Source: CNN
Consider these stats from CNN’s meteorology team:
- Irma is the strongest Atlantic basin hurricane ever recorded outside the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea
- It spent three days as a Category 5 hurricane, the longest Category 5 hurricane since satellite storm-tracking began
- No storm on record has maintained winds 185 mph or above for as long as Irma (total of 37 hours)
- It prompted the largest evacuation in the history of the Bahamas — and potentially the largest in the US
Here are some other startling stats that put into perspective the fury and impact of Hurricane Irma: