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A record-setting Atlantic hurricane season comes to an end with 30 named storms, but while the official closing date of November 30 signals the season is over, activity in the Atlantic is ignoring the calendar and continues.
Baseball legend Yogi Berra famously said: “It ain’t over till it’s over.” That’s certainly the case when it comes to the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. November 30 marked the official closing date of the season, but activity in the Atlantic continues.
The latest five-day graphical tropical weather outlook from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami Florida shows a disturbance that has been downgraded from a 40% chance of development over the next 48 hours to 30 percent.
The disturbance is located a couple of hundred miles north-northwest of the Madeira Islands in the Atlantic off northwestern Africa. The NHC said: “Regardless of subtropical development, the system will continue to produce strong winds and locally heavy rains and that Madeira islands through Tuesday.”
The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season was one which saw predictions reassessed and upgraded as the season began early and progressed. The highest number of storms in the final forecast analysis was 25, and the season went way beyond that.
The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season saw the formation of 31 tropical depressions. The season set a record with 30 tropical storms, 13 of which reached hurricane status. Out of the 13 hurricanes, 6 became major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher, Click 2 Houston reports, with winds of at least 111 mph or greater.
This was the fifth consecutive year of an above-normal Atlantic hurricane seasons, tallying 18 above normal seasons occurring out of the past 26, 11 Alive reported. The list of 21 conventional names proved not to be enough, requiring the use of the Greek alphabet for only the second time.
In a word, the 2020 hurricane season left the US walloped. The 2020 hurricane season was also costly: 436 people died and the price tag for damage in the US alone was roughly $41 billion.
Here are highlights of some of the record-setting 12 storms that struck the US in 2020.
Hurricane Cristobal struck Louisiana in early June, leaving 15 dead. Hurricane Hanna struck Texas, leaving 5 dead and $775 million in damages.
Hurricane Isaias hammered the Bahamas and North Carolina in August, leaving the state with damages totaling nearly $5 billion.
In late August, Hurricane Laura struck Texas, killing 77 and costing $14 billion in damage.
In September, Hurricane Sally struck Alabama/Florida. Hurricanes Delta and Zeta impacted Louisiana. Hurricane Eta flooded south Florida after it had decimated Central America, soon to be followed by hurricane Iota that once again ravaged Nicaragua and Honduras.
The other storms that struck the US were Hurricanes: Beta (Texas); Marco (Louisiana); Bertha (South Carolina); Fay (New Jersey).
The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season may be officially over as far as the calendar is concerned, but the threat of severe weather is not over. Portions of the Atlantic coast have already seen severe weather twice this week causing significant damage.
Make sure to keep an emergency kit prepared at all times that has at least a 3 day supply of food and water for each person, including pets, as well as a flashlight, a fully charged cell phone for each person, and backup battery chargers for your cellphones and more.
The best source of information you can research online can be found at the NHC/NOAA preparedness website. You can visit the hurricane preparedness page of the National Hurricane Center and get information on everything you need to know to be ready.
