on , ▁E ight , ▁and ▁Herm ine . ▁A ▁Category   1 ▁h urr icane , ▁Earl ▁wr ought ▁trem end ous ▁damage ▁in ▁Bel ize ▁and ▁Mexico . ▁With ▁ 8 1   l ives ▁lost ▁in ▁Mexico ▁during ▁the ▁passage ▁of ▁Earl , ▁it ▁was ▁the ▁dead liest ▁Atlantic ▁h urr icane ▁in ▁the ▁country ▁since ▁ 2 0 0 5 . ▁Gast on ▁became ▁the ▁season ' s ▁first ▁major ▁h urr icane ▁on ▁August   2 8 , ▁att aining ▁peak ▁wind s ▁of ▁ 1 2 0   m ph ▁( 1 9 5   km / h ) ▁over ▁the ▁central ▁Atlantic . ▁On ▁September   1 , ▁Herm ine ▁struck ▁the ▁Florida ▁Pen ins ula ▁as ▁a ▁Category   1 ▁h urr icane , ▁ending ▁an ▁ 1 1 - year ▁dr ought ▁of ▁h urr icane ▁land falls ▁in ▁the ▁state , ▁which ▁began ▁after ▁H urr icane ▁Wil ma ▁in ▁October ▁ 2 0 0 5 . ▁ ▁September ▁featured ▁another ▁five ▁tropical ▁cycl ones : ▁Ian , ▁Julia , ▁Karl , ▁Lisa , ▁and ▁Matthew , ▁the ▁latter ▁of ▁which ▁pers isted ▁into ▁October . ▁Matthew ▁proved ▁to ▁be ▁the ▁most ▁significant ▁storm ▁of ▁the ▁season , ▁becoming ▁the ▁first ▁Category   5 ▁h urr icane ▁in ▁the ▁Atlantic ▁since ▁H urr icane ▁Felix ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 7 , ▁and , ▁with ▁a ▁death ▁to ll ▁of ▁over ▁ 6 0 0 , ▁it ▁was ▁the ▁dead liest ▁in ▁the