Hurricane Irma tore across the Atlantic in September 2017, establishing itself as a meteorological event of extreme power and devastating geographic reach. The storm’s sheer force and extended duration at maximum intensity generated widespread fear across the Caribbean and the southeastern United States. Irma became one of the most closely tracked and historically significant Atlantic hurricanes on record. Due to the profound severity of its impact, the name was officially retired by the World Meteorological Organization shortly after the event.
Scale and Intensity of the Storm
Irma was defined by its meteorological metrics, quickly escalating to a dangerous Category 5 hurricane in the open Atlantic. The storm achieved peak sustained winds of 185 miles per hour, making it one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded outside of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. Irma maintained these 185 mph winds for an unprecedented 37 continuous hours, a duration longer than any other tropical cyclone in recorded history worldwide. The storm’s central barometric pressure plummeted to 914 millibars, indicative of its immense power.
Irma also maintained Category 5 status for a remarkable 78 hours in total, tying a record for the longest duration in that category. The storm underwent rapid intensification, increasing its maximum sustained wind speeds by 81 miles per hour in just 12 hours. While its core was initially compact, the storm’s overall size grew substantially. Hurricane-force winds eventually extended outward up to 80 miles from the center, ensuring widespread destruction far from the storm’s immediate track.
Devastation Across the Caribbean Islands
The initial and most catastrophic impacts occurred across the Leeward Islands, where Irma made several landfalls at peak Category 5 intensity. Barbuda was the first island struck, suffering nearly total destruction. Approximately 95 percent of all structures were damaged or completely destroyed, rendering the island temporarily uninhabitable. Its nearly 1,800 residents were forced to evacuate to the sister island of Antigua.
The French-Dutch island of St. Martin/Sint Maarten also experienced widespread damage, with reports indicating that around 70 percent of structures were damaged or destroyed. Critical infrastructure was decimated, including severe damage to the main hospital and the destruction of eight out of eleven pharmacies on the French side. In the nearby British and U.S. Virgin Islands, high winds stripped the land of vegetation, causing widespread deforestation.
Irma continued south of the Turks and Caicos Islands before hitting Cuba as a powerful Category 5 hurricane. This was the first time Cuba had been struck directly by a storm of this magnitude since 1924, causing extensive damage along the northern coast. Over 150,000 homes were damaged, and the capital city of Havana experienced significant storm surge flooding, with seawater penetrating inland. The storm also leveled popular tourist resorts and infrastructure in the provinces of Ciego de Ávila and Villa Clara.
Impact on the United States
The storm’s approach to the US mainland prompted one of the largest and most complex evacuations in the nation’s history. Florida officials issued evacuation orders for more than 6 million residents, aimed at clearing coastal and low-lying areas. Even 75 percent of the residents in the Florida Keys were ordered to leave before the storm made its first US landfall.
Irma struck the Florida Keys at Cudjoe Key as a powerful Category 4 hurricane with 130 mph sustained winds. The Keys sustained the most severe structural damage in the US, with approximately 25 percent of all buildings being completely destroyed. The storm’s subsequent track up the Florida peninsula brought destructive winds and heavy rain across nearly the entire state. This resulted in extensive damage to marine infrastructure, widespread tree loss, and significant destruction of agricultural resources, with losses estimated at $2.5 billion.
The massive wind field triggered one of the largest power outages in US history. At the peak of the event, up to 7.5 million homes and businesses were without electricity, covering nearly 70 percent of Florida. This left millions without air conditioning in the sweltering heat, complicating the recovery efforts. The effects extended beyond Florida, with the storm’s remnants causing significant storm surge flooding in Jacksonville, hundreds of miles away. Tropical storm force conditions and power outages also affected Georgia and the Carolinas.
Quantifying the Human and Economic Toll
The final measure of Hurricane Irma’s severity is found in the human and economic losses across its path. Globally, the storm was responsible for a total of 134 fatalities across the Caribbean and the United States. In the US, there were 47 direct deaths attributed to wind and drowning, along with 82 indirect deaths. The majority of these indirect deaths (77) occurred in Florida, often linked to post-storm hazards like heat exhaustion or carbon monoxide poisoning from generator misuse.
The total economic damage caused by Irma was staggering, solidifying its place among the costliest hurricanes on record. The estimated global cost of the destruction ranged from $64 billion to $90 billion. A specific final assessment placed the total damage at $77.2 billion, making Irma the costliest tropical cyclone in Cuban history. The United States alone incurred close to $50 billion in damage, contributing to the massive aid and insurance claims required for recovery.