In a spin: Category 5 hurricanes forming faster than in 1990s

Tropical storms reaching maximum speed in 4.2 days compared to 7.9 days

A satellite image shows Hurricane Melissa south-east of Jamaica on October 27. AFP

Hurricanes are forming far faster than three decades ago, data analysis by The National reveals.

Using figures from the National Hurricane Centre (NHC) in the US, we calculated the average time it takes tropical storms to reach their peak wind speed from the moment they are detected.

Tropical storms that transitioned to category five hurricanes took an average of 7.9 days to reach maximum wind speed in 1990, but this dropped to five days over the following 20 years and to 4.2 days in this decade.

Hurricane Melissa, despite being the strongest tropical storm so far in 2025 with winds reaching 155 knots (287kph), is among the hurricanes that took the longest to reach its maximum intensity, at 11 days. It was first detected on October 17 at 12.00 GMT.

The fastest category five hurricane to reach maximum intensity in the current decade was Jova, hitting wind speeds of 140 knots (259kph) in two and a half days.

How does a storm become a hurricane?

A tropical storm becomes a category one hurricane when its sustained wind speeds exceed 64 knots (119kph). The transition occurs as the storm draws energy from warm ocean waters (typically above 26.5°C), causing moist air to rise and release latent heat, which further fuels convection.

As air spirals inward under low atmospheric pressure, the storm creates a central eye with intensified spinning due to the Earth's rotation, a phenomenon known as the Coriolis effect.

Conditions that allow the storm’s heat engine to strengthen until it reaches hurricane intensity include sea-surface temperature, humidity, low changes in wind from the ground up and atmospheric instability.