KINGSTON, Jamaica – With Hurricane Melissa's rapid intensification, the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season has produced three Category 5 hurricanes, which hasn't happened in a single season for 20 years. Melissa continues to make history as the third-strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic Basin.
A hurricane with maximum sustained winds of at least 157 mph is classified as a Category 5 cyclone on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Hurricane Melissa had sustained winds of 185 mph on Tuesday morning.
What's even more astounding about this year's Category 5 hurricanes is that the last time this happened in a single season, there were more than twice as many named storms, according to FOX Weather Hurricane Specialist Bryan Norcross.
This is only the second time in modern history to have more than two Category 5 storms in one season. The last time it happened was in 2005, with four Category 5 hurricanes.
"And remember how many storms? We set a record in 2005 with 28 named storms," Norcross said. "So this is extraordinary considering we have 13 named storms this year and three of them Category 5."
Norcross said the number of named storms, including major hurricanes, stronger than a Category 3, was on track with what most models predicted this season, including new artificial intelligence (AI) models.
According to the FOX Forecast Center, Melissa is also historic for its low pressure. Melissa had a pressure of 892 millibars on Tuesday morning, the third-lowest pressure on record for the Atlantic. This ties with the historic pressure of the 1935 Labor Day hurricane. Hurricane Wilma holds the record for the lowest pressure on record at 882 millibars.
Hurricane Humberto underwent rapid intensification in September, becoming a monster Category 5 storm. The storm did not make landfall but produced life-threatening surf and rip currents along the East Coast.
In August, Hurricane Erin was the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season and reached Category 5 strength with 160-mph winds moving north of the Caribbean islands. Erin remained more than 200 miles offshore of the U.S., but it still produced extensive coastal flooding along the Eastern Seaboard.
The Atlantic hurricane season officially runs through Nov. 30.
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