strongest to do so that year. Winds in excess of 85 miles per hour wrought havoc on the territory's power grid, cutting electricity to more than 28,000 people. Hundreds of homes suffered damage to some degree, with Hamilton seeing the worst of the impacts. Homes there reportedly had entire roofs ripped off and smashed windows. Upwards of three inches of rain fell, triggering sporadic flooding throughout. Hundreds of trees and power lines were torn down due to the high winds. Strong waves unmoored roughly 40 vessels on the south end of the island, crashing approximately seven of them into the rocky shoreline. In addition, the causeway was heavily damaged by rough surf, temporarily closing it for a week after the storm's departure. As an extratropical cyclone, Nate downed trees and triggered flooding throughout Iceland, Ireland, and the British Isles. In Cork, winds upwards of 65 miles per hour caused power outages and ripped roofing material from buildings. In all, Nate caused approximately $10 million in damage.

Hurricane Oprah

Following closely on the heels of preceding Hurricanes Maria and Nate, a large area of disturbed weather developed south of Santiago de Cuba near the southwestern edge of a shortwave trough. This trough would later spur the development of Hurricane Nate, as well as the storm after it. The disturbance, traveling northward, fired deep convection, but lacked organization and a closed circulation. It later crossed the eastern edge of Cuba, and soon emerged over the western Bahamas, alongside the axis of an aforementioned trough. Shortly after the development of Nate near Bermuda, a tropical depression formed at 09:00 UTC in between Andros Island and the Grand Bahama. Moving erratically, the future of the system was uncertain, and tropical cyclone models were split in how the storm would progress. It crossed over the western Bahamas without change in intensity, entering waters near Cape Canaveral.

The following morning, the depression strengthened to a tropical storm, and earned the name Oprah, respectively. The structure of the system continued to improve well into the afternoon, and peaked with 60 mph winds that same day. However, dry air entrainment and land interaction inhibited further intensification, and dry air eroded part of the northeastern circulation. Hurricane Hunters found the storm weakened, and was declared to be a 45 mph storm six hours later. The weakening phase was short-lived, and Oprah resumed re-intensification the following morning just offshore the Carolinas. Moving erratically, Oprah shifted northeast, and became a hurricane over more open water. However, shelving triggered additional weakening six hours later. Oprah soon shifted northeast, moving over the warm Gulf Stream. The high SSTs alone induced re-intensification to hurricane status. However, wind shear and further dry air entrainment imparted weakening. Up until September 11th, Oprah fluctuated in intensity, with a new one issued at every advisory. Eventually, the hurricane executed a small loop 70 miles offshore Myrtle Beach, and began moving northwest towards the Carolinas. It became a hurricane for the fifth time at 00:00 UTC September 12th.

As Oprah's threat to the United States became more inevitable, it took advantage of favorable environmental conditions and began steadily intensifying. The hurricane became a category 2 at 18:00 UTC September 13th, and developed a rather large and clear, round eye. Initially predicted to make landfall in South Carolina, Oprah slowly turned to the north. During this time, President Bush urged residents in Wilmington to evacuate. The NHC predicted steady intensification up until landfall, with a 48% chance that Oprah would make landfall in the United States as a major hurricane. Twelve hours after being upgraded to category 2, Ophelia attained near major hurricane-force winds, approximately one day from landfall. Sea surface temperatures in the region exceeded 32ºC, which, in combination with relenting wind shear, provided an extremely favorable environment for rapid intensification. At 22:00 UTC, ASCAT data in combination with falling Dvorak numbers provided some evidence of major hurricane status, and Oprah was soon upgraded to category 3. At peak, Oprah was unusually small, with hurricane-force winds extending for a 30-mile radius. However, its large, almost annular eye spread out for over 100 miles. The following morning, the hurricane weakened back to category 2 intensity and made landfall over Cape Hatteras, North Carolina with winds of 110 miles per hour. The storm quickly weakened as it advanced up the coast, coming ashore New England as a tropical storm. Oprah eventually turned east over the open Atlantic and became extratropical south of Nova Scotia, dissipating several days later.

Along the Greater Antilles, the precursor disturbance brought heavy rain to parts of eastern Cuba, Haiti, and the Bahamas. As it developed into a tropical cyclone over the latter of the landmasses, strong wind gusts and heavy rain triggered sporadic power outages. Minor flooding was also observed in Nassau. Due to Oprah's erratic movement just offshore the United States East Coast, states of emergency were initiated in Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, and New York. Hurricane warnings were issued from a region stretching from Myrtle Beach to New York City. The last time hurricane warnings had been so widespread were in 1999, during Hurricane Gert. When Oprah made landfall over Cape Hatteras, the storm's large eye meant hurricane-force winds were spread out over a widespread area. The mainland received winds in excess of 85 miles per hour, while the Outer Banks was subjected to 100 mph winds. Hundreds of thousands of people lost electricity, with more than 800 utility poles downed across the eastern part of the state. Oprah's winds defoliated hundreds of trees and blew them onto homes, exacerbating the destruction. The storm surge rose more than ten feet and completely inundated the barrier islands. Particularly affected was Pamlico Sound, reportedly under fifteen feet of water at the height of the storm.

