<P> Hurricane Wilma was the most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded in the Atlantic basin , as well as the most intense recorded in the western hemisphere until Hurricane Patricia in 2015 . Part of the record - breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season , which included three of the top ten most intense Atlantic hurricanes ever ( along with # 4 Rita and # 7 Katrina ) , Wilma was the twenty - second storm , thirteenth hurricane , sixth major hurricane , fourth Category 5 hurricane , and second-most destructive hurricane of the 2005 season . A tropical depression formed in the Caribbean Sea near Jamaica on October 15 , headed westward , and two days later intensified into a tropical storm which turned abruptly southward and was named Wilma . Wilma continued to strengthen , and eventually became a hurricane on October 18 . Shortly thereafter , explosive intensification occurred , and in only 24 hours , Wilma became a Category 5 hurricane with wind speeds of 185 miles per hour ( 298 km / h ) . </P>
<P> Hurricane Wilma was the most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded in the Atlantic basin , as well as the most intense recorded in the western hemisphere until Hurricane Patricia in 2015 . Part of the record - breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season , which included three of the top ten most intense Atlantic hurricanes ever ( along with # 4 Rita and # 7 Katrina ) , Wilma was the twenty - second storm , thirteenth hurricane , sixth major hurricane , fourth Category 5 hurricane , and second-most destructive hurricane of the 2005 season . A tropical depression formed in the Caribbean Sea near Jamaica on October 15 , headed westward , and two days later intensified into a tropical storm which turned abruptly southward and was named Wilma . Wilma continued to strengthen , and eventually became a hurricane on October 18 . Shortly thereafter , explosive intensification occurred , and in only 24 hours , Wilma became a Category 5 hurricane with wind speeds of 185 miles per hour ( 298 km / h ) . </P>
when was the last time a category five hurricane hit florida
when was the last time a category five hurricane hit florida
Hurricane Wilma
Hurricane Wilma