Since the beginning of the Atlantic hurricane database in 1851, 162 tropical cyclones peaked at Category 3 strength on the Saffir–Simpson scale in the Atlantic basin, which covers the waters of the Atlantic Ocean north of the equator, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico. Storms of such intensity have maximum sustained winds between 110–129 miles per hour (178–207 kilometres per hour). This list does not include hurricanes that intensified further to a Category 4 or 5, the latter being the highest ranking on the scale.