Since 2005, when Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast 10 years ago today, Atlantic hurricanes haven’t matched the number or intensity of that hurricane season.
For major Atlantic storms, the big uptick in devastating storms was in 2005, with Katrina, Wilma and Rita all converging in that record-setting year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Since then, there were years when there have been as many storms rated a category 3 (111-130 mph sustained wind) or above. But few rivaled the devastation of the 2005 storms. Here is a look at some of the biggest:
2005
A rescue crew after Hurricane Katrina. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)
• Katrina: More than 1,800 people on the Gulf Coast died. Eighty percent of New Orleans was flooded after the levees built to protect the city, which is surrounded by water, were breached. Katrina cost $125 billion in damage.
• Rita: Considered the fourth most powerful Atlantic storm on record, it hit Louisiana and Texas less than a month after Katrina. It was the first year that two storms reached category 5 status in the Gulf of Mexico in the same year.
• Wilma: Although overshadowed by Katrina, it was arguably the strongest storm on record. Hitting in October, it devastated large swaths of Florida, killed 63 people and caused more than $29 billion in damage to U.S. housing and infrastructure. It is the fourth-costliest hurricane on record, after Katrina, Sandy and Ike.
Hurricane Dennis hits Haiti. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
• Dennis: Caused $2.2 billion in damage in the United States. Resulted in 89 deaths in the Caribbean and U.S.
• Emily: Major hurricane that formed very early in the season in July. It caused massive damage in Mexico, but dissipated rapidly once it made landfall.
2008
• Ike: A long-lived major hurricane that caused $37.5 billion in damage and many deaths along the Louisiana and Texas coasts.
The aftermath of Hurricane Ike. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
• Gustav: The hurricane had slightly stronger winds, also resulting in damage in the Gulf Coast. More than 150 deaths were attributed to this storm.
• Omar: A lesser category 3 hurricane, but still a major storm that hit the Caribbean.
• Paloma: A record-setting storm, it caused deadly tornadoes and super cell thunderstorms in Florida and the Carolinas.
2009
• Bill: A major storm that brought only minor damage to the East Coast and Canada.
2010
• Danielle: A major category 4 storm that caused dangerous seas across the East Coast from Florida to New Jersey.
• Earl: Another major storm of the 2010 season affecting most of the eastern seaboard. It was the first time since 1991 that a major category 4 storm had threatened all of New England.
Power lines after Hurricane Earl. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
• Julia: A storm that rapidly intensified in fall 2010. It was a twin hurricane birthed together with Igor as category 4 storms, the first time in 100 years that two major storms in the Atlantic were formed at the same time. Igor spared the Gulf states but pummeled the U.S. Virgin Islands.
2011
• Katia: A major long-lasting storm during an active hurricane season.
• Ophelia: The most intense storm of the year.
2012
Hurricane Sandy (image via GOES-East Visibile Satellite) as it makes landfall on the U.S. East Coast in October of 2012. (Photo courtesy of the National Weather Service)
• Sandy (“Super Storm”): The massive storm system affected many areas of the East Coast, although it is primarily known for the devastation it caused in the densely populated areas of the Northeast.
Although Sandy was the most powerful storm of the season, this year had a large number of hurricanes develop in the Atlantic, similar to 2011.
· 2014
• Edouard: The first “major” hurricane to develop in the Atlantic since Hurricane Sandy in 2012. It also marked the first time the government deployed drones into a cyclone to conduct research and compile data.
