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Hurricane Isabel viewed from space

The List of Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes shows every Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale to form in the Atlantic Ocean. A Category 5 hurricane is the most catastrophic hurricane that can form, and occur only about once every three years on average in the Atlantic basin. Only three times — in the 1960, 1961 and 2005 hurricane seasons — have multiple Category 5 hurricanes formed, and in only one season — 2005 — have more than two formed.

A Category 5 hurricane has sustained winds greater than 135 knots (155 mph; 250 km/h). "Sustained winds" refers to the average windspeed observed over one minute at 10 meters (33 feet) above ground. Brief gusts in hurricanes are typically up to 50 percent higher than sustained winds. Because a hurricane is (usually) a moving system, the wind field is asymmetric, with the strongest winds on the right side (in the Northern Hemisphere), relative to the direction of motion.

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