<P> Hurricane Irma was an extremely powerful and catastrophic Cape Verde - type hurricane, the strongest observed in the Atlantic since Wilma in 2005 in terms of maximum sustained winds . It was the first Category 5 hurricane to strike the Leeward Islands on record, followed by Hurricane Maria two weeks later, and is unofficially the second - costliest Caribbean hurricane on record, again surpassed by Hurricane Maria in the same year . It was also the most intense Atlantic hurricane to strike the United States since Katrina in 2005, and the first major hurricane to make landfall in Florida since Wilma in 2005 . </P> <P> The ninth named storm, fourth hurricane, second major hurricane, and first Category 5 hurricane of the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season, Irma caused widespread and catastrophic damage throughout its long lifetime, particularly in parts of the northeastern Caribbean and the Florida Keys . </P> <P> Irma developed on August 30, 2017 near the Cape Verde Islands, from a tropical wave that had moved off the west African coast three days prior . Under favorable conditions, Irma rapidly intensified shortly after formation, becoming a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir--Simpson scale within a mere 24 hours . Irma became a Category 3 hurricane (and therefore a major hurricane) shortly afterward; however, the intensity fluctuated between Categories 2 and 3 for the next several days due to a series of eyewall replacement cycles . On September 4, Irma resumed intensifying, becoming a Category 5 hurricane by early the next day . On September 6, Irma reached its peak intensity, with 185 mph (295 km / h) winds and a minimum pressure of 914 hPa (27.0 inHg), making it the second most intense tropical cyclone worldwide so far in 2017, behind only Hurricane Maria, and the strongest worldwide in 2017 in terms of wind speed . </P> <P> Another eyewall replacement cycle caused Irma to weaken back to a Category 4 hurricane, but the storm attained Category 5 status for a second time, before making landfall in Cuba . After dropping to Category 3 intensity due to land interaction, the storm re-intensified to Category 4 status as it crossed warm waters between Cuba and Florida, before making landfall on Cudjoe Key with maximum sustained winds at 130 mph (215 km / h). Irma dropped back to Category 3 by the time it made a second Florida landfall on Marco Island . Irma weakened to a Category 2 hurricane later that day, the first time it weakened below major hurricane status in over a week, and eventually dissipated off the coast of New England on September 16 . </P>

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