Three Category 5 storms formed in the Gulf during the blockbuster 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, each more intense than the last, and each about a month apart. Wilma was the last of the three, and it turned out to be the strongest storm ever measured in the Atlantic basin.
The country was still grappling with the horrifying aftermath of Katrina's destruction along the Gulf Coast when Rita slammed into southwestern Louisiana as a Category 3 storm on Sept. 24, bringing even more destruction and turmoil to the beleaguered Gulf region.
As it turned out, the most intense storm was yet to come.
Hurricane Wilma tapped into the warm Caribbean waters, and paired with low wind shear in the atmosphere, and the storm underwent a record-setting and staggering period of intensification. The storm's central pressure bottomed out at 26.04 inches of mercury (882 mb), a record that still stands for Atlantic hurricanes 20 years later.
AccuWeather's Lead Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski had forecast his fair share of powerful hurricanes during his 44 years with the company.
