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The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season officially began June 1, 2005, and officially ended on November 30, 2005; however, the season extended through December for the fifth time since 1998, and actually into January 2006 for only the second time in recorded history. This can be attributed to the activity of Hurricane Epsilon and Tropical Storm Zeta, the latter of which was still active at the beginning of 2006. The official dates conventionally delimit the period when most tropical cyclones are expected to form in the Atlantic Ocean.

Forecasters originally called for a modestly above-average hurricane season in 2005. However, the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season unexpectedly became the most active season on record, shattering the previous records on repeated occasions. A record twenty-seven tropical storms formed, of which a record fourteen became hurricanes. Of these, seven strengthened into major hurricanes, one short of the Template:Tcseason's record. It is the first hurricane season, Atlantic or Pacific, to resort to Greek letters for naming.

Template:Infobox hurricane season nopic The 2005 hurricane season, like that of 2004, had a number of storms that caused significant death and destruction in several countries, especially the United States and Mexico. However, the 2005 hurricane season outdid its predecessor in almost every respect. The 2005 season's hurricanes were responsible for over $100 billion in damage and over 1,700 deaths (both mostly from Hurricane Katrina). More than a thousand deaths, not included in the death toll, were also caused by a weather system involving Hurricane Stan.

Seasonal forecasts

Forecasts of hurricane activity are issued before each hurricane season by noted hurricane expert Dr. William M. Gray and his associates at Colorado State University, and separately by forecasters with the U.S. Government's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Dr. Gray's team defines the average number of storms per season (1950 to 2000) as 9.6 tropical storms, 5.9 hurricanes, and 2.3 hurricanes reaching or exceeding Category 3 strength. A normal season, as defined by NOAA, has 6 to 14 named storms, with 4 to 8 of those reaching hurricane strength, and 1 to 3 reaching or exceeding Category 3 strength on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale.

Pre-season forecasts

On December 3, 2004, Dr. Gray's team issued its first extended-range forecast for the 2005 season, predicting a slightly above-average season (11 named storms, 6 hurricanes, 3 of Category 3 or higher). Additionally, the team predicted a greatly increased chance of a major hurricane striking the East Coast of the United States and the Florida peninsula. Though the forecast predicted above-normal activity, the level predicted was less than in the 2004 season.

In its April 1, 2005 update, Dr. Gray's team revised the December forecast upward. The updated forecast predicted 13 named storms, 7 hurricanes, and 3 of Category 3 or greater strength. The chance of a storm striking the U.S. was also raised slightly.

On May 16, 2005, NOAA issued its outlook for the 2005 season, forecasting a 70% chance of above-normal activity, with 12–15 named storms, 7–9 hurricanes, and 3–5 hurricanes reaching Category 3 intensity. The Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) value for the season was predicted to be 120–190 percent of the median.

On May 31, Dr. Gray's team revised its April forecast upwards. The updated forecast predicted 15 named storms, 8 hurricanes, and 4 hurricanes of Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

Mid-season outlook

On August 2, after an extraordinarily active early season, NOAA released an updated outlook on the remainder of the season. The outlook called for from 18 to a record-tying 21 tropical storms, 9 to 11 hurricanes, and 5 to 7 becoming major hurricanes. The ACE value was now forecast to be 180 to 270 percent of the median. These figures are roughly twice those of a normal season. While June and July were unusually active, August and September were expected to contain the peak of seasonal activity as in most seasons. NOAA also noted a higher than normal confidence in the forecast of above-normal activity.

On August 5 2005, Dr. Gray and his associates followed suit, and issued their updated forecast. It was consistent with NOAA's update, calling for 20 tropical storms, 10 hurricanes, and six major hurricanes. Although this was the highest level of activity ever forecast by Dr. Gray, it still fell significantly short of the actual level of activity, as did all the other forecasts.

Storms

June and July

The season began very quickly, with seven tropical storms and two major hurricanes forming before August, setting numerous records for number and strength of storms. Tropical Storms Arlene, Bret, and Cindy all formed before July 5, making landfalls in Cuba, Florida, Veracruz, Quintana Roo, and Louisiana. In July, Hurricanes Dennis and Emily caused significant damage in Cuba, Florida, and Mexico, although powerful hurricanes do not usually form in the Atlantic so early in the season. Tropical Storms Franklin and Gert rounded out the month of July, with Gert making landfall in Veracruz.

