Hurricane Melissa sets the wrong kind of records

 

Hurricane Melissa, October 2025 (Source: NOAA)

The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season has been historic for the number of intense Category 5 hurricanes. Earlier this week, Hurricane Melissa became the third Category 5 storm of the season. That set a slew of benchmarks since Category 5 hurricanes are rare. 

Melissa stands out not only for being a Category 5 hurricane, but for how it kept intensifying after it first reached Category 5 status. At peak intensity, Melissa had sustained winds of 185 mph and a minimum central air pressure of 892 millibars (mb). That tied it with the 1935 Labor Day hurricane as the third strongest Atlantic hurricane on record (based on air pressure). The lower the air pressure, the stronger the hurricane is.

Category 5 storms are rare since they require ideal circumstances to develop. When they do occur, they don’t remain at that intensity for very long. For example, the typical Category 5 storm remains at that intensity for less than 24 hours. However, Melissa remained at Category 5 intensity for 36 consecutive hours, according to NOAA. That’s tied with 2004’s Hurricane Ivan for fourth longest such streak.

Earlier this year, Hurricane’s Erin and Humberto also reached Category 5 intensity. That’s the second highest seasonal total behind only the four that developed in 2005. The combined total of five Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes last season and this season also ties with 2004-2005 (five) for highest two-year total of Category 5 hurricanes, according to NOAA.

Hurricane Melissa was also the strongest Atlantic hurricane since Hurricane Wilma in 2005 and also set a record for strongest Atlantic hurricane to occur on or after October 20. Melissa was a damaging and deadly storm across much of the Caribbean Sea from Jamaica and Cuba to the Bahamas. It was also an impactful storm in Bermuda.

Strongest Atlantic hurricanes based on air pressure (Source: NOAA)

1. Wilma (2005) – 882 millibars (mb)
2. Gilbert (1988) – 888 mb
3. Melissa (2025), Labor Day (1935) – 892 mb
5. Milton (2024), Rita (2005) – 895 mb
7. Allen (1980) – 899 mb
8. Camille (1969) – 900 mb
9. Katrina (2005) – 902 mb
10. Dean (2007), Mitch (1998) – 905 mb

Strongest Atlantic hurricanes based on wind speed (Source: NOAA)

1. Allen (1980) – 190 mph
2. Melissa (2025), Dorian (2019), Wilma (2005), Gilbert (1988), Labor Day (1935) – 185 mph
7. Milton (2024), Irma (2017), Rita (2005), Mitch (1998) – 180 mph