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The Most Intense Atlantic Hurricanes in Recorded History

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This is a table of the most intense Atlantic hurricanes, measured by barometric pressure, since 1851. The data are taken from the National Hurricane Center's Best Track file for 1851-2010 storms and the advisory packages for 2010 storms if best track data are not available. In cases where pressure readings are tied, the hurricanes are ranked by their maximum observed wind speed. I should note that this maximum wind speed did not always occur at the same time as the observed minimum pressure.

Where possible, I have included a Wikipedia link to the storm in question. If there was no link for a specific storm, I included a link to the Wikipedia page for the season in which it occurred. Like other external links on this site, these links open in a new window.

Rank	Storm Name	Year	Date¹	Minimum Pressure	Maximum Winds	Maximum Category²
1	Wilma	2005	10/19	882	185	5
2	Gilbert	1988	9/14	888	185	5
3	Labor Day Hurricane	1935	9/3	892	185³	5
4	Rita	2005	9/21	895	180	5
5	Allen	1980	8/7	899	190	5
6	Katrina	2005	8/28	902	175	5
7	Camille	1969	8/17	905	190	5
7	Mitch	1998	10/26	905	180	5
9	Dean	2007	8/21	906	165	5
10	Ivan	2004	9/11	910	165	5
10	Cuba Hurricane	1924	10/19	910	165	5⁴
12	Janet	1955	9/27	914	170	5
13	Isabel	2003	9/11	915	165	5
14	Hugo	1989	9/15	918	160	5
15	Opal	1995	10/4	919	150	4
16	Hattie	1961	10/30	920	160	5
16	Gloria	1985	9/25	920	145	4
18	Floyd	1999	9/13	921	155	4
19	Andrew	1992	9/23	922	170	5
20	Beulah	1967	9/19	923	160	5
21	David	1979	8/30	924	170	5
21	1910 Fort Myers Hurricane	1910	10/16	924	150	4⁴
21	1853 Hurricane	1853	9/3	924	150	4⁴
24	1886 Indianola Hurricane	1886	8/20	925	155	4⁵
24	Igor	2010	9/15	925	155	4
26	Anita	1977	9/2	926	170	5
27	Gabrielle	1989	9/3	927	145	4
27	Esther	1961	9/17	927	145	4
29	Carmen	1974	9/2	928	150	4
29	Earl	2010	9/2	928	145	4
29	1880 Hurricane	1880	10/2	928	140	4⁴
32	Felix	2007	9/3	929	165	5
32	Lake Okeechobee Hurricane	1928	9/16	929	160	5⁴
32	Emily	2005	7/16	929	160	5
32	Inez	1966	9/28	929	150	4
32	Carol	1953	9/3	929	150	4
32	Felix	1995	8/12	929	140	4

Notes

Date that the hurricane achieved (or, if it achieved it more than once, first achieved) its low pressure reading.
See the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale for category rankings.
The Labor Day Hurricane's maximum wind speed is listed in a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation by Jamese Sims and David Glenn (of NOAA) as 185 mph with the NHC Best Track file proposed to be changed to reflect this. Its measured lowest pressure was 892 mb, but there was an uncalibrated and unconfirmed report of an 880 mb reading, which would possibly* make it the lowest pressure in the Atlantic basin. See the Wikipedia article on the Labor Day storm (linked in the table) for details.
* -- Hurricane Wilma's pressure reading listed here may not have been its lowest either, and it is possible that Wilma also reached ~880 mb or slightly less. If any two Atlantic hurricanes are candidates for "membership in the 870s Club," these two are the ones. Other than location, they are remarkably similar: they had tiny eyes, intensified rapidly, and set pressure records for their times.
These hurricanes predated satellite, radar, and airplane reconaissance. The values listed may not be either the highest wind speed or the lowest pressure.
The Indianola Hurricane may very well have been a Category 5 at landfall. In fact, I suspect it was. See p. 48 (p. 13 in the PDF copy) of A Reconstruction of Historical Tropical Cyclone Frequency in the Atlantic from Documentary and other Historical Sources, Part III: 1881-1890, year 1886, by Partagas and Diaz.

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