What a year in Atlantic hurricanes!
 |
| Zeta making landfall on the Yucatan peninsula |
As post-tropical cyclone Epsilon heads toward Iceland and we get socked with abysmal weather -- heavy rain, hail, sleet, lightning and thunder, gale-force winds and 10-metre waves -- while the Yucatan gets hammered by Zeta, the 27th named storm of one of the busiest Atlantic hurricane seasons on record, I thought it would be good to examine the season so far, even though it doesn't end until November 30.
 |
| Projected path of Zeta after the second landfall |
Zeta made first landfall late Monday just north of the ancient Mayan city of Tulum with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph just 20 days after Delta, a category 4 hurricane, hit them in October. It's the third named storm in one month to make landfall in Quintana Roo! Zeta made landfall again in Louisiana as a category 2 hurricane which would make it the 5th named storm to hit that coast this year.
It’s the 11th hurricane of the season. An average season has six hurricanes and 12 named storms. Zeta is the furthest into the Greek alphabet the Atlantic season has gone. Zeta broke the record for the earliest 27th Atlantic named storm; the previous one had formed Nov. 29, 2005. Tropical Storm Zeta in 2005 was actually the 28th storm of the season and formed at the end of November. We still have a month to go, so let me explain.
The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active Atlantic hurricane season in recorded history, with 31 tropical or subtropical cyclones recorded and shattering numerous records. The US National Hurricane Center named 27 storms, exhausting the pre-designated annual list and adopting six Greek letter names. During a post-season analysis, the National Hurricane Center identified an additional unnamed storm that had been missed, changing the total 'named' storms to 28, although one remained an unnamed named storm. Got that? That year, a record 15 storms reached hurricane status, with maximum sustained winds of at least 74 mph (119 km/h). Of those, a record seven became major hurricanes, which are a Category 3 or higher, and four of those became Category 5 hurricanes -- the highest on the scale: Emily, Katrina, Rita, and Wilma.
|
Year |
2005 |
2020 (as of Nov 30) |
|
Named storms |
28 |
30 |
|
Hurricanes |
|
|
|
Major
hurricanes |
|
|
|
Landfall in
US (named storms) |
7 |
12 |
To break the overall record set in 2005, we'd need another two named storms or another five hurricanes to form in November. I believe that all or most of the named storms this year have formed earlier than any alphabetical counterparts in prior years. That's plenty of records in my book.
So let's hope for a good outcome in the US Presidential election, a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine, and a quiet close to the year.
Tropical Atlantic Cyclones in 2020 as of October 29
Tropical Storm Arthur
May 16, 2020 - Tropical Storm Arthur forms about 190 miles east-northeast of Cape Canaveral, Florida. Weakens to a post-tropical cyclone May 19.Tropical Storm Bertha
May 27, 2020 - Tropical Storm Bertha forms near the coast of South Carolina, makes landfall approximately 20 miles east of Charleston and then weakens to a post-tropical cyclone May 28.Tropical Storm Cristobal
June 2, 2020 - Tropical Storm Cristobal forms in the southern Gulf of Mexico. Makes landfall in southern Mexico near the town of Atasta June 3. June 7 it makes landfall in Louisiana and weakens to a tropical depression June 8.Tropical Storm Dolly
June 23, 2020 - Tropical Storm Dolly forms and weakens to a post-tropical cyclone June 24.Tropical Storm Edouard
July 5, 2020 - Tropical Storm Edouard forms. Weakens to a post-tropical cyclone July 6.Tropical Storm Fay
July 9, 2020 - Tropical Storm Fay forms off the coast of North Carolina, makes landfall in New Jersey July 10 and weakens to a tropical depression July 11.Tropical Storm Gonzalo
July 22, 2020 - Tropical Storm Gonzalo forms in the Atlantic and weakens to a tropical depression July 25 without making landfall.Hurricane Hanna
July 23, 2020 - Tropical Storm Hanna forms in the Gulf of Mexico. Hanna strengthens into a Category 1 hurricane July 25 and later makes landfall on Padre Island, Texas. Weakens to a tropical storm July 26, and then to a tropical depression.Hurricane Isaias
