Meteorologists categorize the strength of hurricanes based on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale (SSHWS). The SSHWS rates hurricanes based on their maximum one-minute sustained wind speeds.

Low-end category one hurricanes pack maximum sustained winds of at least 74 mph. These storms will damage trees, power lines, and lead to superficial damage to well-built homes. The potential for wind damage gradually increases with a hurricane's strength.

A major hurricane is rated category three or stronger on the SSHWS. Category four and five storms can leave communities uninhabitable for weeks or even months, shutting down utilities and completely destroying even well-built homes.

Use of the SSHWS is controversial because folks tend to fixate on a hurricane's winds—sometimes at the expense of a hurricane's other threats. The SSHWS doesn't account for serious hazards like flooding rains, life-threatening storm surge, and tornadoes.

Meteorologists have only documented 42 scale-topping category five hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean since reliable records began back in 1851. It's likely that there have been more category five storms, but the lack of reliable data before the satellite era makes it difficult to know for certain.

The Atlantic's first category five hurricane on record was an unnamed storm that hit Cuba in October 1924.

The most recent category five storm in the Atlantic was Hurricane Milton, which was the basin's fifth-strongest hurricane ever observed in terms of minimum pressure (897 mb). The storm reached category five intensity twice—first on October 7, 2024, and then again the following day.

Only four of these storms have ever been recorded making landfall in the contiguous United States at category five intensity. Those storms were the Florida Keys Hurricane of 1935, Camille in 1969, Andrew in 1992, and Michael in 2018.