Chris Dolce
Hurricane Iota rapidly intensified into a Category 5 on Monday morning, becoming the seventh Atlantic hurricane in the past five years to reach this highest level on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
The maximum sustained winds in Iota hit 160 mph at 10 a.m. EST on Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center. Iota is the latest in the season on record the Atlantic has had a Category 5.
Iota's intensification into a Category 5 also marked the fifth year in a row the Atlantic basin has had at least one hurricane reach that strength. That's the most consecutive years on record with at least one Category 5 in the Atlantic, topping a three-year stretch from 2003 to 2005.
Prior to 2016, the Atlantic went eight consecutive hurricane seasons without a Category 5.
Category 5 hurricanes are rare and have maximum sustained winds 157 mph or greater. They can unleash devastating winds and catastrophic storm surge when they strike land.
With Iota, there have now been 37 Category 5 hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin since 1924, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Category 5 hurricanes are much rarer late in the hurricane season when compared to August and September.
The only other Atlantic Category 5 in November was a 1932 Caribbean hurricane that was at this intensity Nov. 5-8. This hurricane then went on to strike central Cuba as a strong Category 4 on Nov. 9.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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