Chris Dolce
The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season has been hyperactive with 23 named storms, including eight hurricanes, spinning across much of the Atlantic basin. Those storms have set several records through late-September.
Here's a look at what we've seen so far.
20 Named Storms Were the Earliest to Form on Record
Twenty of the 23 storms through Sept. 21 had their earliest formation date on record. Arthur, Bertha and Dolly are the only letters represented in the list of names that did not have a record-early formation date.
For perspective, the average formation date of the Atlantic's 8th named storm is Sept. 24 for the years spanning 1966 to 2009, according to the National Hurricane Center. We are 15 named storms ahead of that pace as of late-September.
Nine Mainland U.S. Landfalls
Nine named storms have made a mainland U.S. landfall this season, and four of those were hurricanes.
The nine mainland U.S. landfalls tie 1916 for the most on record in a season, according to Dr. Phil Klotzbach, a tropical scientist at Colorado State University.
(MORE: Beta Becomes Record-Tying Ninth U.S. Landfall)
Tracks
of the nine U.S. landfalls so far in 2020, and areas that have been in
hurricane (purple) and tropical storm (red) warnings so far.Most September Named Storm Formations on Record
The month of September has had 10 named storm formations through Sept. 21, which is the most on record for the season's busiest month.
September's previous record for the most named storm formations was eight in 2002, 2007 and 2010, according to Klotzbach.
3 Storms Form in Single Day, Tying a Record
Sept. 18, 2020, will be known in history for a frenetic burst of three Atlantic named storm formations in just six hours.
Tropical Storm Wilfred formed in the eastern Atlantic Ocean that morning. That was followed by Subtropical Storm Alpha developing just prior to landfall in Portugal, and then Tropical Storm Beta spinning up in the Gulf of Mexico.
Klotzbach said Aug. 15, 1893, was the only other day in which three storms formed on the same calendar day.
Atlantic Had 5+ Tropical Cyclones at One Time
The Atlantic had five active tropical cyclones for a brief time on Sept. 14, including Paulette, Rene, Sally, Teddy and Tropical Depression Twenty-One. While that's not a record, it's only the second time the Atlantic basin has had five or more tropical cyclones at one time.
Sept. 11-12, 1971, holds the record with six tropical cyclones active at once in the Atlantic, Klotzbach tweeted.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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