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THE ATLANTIC FORECAST
Video: Hurricane Season Review
THIS YEAR'S NAMED STORMS The storm caused flooding across southeastern Louisiana, southern Mississippi, much of Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. It made landfall along the south-central coast of Cuba on July 8 with winds of 145 mph. After emerging over the Gulf, it strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane but weakened to a Category 3 before making landfall along the western Florida Panhandle near Navarre Beach on July 10. Dennis caused major storm surge in St. Marks. It killed at least 32 people, mostly in the Caribbean. On July 18, it made landfall in Cozumel, Mexico, and the Yucatan Peninsula with 135 mph winds. After restrengthening in the southwestern Gulf, Emily made landfall again July 20 just south of the Texas border with 125 mph winds. It dissipated the next day over Mexico. The storm killed at least five people: one in Grenada and four in Jamaica. It gained a peak intensity of 70 mph and brushed by Bermuda before weakening and passing by Newfoundland on July 30 and 31. No damage or deaths were reported. It brought heavy rain to areas affected by Emily less than a week earlier. No damage or deaths were reported. It passed by Bermuda before reaching a peak intensity of 65 mph. After lingering over the north Atlantic Ocean for several days, it lost strength and dissolved Aug. 14. It turned east and began to dissipate Aug. 18. It soon dissipated over the mountains.
The storm strengthened after it entered the Gulf, growing to Category 5 on Aug. 28 and generating peak winds of 175 mph. Hurricane Katrina made landfall that day in Plaquemines Parish, La. Winds were at 140 mph.
The levees protecting New Orleans could not withstand the storm’s strength. An estimated 50,000 to 100,000 people were stranded on the city’s rooftops, in attics, in the Superdome, and at the convention center. Federal, state and local governments were criticized for slow response in evacuating storm victims.
Thousands who lost their homes and jobs are scattered from one end of the country to the other. More than 30,000 are in Florida.
The death toll stood at 1,309 as of Nov. 1. Insured property damages are estimated at $35 billion.
By Sept. 10, it was 730 miles east of Newfoundland. The weakened hurricane hit northern Europe on Sept. 14, with heavy rains that caused a landslide and one death in Norway. It intensified into a hurricane Sept. 7 and weakened without threatening land. Nate merged with another weather system in the Atlantic on Sept. 10.
Ophelia made landfall near Cape Fear with 85 mph winds, moved east, weakened and passed by Cape Cod on Sept. 17. It passed over Newfoundland on Sept. 19 and was absorbed by another system Sept. 22. A drowning off Florida’s southeastern coast and $50 million in damage along the North Carolina coast are attributed to Ophelia. The storm washed out beaches from North Carolina south to central Florida. It strengthened rapidly and reached the Category 2 hurricane mark just south of Key West. Rita brushed by the Keys and intensified, growing to a Category 5 storm in about 24 hours.
By Sept. 22, the storm was 570 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas, and winds were at 175 mph.
The hurricane’s central pressure fell to 897 millibars, the third lowest on record in the Atlantic Basin.
As it passed through the Gulf, Rita pushed storm surge into New Orleans, inundating levees and flooding areas of the city that had been overtaken by Katrina.
Rita weakened to Category 3 and made landfall with 120 mph winds Sept. 24 just east of the Texas-Louisiana border. It merged with an inland weather system two days later.
Wind damage and surge flooding were devastating in southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas. Insured property damage estimates are around $4.7 billion. At least 100 people were killed.
The storm strengthened again and became a hurricane as it neared Mexico and made landfall on Oct. 4 with winds of 80 mph. It dissipated over the mountains the next day.
Stan triggered severe flash flooding and mudslides in Mexico and Central America, killing 652 people in Guatemala and 133 in Mexico, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras and Costa Rica.
The storm moved over Georgia and Alabama the next day and was absorbed by a low pressure system over the Panhandle.
It weakened to a tropical depression before making landfall Oct. 11 near Huelva, Spain, on Oct. 11, and lost its tropical characteristics rapidly. Vince was the first known tropical cyclone to make landfall in Spain.
Wilma whipped up 175 mph winds but weakened slightly before making landfall Oct. 21 over Cozumel, Mexico, as a Category 4 storm. It made landfall again the next day over the northeastern Yucatan Peninsula.
Wilma moved slowly over the Gulf, then sped toward Florida and made landfall as a Category 3 storm near Cape Romano on Oct. 24. It crossed the state in less than five hours and moved into the Atlantic near Palm Beach as a Category 2 storm. It sped over the western Atlantic, dissolving near Nova Scotia on Oct. 25.