In neighboring Virginia, the slow-moving storm brought an enormous amount of rain, saturating the coastline. In combination with the more distant Hurricanes Maria and Nate, the storms stirred a widespread area of high seas, producing dangerous rip currents along the entire United States East Coast. Long-period swells propagated across the entire subtropical Atlantic for more than a week, killing eight people and stranding hundreds. Strong winds along the Virginia coastline cut electricity and downed trees, rip currents forced the closure of beaches. Though Oprah had weakened below hurricane intensity by the time it came ashore in New England, its large size caused horrific damage across five states. Approximately 60% of New York City was without power, and several subway tunnels were inundated. High winds tore down thousands of trees in Rhode Island and Connecticut, obstructing roads and damaging houses. Tornadoes were reported in Massachusetts and Connecticut, one of which was an EF2 that caused significant damage in Hartford. In the United States, the hurricane was held responsible for $2.71 billion (2005 USD) in damages. Damage in neighboring Atlantic Canada, with small trees uprooted and sporadic power outages reported in New Brunswick.

Hurricane Philippe

Continuing the trend of MDR systems, yet another tropical wave entered the tropical Atlantic near Senagal in early September. Albeit disorganized, the NHC did not anticipate development and kept the system at a low chance of formation through five days. The wave skirted Cape Verde and began to organize more as it moved further into the deep tropics, developing curved rainbands and a center of low pressure. The NHC increased chances of development as the wave moved further to the west-northwest, eventually consolidating 645 miles east of the Lesser Antilles. The depression quickly intensified as it entered an extremely favorable environment, and became Tropical Storm Philippe six hours after formation. Despite being predicted to move westward, Philippe abruptly shifted to the north and continued to gradually strengthen.Philippe would spend the next 36 hours gradually strengthening while moving northward, staying safely away from the Lesser Antilles. At 22:00 UTC September 18th, Philippe intensified to minimal hurricane status, despite a disheveled satellite presentation. The reason for the upgrade occurred in combination with Dvorak estimates as well as reconnaissance aircraft, which found 67 kt winds in the storm's northern quadrant.

Philippe lasted as a hurricane for a mere 18 hours before later weakening, with strong wind shear exposing the surface circulation on the north side of the system, displacing all convection to the south. Philippe's structure continued to degrade over that same day, and eventually weakened to tropical depression by nightfall. Philippe eventually entered the subtropical Atlantic and a more favorable environment, but it was too late. Philippe had lost nearly all of its associated convection and was basically a churning swirl of a low-level circulation. South of Bermuda, the NHC declared Philippe a remnant low at 06:00 UTC September 25th. While the Lesser Antilles avoid impact due to Philippe's northward motion, Bermuda experienced the remnants of the system. Still recovering from Nate a week earlier, Philippe's additional rainfall and thunderstorms were not appreciated by the island's residents, of whom 10% were left homeless due to Nate. Philippe triggered 140 power outages and left additional vegetation damage across the island. However, overall damage was minimal.

Hurricane Rita

In early September, a chain of waves that had spawned several preceding storms - including Lee, Maria, Nate, Oprah, and Philippe - departed off the coast of Africa and into various regions of the Atlantic. One particular wave, enhanced by the perfectly timed arrival of the Madden-Judan Oscillation (MJO), entered open water well south of Cape Verde early September 7th. However, the wave was not invested due to hostile environmental conditions, most notably cooler ocean water, ahead. Convection began to wane soon after, and the wave was not expected to develop in the MDR. However, on September 15th, the system's convection pattern began to improve north of Puerto Rico; simultaneously, the environment appeared much more favorable for tropical cyclogenesis. Wind shear began to relent, and abundant moisture in the region provided the necessary fuel for convection to re-ignite. At 12:00 UTC September 17th, the invest was designated a tropical depression east of the Bahamas. The system acquired storm-force winds soon after formation, and was assigned the name Rita, making it the 17th named storm that year.

