CNN.com - Hurricane Isabel a powerful Category 5 storm - Sep. 12, 2003: "CNN) -- The most powerful storm in the Atlantic Ocean in nearly five years, Hurricane Isabel rolled west far from land early Friday, with maximum sustained winds of nearly 160 mph (256 km/h).
Isabel is a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane strength. Hurricanes are ranked 1 to 5 on the scale.
At 5 p.m. EDT, Isabel was 350 miles (565 kilometers) northeast of the northern Leeward Islands, moving steadily to the west at 9 mph (14 km/h), according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida.
There has not been a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic since Hurricane Mitch in 1998. That giant storm slammed into Central America and sped across Florida into the North Atlantic. Mitch caused more than 9,000 deaths in Central America from flooding and mudslides.
The last Category 5 hurricane to hit the United States was Andrew in 1992.
The hurricane center's forecasters said Isabel could experience some 'temporary weakening' Friday and predicted a gradual weakening over the coming five days.
Isabel's current direction could put it on the path toward the Bahamas and the U.S. East Coast, but forecasters said it is still too early to predict accurately. "