At least 25 deaths were blamed on Wilma: six in Florida, one in Jamaica, 12 in Haiti and six in Mexico. Cancun and South Florida had extensive damage. There was major flooding in western Cuba.
It lost strength over Hispaniola, the island that also is home to Haiti, and moved over the Bahamas the next day, weakening more as it approached Wilma on Oct. 24. Flooding caused 20 deaths in Hispaniola.
It made landfall as a Category 2 storm on the central east coast of Nicaragua and dissipated Oct. 31. Beta caused widespread damage on Providencia Island and in Nicaragua, and severe flooding in Honduras.
It deluged the Central American coast. The Associated Press reported 34 people killed and 13 missing in Honduras.
Epsilon became a hurricane the morning of Dec. 2 while backtracking east over open ocean waters.
Zeta's winds swirled to 65 mph, just 9 mph shy of hurricane strength.
After losing strength and regaining it, forecasters finally downgraded Zeta to a tropical depression the morning of Jan. 5.
It fell apart shortly thereafter, and did not threaten land.
STORMS GO GREEK
RECORD-BREAKING SEASON
HURRICANE SEASON
-- NOAA experts predicted a very active season including:
-- 18 - 21 Tropical Storms.
-- 9 - 11 Hurricanes
-- 5 - 7 Major Hurricanes, with winds of at least 111 mph.
-- These figures indicated twice the activity of an average season.
-- Reality exceeded those predicitons.
-- Read the full report: From NOAA
Graphic: Map Of All 2005 Storms
Timeline: Destructive Calendar
Those with one flag became tropical storms.
Those with two flags were hurricanes.
The season’s first named storm formed near the northeastern coast of Honduras and became a tropical storm June 9. Arlene crossed Cuba and generated peak winds of 70 mph over the Gulf of Mexico before making landfall near Pensacola with 60 mph winds. The storm dissolved inland June 14. One person was killed in a rip current at Miami Beach.
Tracking Maps: Storm Archive
Bret formed June 28 as a depression over the Bay of Campeche and quickly became a tropical storm. It made landfall on the coast of Mexico the next day with 40 mph winds and dissipated over the mountains. It caused flooding in Veracruz.
Tracking Maps: Storm Archive
Cindy formed in the western Caribbean Sea and moved over the Yucatan Peninsula. It became a tropical storm July 5 and made landfall the next day in southeast Louisiana, passing over New Orleans before dissipating the same day.
Tracking Maps: Storm Archive
Dennis formed as a tropical depression July 4, ramped up to a tropical storm the next day, and then to a hurricane July 6.
Tracking Maps: Storm Archive
Emily formed as a tropical depression July 11 and became a tropical storm July 12. It strengthened to become a major hurricane in the eastern Caribbean and generated peak winds of 155 mph.
Tracking Maps: Storm Archive
Franklin became a tropical depression July 21 and strengthened to a tropical storm the same day.
Tracking Maps: Storm Archive
Gert formed in the Bay of Campeche on July 23, made landfall on the eastern coast of Mexico on July 24 with 45 mph winds and dissipated inland July 26.
Tracking Maps: Storm Archive
: Harvey strengthened to a tropical storm Aug. 3, a day after forming as a tropical depression.
Tracking Maps: Storm Archive
Irene developed into a tropical depression Aug. 4 and became a tropical storm Aug. 7. It passed between Bermuda and Cape Hatteras, N.C., before becoming a hurricane and reaching a peak intensity of 105 mph.
Tracking Maps: Storm Archive
Jose became a tropical storm Aug. 22 over the Bay of Campeche and made landfall that night in Mexico with winds of 50 mph.
Tracking Maps: Storm Archive
(TBO Special Report: In-Depth Multimeda Coverage)
The disaster began as a tropical wave that grew into a depression 175 miles south of Nassau, Bahamas, on Aug. 23. It escalated into a tropical storm the next day.
Katrina became a Category 1 hurricane and made landfall on the Miami-Dade/Broward county line Aug. 25. The storm is blamed for as many as 14 deaths in Florida. It dumped a foot of rain across South Florida, damaged buildings and pummeled parts of the Keys.
Katrina made a second landfall four hours later near the Louisiana-Mississippi border with Category 3 winds of 125 mph. It remained a hurricane 100 miles inland until it weakened to a depression Aug. 30.