August

August also got off to a fast start, with Tropical Storm Harvey and Hurricane Irene both forming well out in the Atlantic, and Tropical Storm Jose which made landfall in Veracruz, Mexico. Tropical Storm Lee formed during late August but never threatened land.

Hurricane Katrina formed in mid-August over the Bahamas, and made its first landfall in south Florida before crossing the loop Current in the Gulf of Mexico and intensifying rapidly into a Category 5 hurricane. Katrina made landfall on August 29 near the mouth of the Mississippi River as an extemely large Category 3 hurricane. Storm surge caused catastrophic damage along the coastlines of southeast Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and into Florida. The storm surge also breached levees in the city of New Orleans, flooding most of the city.

September

September followed a similar pattern to August, with Hurricanes Maria, Nate, and Philippe forming well out in the Atlantic Ocean; neither ever threatened land although Maria did cause damage in Iceland and Norway as an extratropical storm. Hurricane Ophelia formed off the coast of Florida in mid-September, and strengthened into a large Category 1 storm before raking a long stretch of the southern North Carolina coast with heavy winds and storm surge; the hurricane's eye never made landfall and struck Nova Scotia as an extratropical storm. Hurricane Rita followed a path similar to Katrina, forming over the Bahamas and passing between Florida and Cuba before crossing the Gulf of Mexico; it caused catastropic damage when it made landfall near the Texas-Louisiana border.

October

The trend did not let up, and more storms formed in October than any other month in the year, even though the hurricane season traditionally peaks in September. Hurricane Stan was the first October storm, and crossed the Yucatan Peninsula before making landfall in southern Veracruz as a Category 1 hurricane; Stan was part of a large area of heavy rainfall that caused heavy flooding in Central America, killing thousands. Tropical Storm Tammy lead a brief existence before making landfall in northern Florida. Hurricane Vince formed in cold waters in the Atlantic, and made a very unusual landfall in Spain.

Later in the month, Hurricane Wilma formed in the western Caribbean and rapidly strenthened; it caused very heavy damage in Quintana Roo and in southern Florida before moving out into the Atlantic Ocean. Tropical Storm Alpha formed in the eastern Caribbean and crossed Hispaniola, causing minor flooding, before merging with Wilma. Hurricane Beta formed in the southern Caribbean and strenthened into a Category 3 hurricane before making landfall in Nicaragua.

November and December

Tropical activity declined only very slowly as the season wound down. In mid-November, Tropical Storm Gamma formed in the Caribbean; it never made landfall but rainfall from the storm caused deaths in Honduras and Belize. Tropical Storm Delta formed in the eastern Atlantic in late November; it never threatened land as a tropical system but struck the Canary Islands at full force as an extratropical storm. Hurricane Epsilon formed in a hostile environment in the middle of the Atlantic, and persisted into December before dissipating. Tropical Storm Zeta followed suit, forming near the end of December and persisting well into January of 2006.

Deaths and damage

The storms of the season were extraordinarily damaging and were responsible for significant loss of life. Total damages are estimated to be over $100 billion (2005 US dollars), and well over 1,000 people have been confirmed dead.

The hardest-hit area was the U.S. Gulf Coast from eastern Texas to Alabama. Katrina caused catastrophic damage to the Gulf Coast, in particular the city of New Orleans. It was the costliest hurricane in U.S. history, surpassing 1992's Hurricane Andrew, and the deadliest hurricane in the U.S. since 1928) Rita struck near the same area, re-flooded New Orleans, and caused more damage to Louisiana and Texas.

The Mexican state of Quintana Roo was also heavily hit, suffering billions of dollars in damages when Hurricanes Emily and Wilma both made landfall between Cozumel and Cancun.

Wilma also caused very heavy damage in south Florida, where Hurricanes Katrina and Rita had earlier caused light damage.

In October, the remnants of Tropical Storm Tammy and Subtropical Depression Twenty-two met over the Northeastern United States, causing intense flooding.

Southern Mexico, along with portions of Central America, suffered heavy flooding and mudslides from Hurricane Stan and nearby non-tropical rains. Over 2,000 people have been confirmed dead in total, with some towns completely wiped out, though most of these deaths are not related to the hurricane.

Intense storms

Three of the six most intense hurricanes on record formed in 2005, topped off by Hurricane Wilma's 882 mbar minimum pressure, shattering the 17-year-old record set by Hurricane Gilbert. Hurricanes Rita and Katrina also attained Category 5 intensity, becoming the fourth and sixth most intense recorded Atlantic storms; 2005 is the only season on record with three Category 5 storms on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. In addition, Hurricanes Emily and Dennis reached Category 4 status, and some readings from Hurricane Emily indicate it may have briefly been a Category 5 storm.