July 29, 2020 - Tropical Storm Isaias forms in the Caribbean. Isaias strengthens into a hurricane July 30 and makes landfall as a Category 1 hurricane near Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina August 3. Isaias - Is downgraded to a tropical storm August 4 as it continues to move up the East Coast. At least nine people lose their lives. Later in the day, Isaias weakens to a post-tropical cyclone.Tropical Storm Josephine
August 13, 2020 - Tropical Storm Josephine forms and August 16 weakens to a tropical depression.Tropical Storm Kyle
August 14, 2020 - Tropical Storm Kyle forms and August 16 weakens to a post-tropical cyclone.Hurricane Laura
August 21, 2020 - Tropical Storm Laura forms in the Caribbean. August 23, at least nine people are killed in the Caribbean, including several in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, due to rain and flooding caused by TS Laura. August 25 Laura strengthens into a hurricane. August 26, it strengthens again into a Category 4 hurricane. August 27, Laura makes landfall near Cameron, Louisiana, killing at least 27 people. Later in the day, Laura weakens to a tropical depression.Hurricane Marco
August 21, 2020 - Tropical Storm Marco forms over the Northwestern Caribbean. August 23, Marco strengthens into a Category 1 hurricane but later in the day, it weakens to a tropical storm., 2020 - Marco makes landfall near the mouth of the Mississippi River August 24 and weakens to a post-tropical cyclone the next day.
Tropical Storm Nana
September 1, 2020 - Tropical Storm Nana forms in the Caribbean and by September 3 Nana weakens to a tropical depression.Tropical Storm Omar
September 1, 2020 - Tropical Storm Omar forms east of North Carolina and September 5 weakens to a post-tropical cyclone.Hurricane Paulette
September 7, 2020 - Tropical Storm Paulette forms. September 12 Paulette strengthens into a hurricane. September 14 Paulette makes landfall in Bermuda and September 16 Weakens to a post-tropical cyclone. September 22 Paulette regenerates into a tropical storm and September 23 Paulette weakens to a post-tropical cyclone for the second time.Tropical Storm Rene
September 7, 2020 - Tropical Storm Rene forms and weakens to a tropical depression September 12.Hurricane Sally
September 12, 2020 - Tropical Storm Sally forms. September 14, Sally strengthens into a hurricane and makes landfall near Gulf Shores, Alabama, as a Category 2 hurricane on the 16th. Later in the night, Sally weakens to a tropical depression.Hurricane Teddy
September 14, 2020 - Tropical Storm Teddy forms and strengthens into a hurricane two days later.September 21, it comes close to Bermuda but does not make landfall. September 22, it weakens to a post-tropical cyclone off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada.
Tropical Storm Vicky
September 14, 2020 - Tropical Storm Vicky forms and, by September 17, weakens to a post-tropical cyclone.Tropical Storm Wilfred
September 18, 2020 - Tropical Storm Wilfred forms and September 20, weakens to a tropical depression.Tropical Storm Alpha
September 18, 2020 - Subtropical Storm Alpha forms and makes landfall in Portugal. September 19, it weakens to a post-tropical cyclone.Tropical Storm Beta
September 18, 2020 - Tropical Storm Beta forms. September 21, Beta makes landfall as a tropical storm on the Eastern coast of Texas. September 22, it weakens to a tropical depression.Tropical Storm Gamma
October 2, 2020 - Tropical Storm Gamma forms about 135 miles SSE of Cozumel, Mexico. October 3, Gamma makes landfall near Tulum, Mexico and weakens to a post-tropical cyclone October 5.Hurricane Delta
October 5, 2020 - Tropical Storm Delta forms and strengthens to a hurricane later in the same day. October 7, Hurricane Delta makes landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula. October 9, it intensifies to a Category 2 hurricane and makes landfall near Creole, Louisiana. At least four people are reported to have died. October 10, it weakens to a tropical depression.Hurricane Epsilon
October 19, 2020 - Tropical Storm Epsilon forms in the Atlantic Ocean. October 20, it strengthens to a hurricane and by Oct 21 intensifies to a major, Category 3 storm. October 22, it weakens to a Category 1 hurricane and passes east of Bermuda. October 25, it weakens to a tropical storm and October 26 becomes a post-tropical cyclone. By the 27 October, the remnants of Epsilon began an impressive extratropical transition and were absorbed into a larger, developing extratropical storm just south of Iceland.Hurricane Zeta
