Brenden Moses, a researcher at the National Hurricane Center, found that of all Category 5 landfalls on record in the Atlantic since 1851, one-quarter have occurred this season. This is a remarkable statistic.
However, it’s important to remember monitoring of hurricanes was much more difficult before the advent of weather satellites in the late 1960s and storms may have been missed. That said, there is no precedent in the last half century of Category 5 storms striking land so frequently in the same season.
Category 5 hurricanes are the most destructive storms on Earth, bearing peak winds of at least 157 mph. The National Hurricane Center offers this description of the destruction they leave behind, which is consistent with what we’ve witnessed with this year’s storms:
A high percentage of framed homes will be destroyed, with total roof failure and wall collapse. Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas. Power outages will last for weeks to possibly months. Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months.
Here is a visual look back at the half dozen Category 5 landfall cases in 2017 so far. In each case, we have obtained satellite imagery with the storm’s calm eye centered over the affected land area, but surrounded by a violent ring of thunderstorms where the storm’s most destructive winds are concentrated. (Note that if we were to add Category 4 landfalls to this set, the number of areas affected would grow much larger.)
Hurricane Irma over Barbuda, Sept. 5
From space
On the ground
Hurricane Irma over St. Martin and Anguilla, Sept. 6
From space
On the ground
Hurricane Irma over Virgin Gorda and Tortola, Sept. 6
From space
On the ground
Hurricane Irma over Little Inagua, Southeast Bahamas, Sept. 8
From space
On the ground
Mercifully, this island is not populated and is a Bahamian National Park.
Hurricane Irma over Cayo Romano, Cuba, Sept. 8
From space
On the ground
Dominica, Sept. 18
From space
On the ground
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