Rita quickly intensified as it moved directly across the Turks & Caicos, and the southern islands of the Bahamas. The nascent system was predicted to turn northwest and make landfall on the Florida peninsula, but an upper-level low to its north, in addition to strong trade winds, kept the storm moving westward without any change in intensity. After moving through the Bahamas, Rita passed into the Florida Straits and began rapidly intensifying, attaining hurricane status less than 40 miles south of the Everglades. As Rita continued due west, the Florida Keys were placed under Hurricane Warnings, with the growing hurricane threatening the region as a category 3. However, Rita weakened some prior to making its closest approach, and struck Marathon with winds of 110 miles per hour. Rita continued to the west as it entered the Gulf of Mexico, and, like Katrina before it, exploded over the extremely warm Loop Current. The storm's eye shrunk by more than 20 miles, no larger than five miles across at its largest. With explosive intensification having began in the system, it went from a category 2 hurricane to the most intense hurricane ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico in less than 24 hours, with the atmospheric pressure bottoming out at 892 millibars at its peak. At the same time, Rita reached the highest recorded wind speed in the Atlantic since 1988's Michael - peaking with maximum sustained winds of 190 miles per hour.

Upon reaching peak intensity, the system was 90 miles north of Harlem, Cuba, though convection from the outer eyewall drifted over the country, dropping torrential rain. Shortly after, a building trough to its southwest caused Rita to change direction, and it began moving to the northwest. Though Rita remained a category 5 hurricane, it slowly weakened as the eye began to cloud. Slightly colder waters also imparted additional weakening, and the hurricane fell to 140 knots 24 hours after achieving peak intensity. Despite the weakening, the NHC advised residents along the coast of Texas and western Louisiana to evacuate, as the storm was predicted to make landfall along the region within the subsequent 2-3 days. Soon after, a concentric eyewall appeared on satellite imagery, signaling an eyewall-replacement cycle. The ERC nearly doubled the size of the system, with hurricane-force winds spreading out for more than 100 miles on either side of the cyclone. Rita continued to weaken as it traveled to the northwest, falling to category 3 intensity approximately 215 miles away from the Texas coastline. In the meantime, more than one million people in the hurricane's path evacuated, having witnessed the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina less than a month earlier. By the time the massive hurricane made landfall over Cameron Parish, Louisiana, it had fallen to an intensity of 105 knots (120 miles per hour), but had a minimum pressure of 933 millibars due to its large size, which is more typical of a category 4 hurricane. The hurricane soon moved into Texas after making landfall, and subsequently weakened to category 2 intensity. After moving directly over Port Arthur, Rita weakened to minimal hurricane intensity and turned to the northeast. The storm continued to rapidly degrade over land, weakening to a tropical depression over Arkansas, and becoming a remnant low over Missouri.

Throughout its life, Rita followed a path comparable to Hurricane Katrina. The storm caused minor damage in the Bahamas, where heavy rain and high winds were reported. In Freeport, the storm cut power to more than 2,000 residences. Scattered flooding was reported across some of the lower elevated islands, with the Abacos suffering inundation upwards of four feet. As Rita passed into the Florida Straits and began intensifying, hurricane warnings were issued for the entirety of the Florida Keys. The storm struck with winds of 110 miles per hour, which wrought heavy damage across much of the Lower Keys. Storm surge, peaking between 8-10 feet in height, flooded all of Big Pine Key and Lower Sugarloaf Key. Many homes across the region were unroofed due to strong winds, with at least 23,000 residences losing electricity. As Rita passed north of Cuba, heavy rain and strong winds caused disruption throughout the nation's capital and surrounding cities. Floodwaters inundated more than 20 blocks of Harlem. In La Habana, sustained winds of 65 miles per hour tore down hundreds of trees and power lines. The tobacco and sugarcane crops experienced significant damage, with more than $7 million (USD) in losses.

As Rita approached the United States, hurricane warnings were issued from the Bolivar Peninsula through Grand Isle. With millions of people evacuating south Texas at once, the scene became rather chaotic. Because of several pre-storm disasters that occurred during storm preparations in Texas, Rita has the highest pre-landfall death total of any Atlantic hurricane. As residents lined up for gas in Galveston, a fire occurred at one of the pumps, attributed to a man who had lit a cigarette while fueling his truck. The resulting explosion and fire killed 23 people. In Port Arthur, a van carrying 40 residents from an assisted living facility crashed into a power line, killing all 40 people, plus the driver and five staffers. In Holly Beach, Louisiana, a looter was shot and killed by police for attempting to break into a closed drugstore. The overall death toll from Rita is 137, with approximately 75% of fatalities occurring before the storm even made landfall.

