No Retired Hurricanes for 2019
Due to Covid-19 Pandemic
Due to Covid-19 Pandemic
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| Hurricane Dorian Courtesy: Fox News |
Storm names are retired if they were so deadly or destructive that the future use of the name would be insensitive - otherwise names are reused by NOAA’s National Hurricane Center on a six-year cycle.
Replacement names, to be used in 2025, would have been announced. We will have to wait another year to find out what storms from the 2019 season will be retired.
There are some likely candidates for retirement when the WMO committee meets in 2021. Hurricane Dorian, which made landfall in the Bahamas as a Category 5 hurricane, tops the list of possibilities. It devastated the Bahamas, brought tropical storm conditions to the east coast of Florida, and impacted cruises resulting in one of the largest industry relief responses in its aftermath.
Tropical Storm Imelda never reached hurricane status but nonetheless it left its mark on Texas. This slow moving storm dumped more than 40 inches of rain in East Texas.
Hurricane Lorenzo, another Category 5 storm, will be remembered as the easternmost Category 5 storm on record in the Atlantic.
The 2019 Atlantic hurricane season was the fourth consecutive year of above-average and damaging seasons dating back to 2016. It is tied with 1969 as the fourth-most active Atlantic hurricane season on record in terms of named storms.
Looking Back at 2019
The Atlantic season produced 18 named storms, including six hurricanes of which three were “major” (Category 3, 4 or 5). NOAA’s outlook called for 10-17 named storms, 5-9 hurricanes and 2-4 major hurricanes, and accurately predicted the overall activity of the season.
The only other period on record that produced four consecutive above-normal seasons was 1998-2001. Also this year, five tropical cyclones formed in the Gulf of Mexico, which ties a record with 2003 and 1957 for the most storms to form in that region. Of those, three — Barry, Imelda and Nestor — made landfall in the U.S.
In the chart below, the numbers in parenthesis are the averages, so you can easily see that the 2019 Atlantic Hurricane Season was well above average. Read more (comprehensive coverage)
The Atlantic season produced 18 named storms, including six hurricanes of which three were “major” (Category 3, 4 or 5). NOAA’s outlook called for 10-17 named storms, 5-9 hurricanes and 2-4 major hurricanes, and accurately predicted the overall activity of the season.
The only other period on record that produced four consecutive above-normal seasons was 1998-2001. Also this year, five tropical cyclones formed in the Gulf of Mexico, which ties a record with 2003 and 1957 for the most storms to form in that region. Of those, three — Barry, Imelda and Nestor — made landfall in the U.S.
In the chart below, the numbers in parenthesis are the averages, so you can easily see that the 2019 Atlantic Hurricane Season was well above average. Read more (comprehensive coverage)
Atlantic Basin
| Forecast Parameter and 1950-2000 Climatology (in parentheses) | NOAA 2019 Prediction | 2019 Actual |
| Named Storms (NS) (12.0) | 10 - 17 | 18 |
| Hurricanes (H) (6.5) | 5 - 9 | 6 |
| Major Hurricanes (MH) (2.0) | 2 - 4 | 3 |
| Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) (92.0) | 65-140 | 130 |
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The 2019 Pacific hurricane season was a near average season which produced nineteen named storms, though most were rather weak and short-lived. Only seven hurricanes formed, the fewest since 2010. The season had a rather slow start, with no tropical cyclones forming in the basin during the month of May for the first time since 2016, and the first time that no storms formed before the month of June since 2011.
In the chart below, the numbers in parenthesis are the averages, so you can easily see that the 2019 Pacific Hurricane Season was near normal. Read more (comprehensive coverage)
East Pacific
| Forecast Parameter and 1950-2000 Climatology (in parentheses) | NOAA 2019 Prediction | 2019 Actual |
| Named Storms (NS) (9.6) | 15 - 22 | 19 |
| Hurricanes (H) (5.9) | 8 - 13 | 7 |
| Major Hurricanes (MH) (2.3) | 4 - 8 | 4 |
| Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) (96.1) | 75 - 145 | 97 |
Measuring total seasonal activity: The Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) index
An important measure of the total overall seasonal activity is the NOAA Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) index, which accounts for the intensity and duration of named storms and hurricanes during the season. According to NOAA’s hurricane season classifications, an ACE value above 117% of the 1950-2000 median reflects an above-normal season. An ACE value above 175% of the median reflects an exceptionally active (or hyperactive) season.
Hurricane Season Dates
Hurricane season in the Atlantic begins June 1st and ends November 30th. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season begins May 15th and also ends November 30th.
Download the Tropical Cyclone Preparedness Guide (PDF)
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If you live in, or plan to vacation in, an area where hurricanes are prevalent, please prepare in advance by reading our series.
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