<P> Hurricane Irma was an extremely powerful and catastrophic Cape Verde - type hurricane , the strongest observed in the Atlantic in terms of maximum sustained winds since Wilma and the strongest storm on record to exist in the open Atlantic region . It was the first Category 5 hurricane to strike the Leeward Islands on record , followed by Hurricane Maria two weeks later , and is the second - costliest Caribbean hurricane on record , after Maria . 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 . It was also the most intense Atlantic hurricane to strike the continental United States since Katrina in 2005 , the first major hurricane to make landfall in Florida since Wilma in the same year and the first category 4 hurricane to landfall in the state since Charley in 2004 . </P>
<P> Hurricane Irma was an extremely powerful and catastrophic Cape Verde - type hurricane , the strongest observed in the Atlantic in terms of maximum sustained winds since Wilma and the strongest storm on record to exist in the open Atlantic region . It was the first Category 5 hurricane to strike the Leeward Islands on record , followed by Hurricane Maria two weeks later , and is the second - costliest Caribbean hurricane on record , after Maria . 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 . It was also the most intense Atlantic hurricane to strike the continental United States since Katrina in 2005 , the first major hurricane to make landfall in Florida since Wilma in the same year and the first category 4 hurricane to landfall in the state since Charley in 2004 . </P>
where did hurricane irma hit in the united states
where did hurricane irma hit in the united states
Florida
Florida