As the storm came ashore, the massive span of hurricane-force winds caused extensive damage over a wide area. The worst of the damage occurred in eastern Texas, in the Port Arthur region. Over 500,000 people were left without electricity, with up to 80% of outages left unresolved a week after the storm. Millions of trees were felled across both Texas and Louisiana, obstructing roads and exacerbating the damage to homes. Across southern Louisiana, a storm surge reaching 16 feet in height caused significant coastal flooding, though nowhere near as catastrophic as Katrina. The small town of Holly Beach was almost completely inundated by the surge, leaving hundreds of people trapped. Wind damage in eastern Texas was extreme. Millions of trees and power lines were downed or snapped. In addition, thousands of homes across the Port Arthur-Beaumont region were heavily damaged, with more than 5,000 completely destroyed. Further inland, the remnants of Rita ignited severe thunderstorms across much of the midwestern United States, spawning more than 90 tornadoes in all. Across the United States, Rita left more than $14 billion (2005 USD) in damage.

Tropical Storm Stan

In late September, a tropical wave emerged off the coast of Africa at an unusually low latitude, more than 600 miles southeast of Cape Verde. Slowly, as it fired more deep convection, the wave moved to the northwest, out of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Coinciding with a passing Madden-Judan Oscillation (MJO), the wave developed into a tropical depression more than 750 miles west-southwest of Cape Verde around 12:00 UTC September 30th. Gradually, the depression turned to the north, entering an ever-increasingly favorable environment. However, it took a while for the system's intensity to react to the favorable conditions, and its satellite presentation did not improve. Consequently, the depression remained so for more than two days. Around 00:00 UTC October 2nd, a timely microwave pass indicated the depression had attained storm-force winds. Earlier on, the storm's satellite presentation had begun to improve, and was still improving at the time of the pass. At 03:00 UTC, the NHC upgraded the system to tropical storm status, and was assigned the name Stan.

Over the next two days, Stan maintained its intensity as a minimal tropical storm but did not intensify further. According to the NHC, strong wind shear and cool sea surface temperatures (SSTs) throughout the region were likely the heaviest contributing factors. By 14:00 UTC October 4th, Stan began losing all of its primary convection, becoming largely devoid of it overnight. At 06:00 UTC October 5th, the NHC downgraded the system to a tropical depression northwest of Cape Verde. Only six hours later, the system became a remnant low, marking its dissipation. Throughout its life, Stan caused no known damage or fatalities, and did not affect land.

Hurricane Tammy

In late September, a large area of disturbed weather formed over the central Caribbean Sea, in association with multiple tropical waves and an upper-level low to the northwest over Cuba. Convection began to pulsate along the primary wave axis late September 28th, leading the NHC to increase chances of development. Approximately twelve hours later, a broad surface low formed near the center of the converging system. Taking on a more cyclonic shape, convection began to burst around the center. At 06:00 UTC September 30th, the system developed into a tropical depression well southeast of Cozumel. Continuing to move to the west-northwest, the disorganized system gradually intensified. Eighteen hours after being classified, the system attained tropical storm intensity, earning the name Tammy. Tammy continued to slowly intensify, reaching winds of 60 miles per hour prior to making landfall over Tulum at the same intensity. Tammy moved slowly across the peninsula, which increased the rate of weakening. It emerged north of the Mexican state of Campeche as a tropical depression nearly devoid of convection due to extended land interaction.

Despite being predicted to continue northwest and make landfall somewhere near Tamaulipas, a strong ridge of high pressure stationed over the Gulf of Mexico kept Tammy moving southwest instead. Slowly but surely, convection began to once again gradually coalesce around the center. Intense, heavy feeder bands grew on the northern and southern ends of the circulation, generating a wide swath of torrential rains that would later cause immense damage throughout southern Mexico and Central America. Tammy reattained tropical storm status soon after, and steadily intensified throughout the afternoon of October 3rd. At 00:00 UTC October 4th, Tammy attained hurricane status 55 miles northeast of Veracruz. An eye developed at the surface of the circulation soon after, as reported by reconnaissance aircraft, and the storm soon peaked with maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour and minimum pressure of 971 millibars. The following morning, Tammy made landfall at peak intensity over Veracruz within a large swath of non-tropical rains. Later that afternoon, the Santa Ana Volcano in El Salvador erupted, compounding the mess of problems Tammy had already begun generating across the region. Tammy rapidly weakened over land, and dissipated at 11:00 UTC October 5th.