Forecasting uncertainty

A number of storms that formed in 2005 exhibited unusual behavior, and challenged forecasters' ability to make correct predictions. Hurricane Vince formed farther north and east in the Atlantic than any other tropical cyclone on record, and then unexpectedly reached hurricane strength over waters considered too cold to support a hurricane. It was also the first recorded landfall of a tropical cyclone in Europe. Hurricane Wilma became one of the fastest-intensifying hurricanes on record, and later strengthened unexpectedly in the face of strong wind shear. Hurricane Epsilon formed over cold waters and baffled forecasters when it became the longest-lasting December hurricane on record. It also strengthened against wind shear.

Number of storms

There were 27 named storms, surpassing many records for storm formation in the Atlantic; this was also the first year since 1944 that the Atlantic basin recorded more tropical storms than the Western Pacific typhoon season. In addition, there were 2 unnamed tropical depressions and a subtropical depression. When the season ran out of official alphabetical names, authorities resorted to using letters from the Greek alphabet for the first time (although Alpha and Delta had been used for subtropical storms in the 1970s).

Economic impact

The level of activity of the season has had far-reaching economic consequences. For example, because of the small remaining global capacity for petroleum production, and the vulnerability of both oil extracting and refining capacity in the Gulf of Mexico, storms have led to speculative spikes in the price of crude oil. The damage to refinery capacity in the United States caused gasoline to soar to record prices (even adjusted for inflation), exceeded only by the two inflationary spikes of 1918-1920 and 1979-1982. Governments in Europe and the United States tapped strategic reserves of gasoline and petroleum and shortages were reported in the days after Katrina in areas heavily dependent on the Gulf of Mexico for refined gasoline. Even weeks after the storm, prices remained elevated, as the shut in production remained over 1 million barrels per day. Rita damaged wells in the western Gulf of Mexico, which were primarily exploratory, leading to concerns that future production would be damped for some time to come.

Katrina also had significant political consequences, as President George W. Bush, Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco, and New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin all came under heavy criticism for what were considered sluggish or inappropriate responses to Hurricane Katrina. On December 14, 2005, congressional hearings began to investigate whether these claims had any merit.

Records and notable events

The 2005 season has broken numerous records for tropical cyclone activity. Note that systematic monitoring of the Atlantic for tropical cyclones and disturbances that could become tropical cyclones did not commence until 1944. Before then, storms or depressions that did not approach populated land or shipping lanes, especially those of relatively short duration, could have gone undetected.

Rapid formation

Almost every storm in 2005 has set a record for early formation. The table shows the dates on which each storm formed, and the old record for earliest-forming storm of that number.

Early strength

When its sustained winds reached 150 mph on July 7 and a minimum pressure of 930 mbar on July 10, Hurricane Dennis became the strongest storm to form prior to August, and the earliest Category 4 storm to form in the Caribbean.

When Hurricane Emily reached Category 4 intensity on July 16, the 2005 season became the only season to have two hurricanes reach Category 4 intensity before the end of July. Emily also broke Dennis's nine-day-old record for the strongest storm on record before August when its maximum sustained winds reached 155 mph (250 km/h) on July 16, along with a minimum central pressure of 929 mbar.

This activity was reflected in the Accumulated Cyclone Energy value at the end of July; at 61, it was the highest ever. The previous highest was 49 in 1916; the modern record was 33 in 1966.

Number of storms

The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, with 27 storms, is the most active season on record, surpassing the 1933 season's 21 storms. With 14 hurricanes, the 2005 season also has had the most hurricanes form, surpassing the 1969 season's 12. While the 1950 season still holds the record for the most major hurricanes, eight (2005 had seven), the 2005 season has also tied the 1999 season's record of five Category 4 and 5 hurricanes and holds the record for the most Category 5 hurricanes in a single season, three (see below).

With the formation of Tropical Storm Vince, Tropical Storm Wilma, and Tropical Storm Alpha, 2005 became the first season to use the 'V', 'W' and Greek Letter names, respectively, since naming of Atlantic storms began in the 1950 season. It also has the distinction of being only the second season to use the 'R', 'S', and 'T' names. Only the 1995 season had previously used these letters.

With the formation of Tropical Storm Alpha, 2005 became the first hurricane season in the Atlantic to exhaust the list of names and the first, Atlantic or Pacific, to resort to using Greek letters for storm names.

