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The List of Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes shows every Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale to form in the Atlantic Ocean. A Category 5 hurricane is the most catastrophic hurricane that can form, and occur only about once every three years on average in the Atlantic basin. Only three times &mdash; in the 1960, 1961 and 2005 hurricane seasons &mdash; have multiple Category 5 hurricanes formed, and in only one season &mdash; 2005 &mdash; have more than two formed.

A Category 5 hurricane has sustained winds greater than 135 kn. "Sustained winds" refers to the average windspeed observed over one minute at 10 m above ground. Brief gusts in hurricanes are typically up to 50 percent higher than sustained winds. Because a hurricane is (usually) a moving system, the wind field is asymmetric, with the strongest winds on the right side (in the Northern Hemisphere), relative to the direction of motion.

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