Tracking Maps: Storm Archive
Lee became a tropical depression Aug. 28 in the open Atlantic and dissipated the next day. Its remnants developed into a depression and then a tropical storm Aug. 31. It dissipated the next day.
Tracking Maps: Storm Archive
Maria became a tropical storm Sept. 2 and strengthened into a hurricane two days later. It worked up to peak winds of 115 mph two days later and remained a powerful storm over the north Atlantic.
Tracking Maps: Storm Archive
Nate formed Sept. 5 as a tropical depression near Bermuda on Sept. 5 and quickly strengthened into a tropical storm that day.
Tracking Maps: Storm Archive
Ophelia formed over the Bahamas and became a tropical storm Sept. 7 about 115 miles east of Cape Canaveral. It meandered off Florida for two days and briefly became a hurricane Sept. 8. It moved northeast toward Cape Hatteras and made a slow loop before heading toward the North Carolina coast again.
Tracking Maps: Storm Archive
Philippe became a tropical storm east of Barbados on Sept. 17 and strengthened into a hurricane Sept. 19 about 390 miles east of the Leeward Islands. It generated peak winds of 80 mph before weakening and being absorbed Sept. 24.
Tracking Maps: Storm Archive
(TBO Special Report: In-Depth Multimeda Coverage)
This fierce storm began as a depression just east of the Turks and Caicos Islands. It moved westward and became a tropical storm Sept. 18.
Tracking Maps: Storm Archive
Stan formed as a tropical depression Oct. 1 about 110 miles southeast of Cozumel, Mexico, and became a tropical storm just before crossing the Yucatan.
Tracking Maps: Storm Archive
Tammy developed just east of the central Florida coast and became a tropical storm about 20 miles east of Cape Canaveral on Oct. 5. It moved parallel to the coast until making landfall along the northeast coast near Mayport with winds of 50 mph.
Tracking Maps: Storm Archive
Vince developed in the eastern Atlantic Ocean from a nontropical area of low pressure. It became a tropical storm on Oct. 9 about 515 miles east of the Azores, strengthening to a hurricane the same day.
Tracking Maps: Storm Archive
(TBO Special Report: In-Depth Multimeda Coverage)
Wilma became a tropical storm Oct. 17, a hurricane Oct. 18, and strengthened rapidly into a Category 5 storm Oct. 19, with its pressure dropping to 882 millibars — the lowest pressure on record for an Atlantic Basin hurricane.
Tracking Maps: Storm Archive
(The First Greek Letter Ever Used)
Alpha formed as a tropical storm near the Windward Islands on Oct. 22 and made landfall in the Dominican Republic with 50 mph winds.
Tracking Maps: Storm Archive
Beta developed from a tropical depression into a tropical storm near Costa Rica on Oct. 27, strengthening into a hurricane Oct. 29.
Tracking Map: Storm Archive.
Gamma formed as a tropical depression Nov. 13 over the southeastern Caribbean Sea, becoming a tropical storm Nov. 18. Florida was in the forecasting cone briefly, but the storm dissipated in the Caribbean Sea on Nov. 20.
Tracking Map: Storm Archive.
Delta formed Nov. 23, a week before the official end of hurricane season, over the central Atlantic Ocean. The storm merged with a front as it moved toward the northwest coast of Africa.
Tracking Map: Storm Archive.
Epsilon, the 26th named storm of the record-breaking season, formed over the central Atlantic on Nov. 29, one day before the official end of the 2005 hurricane season.
Tracking Map: Storm Archive.
On December 30th, a disturbance in the eastern Atlantic became Tropical Storm Zeta, the season's 27th named system.
Tracking Map: Storm Archive.
--The Hurricane Center switched to Greek Letters.
--Why? Only 21 letters of our 26-letter alphabet are used.
-- Wilma was the last name.
-- The "Plan B" list included: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, Eta, Theta, Iota, Kappa, Lambda, Mu, Nu, Xi, Omicron, Pi, Rho, Sigma, Tau, Upsilon, Phi, Chi, Psi, Omega.
-- The Hurricane Center has never had to use Greek letters.
-- With 28 named storms, 2005 has been busier than any other season on record.
-- One storm was not named, and was added to the list after a re-analysis in April, 2006.
-- 14 of those 28 storms grew to become hurricanes, a record number reached only once since record-keeping began in 1851.
-- July 5, 2005 is the earliest date on record for four named storms.
-- Katrina is being recorded as the worst natural disaster in U.S. history.
-- And, tropical activity sent oil prices higher than ever.
-- Officially extends from June 1 - November 30.