2005 holds the record for the most storms to ever form during the month of July. Five storms (Cindy, Dennis, Emily, Franklin, and Gert) formed during that period. The previous record for most storms to form in the month of July was four; this record was held by the 1966 and 1995 seasons.

The number of storms before the end of July (seven) is also a record, breaking the record of five set in the 1887, 1933, 1936, 1959, 1966, and 1995 seasons.

2005 and 1933 share the record for the most storms (17) forming before the end of September. 2005 now also holds the record for most storms (23) forming before the end of October and ties for the number of storms forming during October with 1950, as six storms (Stan, Tammy, Vince, Wilma, Alpha and Beta) formed during that period. 2005 also ties the record for most storms forming in November, with 3 storms (Gamma, Delta and Epsilon); 2001 is the other year with 3.

Total activity

Tropical activity during the 2005 season was unusually continuous from start to finish, unlike most hurricane seasons, which have significant periods of inactivity. Out of the 26 weeks in the hurricane season, just two had no tropical activity, the week of June 19 and the week of November 6. Between June 28 and October 31, the longest lull period was just four and a half days. This means that 2005 saw 19 weeks of near-continuous activity. There was record or near-record activity in every month of the season except for June.

Strongest storms

Hurricane Katrina became the fourth most intense Atlantic hurricane on record (currently sixth) when the storm's central pressure dropped to 902 mb on August 28.

Hurricane Rita became the third most intense Atlantic hurricane (currently fourth) and the most intense hurricane on record in the Gulf of Mexico after reaching a pressure reading of 897 mb on September 21.

Hurricane Wilma became the most intense Atlantic hurricane in recorded history (but note numerous Pacific typhoons have been more intense) at just before 5:00 am EDT on October 18, when the central pressure was measured at 884 mb. At 8:00 am EDT, Wilma continued to intensify, reaching 882 mb. Wilma also holds the record of being the only Category 4 storm in the Atlantic Basin to record a minimum central pressure below 900 mb with a central pressure of 894 mb and winds of 155 mph on October 20. Katrina, Rita and Wilma are the three most intense storms ever in a single Atlantic hurricane season.

Hurricane Wilma also underwent the most rapid deepening for a 24-hour period ever measured. At noon on October 18, Wilma had a central pressure of 980 millibars (28.93 inches). At noon on October 19, Wilma had a central pressure of 882 millibars (26.04 inches), a pressure fall of 98 millibars (2.89 inches), breaking the previous record of 92 millibars (2.71 inches) set by Super Typhoon Forrest in the Western Pacific in 1983. Some sources, however, say that Forrest's pressure was lower than originally measured (876 mb instead of 883 mb). This fact would imply that Forrest retains the record with a pressure fall of 100 mb in 24 hours, and thus this uncertainty is noted here.

In addition, Hurricane Dennis and Hurricane Emily, both in July, reached 930 mb and 929 mb respectively, becoming the two strongest storms on record in July.

Katrina was also the third most intense hurricane on record to make landfall in the United States in terms of pressure (920 mbar), behind the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 and Hurricane Camille in 1969.

When Rita reached Category 5 intensity on September 21, 25 days after Katrina, it became only the third time in recorded history (and the first time since the 1961 season) that there had been two Category 5 hurricanes in a single season. When Wilma became a Category 5 storm on October 19, the 2005 season became the first that had three Category 5 storms. In addition, Emily reached 155 mph and was on the Category 4/5 boundary at its peak.

Late activity

After forming on November 29, Hurricane Epsilon became the longest-lasting December hurricane on record when it sustained itself from December 2-December 7. It is also tied with Hurricane Nicole of 1998 as the second strongest December hurricane on record when its peak winds reached 85 mph (140 km/h).

When Tropical Storm Zeta formed on December 30, it tied Hurricane Alice (December 30, 1954) for the latest ever that the last storm of the season formed. Zeta became only the second storm, after Alice, to persist through the end of year and still be active at the start of the next. In addition, Zeta was the longest-lived tropical cyclone to form in December and cross over into the next year, and it was also the longest-lived January tropical cyclone.

Other records

Hurricane Vince was the farthest north and east - although there has been confusion over this as other storms have formed farther north and farther east - that a tropical storm has ever formed in the Atlantic basin since records have been kept. It was also the first tropical cyclone on record to make landfall in mainland Europe without becoming extratropical.