Near the point of its landfall, Tammy's winds downed trees and blew the roofs off buildings. Over 65,000 customers across the region were without power, with some remaining without it for more than a week after the storm's departure. Heavy rains spread across the entire region for an extended period of time, causing tremendous damage. Total accumulations reached more than 44 inches in Poza Rica de Hidalgo. Flooding up to more than nine feet throughout the states of Veracruz and Campeche inundated hundreds of homes and businesses, trapping at least 7,000 people in all. In southern Mexico, Tammy left at least $450 million (2005 USD) in damage. However, the worst of the devastation occurred in the Central American countries of El Salvador and Guatemala. With Tammy's circulation embedded within a large area of a non-tropical mesoscale convective complex, a prolonged period of torrential rains extended across Central America. Catastrophic flooding ensued, particularly in Guatemala. Thousands of homes were completely destroyed by mudslides, leaving more than 15,000 people trapped in Guatemala City alone.

The degree of damage included homes leveled and left as piles of debris half-buried in mud. Cities remained under standing water for nearly a month. Over 4,000 people died in Guatemala alone, making Tammy the deadliest Atlantic hurricane of the 21st Century. In nearby Honduras and Nicaragua, the outer edges of Tammmy's circulation brought a combined 31.88 inches of rain to the two countries, causing significant flash flooding. Because the flooding was so crippling across the entire region, looting grew to be an increasing problem, particularly in and around Tegucigalpa. In El Salvador, problems were complicated by the eruption of the Santa Ana Volcano the day of Tammy's landfall. In addition to the torrential rainfall, volcanic ash was carried by storm-force winds across the country, burying entire villages under it. Due to the volcanic ash, building fires were reported across the entire nation and further compounded the extensive damage. Overall, Tammy left more than $6 billion (2005 USD) in damage and killed at least 4,800 people.

Subtropical Storm Vince

In late September, a rather large upper-level low (ULL) west of the Canary Islands gradually organized as it moved northwest, with brief bursts of convection every few hours. Forecast models initially did not anticipate tropical or subtropical development, and the low continued towards the Azores with a potent cold-core. As the season transitioned into October, a broad surface low formed well south of the Azores, indicating the system was beginning a transition to subtropical development. Overnight, convection increased significantly, and the National Hurricane Center (NHC) noted a high chance of development within 48 hours. By 04:00 UTC October 4th, the system became fully subtropical, and was designated as a subtropical depression 400 miles south of São Miguel Island, the 21st of the season.

As the fledgling cyclone shifted to the northeast, it entered a warmer (a.k.a. favorable) environment, and underwent additional intensification. Storm warnings were issued for the eastern islands in the Azores, particularly São Miguel, Santa Maria, and Fomigas. Overnight October 4th, Subtropical Storm Vince reached its peak intensity of 50 miles per hour. However, just prior to making landfall on São Miguel island, Vince began unraveling, as strong wind shear displaced most of the convection to the northeast of the already disorganized cyclone. Soon after, Vince struck the large island on its western ends with maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour. Vince moved quickly through the island chain and later became extratropical the following day as it passed to the north of the archipelago. 

Vince's impact in the Azores was minimal. Because its formation was unexpected and its close proximity, preparations and storm warnings commenced in a rather late manner. The large, disorganized system brought heavy rain and gusty winds to the entirety of the archipelago. Scattered power outages occurred across the São Miguel island, poorly-constructed houses were unroofed, and weak tornadoes were reported on the island of Flores. Some minor injuries occurred, but overall damage was minimal and no deaths were reported.

Hurricane Wilma

The origins of Hurricane Wilma begin with a broad, non-tropical area of low-pressure over the northwestern Bahamas. It gradually coalesced into a subtropical depression over Grand Bahama, moving at a near-stationary pace. Twelve hours after formation, the system transitioned and became a fully tropical depression. Continuing to the northwest, the system was not expected to intensify significantly due to its proximity between landmasses, despite its slow movement. Within 18 hours of formation, the extremely slow-moving storm attained tropical storm intensity as it meandered off the northern Florida coast, bringing a large swath of heavy rains to St. Augustine. The storm, now named Wilma, continued on its westerly track before making landfall over St. Augustine two days later.

Wilma quickly degraded to a tropical depression inland, and operationally was determined to be a remnant low before it reached Tallahassee. However, in post-analysis, Wilma's circulation was considered to be closed the entirety of its time overland, and soon emerged over the Gulf of Mexico near Mexico Beach, where convection began redeveloping. The storm briefly moved south, and reattained tropical storm-force winds near the Forgotten Coast of Florida. Outer rain bands continually lashed the Big Bend area, but the core remained offshore. Wilma executed a small loop southwest, before abruptly turning to the east and then northwest. Striking a small pocket of 29ºC waters, Wilma began a period of rapid intensification and developed a pinhole eye roughly five miles across. The storm, although tiny, quickly strengthened, and became a hurricane 12 hours later.