Hurricane Emily was an extremely rare and powerful tropical cyclone that became the first July Atlantic hurricane to reach Category 5 status on the Saffir-Simpson scale. It remained the only to have done so until Beryl of 2024. The fifth named storm, third hurricane, second major hurricane, and first Category 5 hurricane of the record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, Emily formed on July 11 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 July 16 while passing southwest of Jamaica, which at the time made it the strongest Atlantic hurricane before the month of August. Slight weakening occurred before Emily made landfall along Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula on July 18 as a Category 4 hurricane. Quickly crossing the peninsula, Emily emerged over 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 July 20. It rapidly weakened and dissipated over land on July 21, although thunderstorms reached as far inland as New Mexico. In 2024, Emily was surpassed by Hurricane Beryl as the strongest Atlantic hurricane before August, as measured by maximum sustained winds. Category 5 hurricane: peak winds of 160 mph (140 knots), lowest pressure 929 mb. July 11 – July 21, 2005. Landfalls: July 14 at 85 mph, 12.0°N 61.8°W; July 18 at 130 mph, 20.3°N 87.4°W; July 20 at 125 mph, 24.8°N 97.6°W. Accumulated cyclone energy: 32.9. Wiki link Track: NOAA National Hurricane Center, HURDAT2 best track AL052005 (public domain).