Hypercane Katia (also referred to as Superstorm Katia or The Storm of the Century II) was the first hypercane ever recorded in history. It was also the deadliest, costliest and most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded, and also produced the highest winds recorded on the surface of the Earth measured by Hurricane Hunters: 549 miles per hour (884 km/h). The eleventh named storm, seventh hurricane and sixth major hurricane of the hyperactive and record-breaking 2041 Atlantic hurricane season, Katia formed out of a vigorous tropical wave that moved off the coast of Africa on August 7, while continuing westward across the Atlantic. Development did not occur until just before the wave reached the Lesser Antilles, where organization quickly took over and developed into a tropical storm while