The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active in the 154 years records have been kept. Here are just a few of the records it set:
Most named storms: 28. (Technically, 27 actually received names; one nameable storm was identified after the season ended.) For the first time since the current naming system was introduced in 1953, all 21 names on the year's list were used, forcing the National Hurricane Center to name 6 later storms after Greek letters. Previous record: 21, in 1933. Previous 40-year average: 11.
Most hurricanes: 15. Previous record: 12, in 1969. Previous 40-year average: 6.
Most Category 5 storms: 4: Emily, Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. Previous record: 2, in 1960 and 1961.
Most names retired: 5: Dennis, Katrina, Rita, Stan, and Wilma. Previous record: 4, in 1955, 1995, and 2004.
Costliest U.S. hurricane: Katrina ($96.0 billion). Rita and Wilma also made the top 10.
Earliest Category 5 storm: Emily, on July 17. Previous record: Allen, on August 5, 1980.
Most intense Atlantic hurricane at sea: Wilma. Previous record: Gilbert, in 1988.
Storm that formed farthest east: Vince. Previous record: Jeanne, in 1998. Vince was also the first tropical storm to make landfall in Spain.
Second storm to bridge December and January: Zeta. It formed at 6 A.M. on Dec. 30, six hours too early to tie 1954's Alice as the latest-forming storm on record.
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