2005 storm names

The following names were used for tropical storms and hurricanes that formed in the North Atlantic in 2005. This was the same list used for the 1999 season, with the exceptions of Franklin and Lee, which replaced Floyd and Lenny. The names not retired from this list will be used again in the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season. Storms were named Franklin, Lee, Maria, Nate, Ophelia, Philippe, Rita, Stan, Tammy, Vince, Wilma, Beta, Gamma, Epsilon, and Zeta for the first time in 2005 (the names Alpha and Delta had been previously used in 1972 for two subtropical storms, but this is the first time they have been used in this way). This season used fifteen previously unused names, the most ever in an Atlantic season.

Vince and Wilma were the first named 'V' and 'W' storms ever in the Atlantic basin. The naming of Wilma exhausted the 2005 list, the first time in Atlantic naming history that all names in the list have been used.

On October 22, 2005, Tropical Depression Twenty-five strengthened into Tropical Storm Alpha. This is the first time in Atlantic hurricane history that Greek letters have been used due to the exhaustion of the primary list. It is also worth noting that there are, apparently, no provisions for naming tropical cyclones after the letters of the Greek Alphabet are exhausted.

Retirement

Names to be retired will be announced by the World Meteorological Organization in March of 2006. Any statement about retired names made before then is purely speculative.

Several storms in 2005 are considered candidates for retirement, and it is possible that the 2005 hurricane season will surpass the record for the most names retired after a single season, which is four (held by the 1955, 1995, and 2004 seasons).

There is no precedent for a storm named with a Greek letter causing enough damage to justify retirement; how this situation would be handled is unknown.

See also

Template:Tcportal

• 2005 Atlantic hurricane season statistics
• List of notable tropical cyclones
• List of Atlantic hurricane seasons
• 2005 Pacific hurricane season
• 2005 Pacific typhoon season
• 2005-06 Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone season
• 2005-09 North Indian cyclone seasons

External links

• National Hurricane Center
• NCDC: Climate of 2005: Atlantic Hurricane Season Summary
• NHC preliminary summary of 2005 wind speeds and deaths
• National Hurricane Center's 2005 Archive
• Hydrometeorological Prediction Center's 2005 Archive
• US National Climatic Data Center - Atlantic Basin 2005 Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) Index
• Flash Hurricane Tracker - track active and archived hurricanes.
• Unisys' 2005 Season Page - includes map of paths of all storms
• NASA Hurricane Tracking - a movie showing all the hurricanes through October 19
• FLHurricane.com 2005 data - includes GoogleMaps tracking
• http://hurricane.terrapin.com - Includes info on all active systems

Notes

1. http://hurricane.atmos.colostate.edu/forecasts/2004/dec2004/ William M. Gray's December 2004 forecast
2. http://hurricane.atmos.colostate.edu/forecasts/2005/april2005/ William M. Gray's April 2005 forecast
3. ^ NOAA Press Release - NOAA Raises the 2005 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook
4. http://hurricane.atmos.colostate.edu/forecasts/2005/june2005/ William M. Gray's June 2005 forecast
5. http://hurricane.atmos.colostate.edu/forecasts/2005/aug2005/ William M. Gray's August 2005 forecast.
6. NOAA's Hurricane FAQ
7. The July 17 5 ] EDT Discussion (#26) for Hurricane Emily, National Hurricane Center
8. William M. Gray's November Summary of 2005 Tropical Cyclone Activity - Specifically, under Hurricane Vince, "This is the farthest north and east that a tropical cyclone has formed in the Atlantic basin."
9. Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog
10. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/refresh/EPSILON+shtml/144024.shtml or see Hurricane Epsilon
11. NOAA list of all the records surpassed or tied by the 2005 season.
12. [http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/E11.html NOAA's Hurricane FAQ
13. NHC/TPC Archive of Past Hurricane Seasons, Best Track data at bottom of page
14. ^ NOAA's Hurricane FAQ

Template:Atlantic hurricane season categories

v t e Tropical cyclones of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season
Timeline
	TSArlene TSBret 1Cindy 4Dennis (history) 5Emily TSFranklin TSGert TSHarvey 2Irene TDTen TSJose 5Katrina (history) TSLee 3Maria 1Nate 1Ophelia 1Philippe 5Rita TDNineteen 1Stan SSUnnamed TSTammy SDTwenty-two 1Vince 5Wilma (history) TSAlpha 3Beta TSGamma TSDelta 1Epsilon TSZeta
Category