The 2019 Atlantic hurricane that became the easternmost Category 5 hurricane on record was Hurricane Lorenzo.
Lorenzo formed from a tropical wave that moved off the west coast of Africa on September 22, 2019. It strengthened unusually far east in the Atlantic, becoming a hurricane on September 25 and rapidly intensifying into a Category 4 storm the next day. An eyewall replacement cycle briefly weakened it, but the cyclone then restrengthened.
At 03:00 UTC on September 29, Lorenzo reached Category 5 intensity with estimated one-minute sustained winds of 160 mph. Its position made it the easternmost Atlantic hurricane ever observed at that strength, surpassing Hurricane Hugo’s previous 1989 record. The achievement was notable because Atlantic hurricanes usually reach their greatest intensity farther west.
Lorenzo weakened over cooler water and in stronger wind shear. It passed near the Azores on October 2, became extratropical, and later affected Ireland and the United Kingdom. The storm caused 20 deaths, including losses connected to the Bourbon Rhode shipwreck.