What is a Category 5 hurricane?

TAMPA, Fla. – A hurricane with maximum sustained winds of at least 157 miles per hour is considered a Category 5 cyclone on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale.

A Category 5 is the strongest a hurricane can reach on the scale, as there is no Category 6 rating.

As of 5 p.m. Monday, Hurricane Milton was a Category 5 storm with winds of up to 180 miles per hour.

The wind scale does not take into account flooding, erosion, tornadoes or storm surges, which are deadly during a Category 5 hurricane.

According to NOAA, many homes will be completely destroyed by either the catastrophic wind or storm surge.

READ: The International Space Station captures the “colossal” Hurricane Milton

Fallen trees and utility poles will cut off regions for weeks, and recovery efforts will take months.

Category 5 Hurricane Statement (FOX Weather)

Along the coast, a Category 5 hurricane can produce a storm surge of more than 18 feet that can extend many miles inland.

Before a storm hits, large-scale evacuations are ordered, which can lead to significant travel delays.

READ: ‘It’s a punch in the gut’: Sarasota and Manatee counties prepare for Hurricane Milton after Helene

After a Category 5 hurricane passes through, clearing debris can take a year or longer.

Despite warming oceans, these major hurricanes are still considered rare, with only 40 events documented across the entire Atlantic basin.

Only four of the more than three dozen Category 5 hurricanes hit the United States.

There have been four Category 5 landings in the U.S. since the 1920s. (FOX Weather)

Category 5 strikes in the USA

Labor Day Hurricane (185 mph) – 1935

• Location: Long Key, Florida
• US damage: $100 million
• The unnamed hurricane of 1935 remains the strongest known storm to make landfall in the United States. The storm caused catastrophic damage in the Florida Keys, where a storm surge of more than 18 feet occurred. According to historical records, hundreds are believed to have died in the storm.

The track of the hurricane on Labor Day 1935. (FOX Weather)

Hurricane Camille (175 mph) – 1969

• Location: Waveland, Mississippi
• US damage: $1.4 billion
• Camille was the second strongest hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States. A storm surge of more than 20 feet devastated the Mississippi coast, while wind and rain damage was reported from the Gulf Coast to Virginia. The hurricane was fairly compact, with hurricane force winds extending 50-60 miles outward from the center.

Hurricane Camille made landfall on August 17, 1969 as a Category 5 storm. (FOX Weather)

Hurricane Andrew (175 mph) – 1992

• Location: Elliot Key, Florida
• US damage: $27 billion
• Hurricane Andrews hit South Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, but was upgraded to Category 5 strength after a NOAA reanalysis. After leaving Florida into the Gulf, the hurricane made landfall in Louisiana as a Category 3 cyclone. Despite its intensity, Andrew was a relatively small storm with tropical storm-force winds extending only 90 miles from the center. The catastrophic hurricane led to stricter building codes across the state.

Hurricane Michael (160 mph) – 2018

• Location: Mexico Beach, Florida
• US damage: $25.1 billion
• Michael rapidly intensified from Category 1 to Category 5 in less than 36 hours. The cyclone’s dense organization caused significant wind damage across South Georgia. The storm was the most powerful hurricane to hit the United States in October and the fourth strongest hurricane ever to hit the mainland.

The track of Hurricane Michael as it made landfall in 2018. (FOX Weather)