Hurricane Emily (2005)

Hurricane Emily

Emily near peak intensity south of Jamaica on 16 July
Meteorological history
Formed	11 July 2005
Dissipated	21 July 2005
Category 5 major hurricane
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS)
Highest winds	160 mph (260 km/h)
Lowest pressure	929 mbar (hPa); 27.43 inHg
Overall effects
Fatalities	22
Damage	>$372 million (2005 USD)
Areas affected	Lesser Antilles, Venezuela, Greater Antilles, Honduras, Belize, Mexico, Texas
IBTrACS
Part of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season

Hurricane Emily was one of only two July Atlantic hurricanes to reach Category 5 status on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The fifth named storm and second major hurricane^{[nb 1]} of the record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, Emily formed on 11 July from a tropical wave east of the Lesser Antilles. Three days later, it made landfall on Grenada as a minimal hurricane, just ten months after Hurricane Ivan devastated the region. Emily attained maximum sustained winds of 260 km/h (160 mph) on 16 July while passing southwest of Jamaica, which at the time made it the strongest Atlantic hurricane before the month of August; it was surpassed by Hurricane Beryl in 2024. Slight weakening occurred before Emily made landfall along Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula on 18 July as a Category 4 hurricane. Quickly crossing the peninsula, Emily emerged into the Gulf of Mexico as a minimal hurricane. It reorganized and reached Category 3 intensity before making its final landfall in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas on 20 July. It rapidly weakened and dissipated over land on 21 July, although thunderstorms reached as far inland as New Mexico.

Emily was a powerful early-season tropical cyclone that caused significant damage across the Lesser Antilles, the Caribbean, and Mexico. While moving through the Lesser Antilles, the hurricane produced strong winds and heavy rainfall that caused flooding and landslides across several islands. In Grenada, a man died when a landslide destroyed his house. The hurricane damaged or destroyed 2,641 homes in the country, leaving 167 families homeless. Emily's damage on Grenada totaled EC$121.14 million (US$44.87 million).^{[nb 2]} Later, the hurricane dropped 392 mm (15.43 in) of rainfall on Jamaica, which added to the destruction caused by Hurricane Dennis a week earlier. Damage from the two hurricanes totaled $5.98 billion (JMD, US$96 million) in Jamaica. Also in the country, five people died related to a vehicle accident and floods. In nearby Haiti, flooding from Emily caused ten fatalities. Emily's impacts occurred as far south as Honduras, where one person drowned due to river flooding from the storm.

Ahead of the hurricane's first landfall in Mexico, officials ordered evacuations for popular tourist areas along the eastern Yucatán Peninsula. About 44,000 people evacuated from Cancún International Airport, while another 60,000 people fled to shelters farther inland. One person died in Playa del Carmen while preparing for the storm. Mexico's oil company Pemex evacuated approximately 15,800 workers from oil platforms. Two workers died in a helicopter crash while evacuating. The hurricane lashed northeastern Mexico with strong winds, high waves, a storm surge, and heavy rainfall. The precipitation reached 409 mm (16.1 in) in Cerralvo, Nuevo Leon, more than half of which occurred within 24 hours. The rains caused flooding and landslides that led to two deaths and isolated more than 100 small towns. Across Mexico, Emily's damage was estimated at Mex$3.427 billion (US$322 million). The destructive effects of the hurricane spread into South Texas, where at least nine tornadoes touched down. Flooding also caused US$4.7 million worth of crop damage.

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