Hurricane Emily was a powerful, early
season tropical cyclone that caused significant damage across the
Caribbean Sea to
Mexico. A
Cape Verde-type hurricane, the storm formed on July 10, 2005, in the central Atlantic Ocean before passing through the
Windward Islands on July 14. Tracking generally towards the west-northwest, the storm gradually intensified as it traversed the Caribbean, peaking as a Category 5 hurricane on July 16, marking the earliest date for a storm to do so during the course of a given year. The system subsequently made
landfall in the
Yucatán Peninsula as a Category 4. Quickly crossing the peninsula, Emily emerged into the
Gulf of Mexico and reorganized. On July 20, the storm struck
Tamaulipas as a major hurricane and rapidly dissipated within 24 hours.