October 25, 2020 - Tropical Storm Zeta forms east of Mexico. October 26, Zeta makes landfall in the Yucatán Peninsula north of Tulum, Mexico, as a Category 1 hurricane. It strengthens to a Category 1 hurricane again October 28 as it approaches the US coast, then strengthens to a category 2 as it makes landfall in Louisiana near New Orleans on the 28 October.Updates Nov 1-30:
Hurricane Eta
November 1, 2020 - Tropical Storm Eta has formed in the Western Caribbean and likely to target Central America. Eta is the 28th named storm of the season, tying the record set in 2005. However, it is the first time the name Eta has been used; in 2005 a missed storm remained unnamed but was counted among the named storms. In the early hours of November 2, Eta strengthened to a Hurricane. Tuesday morning November 3 as Americans prepared to head for the polls, major Hurricane Eta, a strong category 4 storm, approached Nicaragua with catastrophic wind and rainfall predicted. Eta made landfall on the afternoon of November 3 with 140 mph wind stretching over 150 miles of coast. Slow-moving Eta weakened to a tropical storm overnight causing life-threatening flash flooding over portions of Central America due to record rainfall overnight into Wednesday. November 7 at 10 am NOAA reported that Tropical Depression Eta had strengthened to a Tropical Storm again as it approached the Cayman Islands. Nov 8, TS Eta approached South Florida and bounced off the Keys entering the Gulf of Mexico where it could make a second landfall in Florida. It was a record 12th named storm to make landfall in the US and the first to land in Florida in November since Mitch in 1998. This was its third landfall having hit Nicaragua as a CAT4 Storm, then Cuba as a strong Tropical Storm, before passing over the Florida Keys. Nov 10, Tropical Storm Eta continues to spin off the coast of Cuba almost stationary bringing heavy rainfall to parts of Cuba, the Bahamas and southern Florida. Eta becomes a hurricane again offshore of SW Florida at 7:35 AM EST Wed Nov 11. Location: 25.8°N 83.8°W Moving: NNE at 15 mph. Eta's second Florida landfall occurred near Cedar Key around 4 a.m. EST on Thursday, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph. Fri Nov 13 Eta became an extratropical low.
Tropical Storm Theta
November 10, 2020 - Subtropical Storm Theta, a record 29th named storm, has formed in the Atlantic south of the Azores and is projected to head in the direction of the Madeiras. The Vendee Globe fleet plans to sail around it. Post-tropical storm Theta brings intense rain, thunderstorms, and wind up to 90kph to Madeira Nov 14.
Hurricane Iota
November 13, 2020 - TD 31 formed over the central Caribbean Sea and expected to strengthen into a hurricane. November 14, Tropical Storm Iota becomes the 30th named storm of the season, breaking the record set in 2005 by 2. Hurricane Iota is expected to rapidly intensify and make landfall as a major hurricane in Central America. November 16, Iota strengthened into a dangerous Category 4 hurricane, and soon after into Category 5, the latest ever. Never before has there been a period of 5 straight years with Category 5 Storms. Hurricane Iota roared onto Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast as a dangerous Category 4 storm later on Monday, Nov 16, with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph. It hit land along almost exactly the same area that Hurricane Eta devastated 13 days earlier. Nov 17, Hurricane Iota weakened to Category 1 as it barreled across Nicaragua, causing flooding and mudslides across Colombia, Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala. Now a tropical depression, Iota caused widespread destruction and loss of life. Nov 19, rescuers having difficulty reaching communities cut off by floods and mudslides throughout Central America.
 |
| Exceptional Infrared satellite imagery of the Category 5 hurricane #Iota prior to landfall in Nicaragua. Images: NASA |
The Hurricane Season Comes to a Close
November 30, 2020 - Although there is a slight chance of a large nontropical storm forming over the Madeira Islands, there are no tropical cyclones in the Atlantic. The extraordinary Atlantic cyclone season will come to a close officially today.
Comments
Post a Comment