Katrina 's minimal pressure measurement made it the fourth most powerful Atlantic hurricane on record at the time , only to be beaten by Hurricanes Rita and Wilma later in the season . In addition , Katrina was also the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico at the time ( a record also later broken by Rita ) . The pressure measurement made Katrina the fourth most intense Atlantic hurricane on record at the time , only to be surpassed by Hurricanes Rita and Wilma later in the season ; it was also the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico at the time ( a record also later broken by Rita ) .