The 2014 Hurricane Season Concludes on a Quiet Note

2014: Tracks of this season's tropical storms and hurricanes

Today is the last day of the hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean.  For the first time in two decades, there have been consecutive seasons with below normal activity.  However, 2014 did produce some distinctive storms.  For example, the first Category 4 hurricane formed in the Atlantic since 2011 and Bermuda had its most damaging hurricane in more than a decade.  To read in more detail about these storms and why the 2014 hurricane season was quieter than average, check out this recent article I wrote for the WUSA 9 website.

http://www.wusa9.com/story/weather/2014/11/21/2014-atlantic-hurricane-season/70018182/

Weather Quiz

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, November 2014

What was the name of the Category 3 hurricane that caused major damage in Cabo San Lucas in September 2014?

 A. Iniki

B.  Marie

C.  Odile

 D. Rita 

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Answer to Weather Quiz question from November 17

False.

No relationship exists between early season snowfall and a snowy winter. While the Veteran’s Day snowstorm in 1987 made that November the snowiest on record the rest of the winter saw below average snowfall.  A similar scenario occurred in 1989 when November and December were both very cold and snowy while the rest of the winter saw virtually no snowfall.

Just yesterday, the Nation’s Capital saw their first snow of the season with a trace reported at National Airport with measureable snowfall north and west of town.  Dulles Airport snow a daily snowfall record of 1.6” of snow yesterday.  It remains to be seen whether that will foreshadow a cold and snowy winter or a relatively snow free winter.  But it's important to remember that a snowy November and December has no direct relationship on the entire winter being snowier than average.

A Wild Hurricane Season in the Pacific

Hurricane Odile, September 14, 2014 (Source: NOAA)

The hurricane season in the Eastern Pacific recently ended on November 15.  It starts and ends a little earlier than the Atlantic hurricane season: running May 15 through November 15 instead of June 1 through November 30.  NOAA’s spring forecast for the Eastern Pacific season called for a “70% chance” of up to 20 named tropical storms, which is above the seasonal norm of 15 named storms.  Scientists cited an expectation for an “El Nino” event to develop, which usually means increased activity in the tropical Eastern Pacific.  An El Nino event is symbolized by above average sea surface temperatures west of Mexico.

As it turned out, the 2014 season in the Eastern Pacific was one of the busiest on record.  It featured 20 named tropical storms of which 15 grew into hurricanes.  Of the 15 hurricanes that developed in 2014, eight intensified into “major” hurricanes which are defined as Category 3 or higher with sustained winds of at least 111 mph.

Two hurricanes stood out this season.  The strongest hurricane to form in the tropical Eastern Pacific this season was Hurricane Marie.  It was a Category 5 – as strong as hurricanes get – with sustained winds of 160 mph at peak intensity.  It was a named storm from August 22 to August 29 but, fortunately, remained offshore and had no direct impacts on any landmasses.  However, it was a different story with Hurricane Odile.

According to the National Hurricane Center, Odile became a hurricane on September 13 and grew into a powerful Category 4 storm.  It weakened slightly to a Category 3 storm – with sustained winds of 125 mph – before it made landfall in Cabo San Lucas on September 14.  Cabo San Lucas is the resort town on the southern tip of Baja, California, where I’m writing this post from.  Damage from Odile was severe here as it was the most intense hurricane to make landfall here in over 45 years.  Fortunately, the town has recovered somewhat from the damage Odile inflicted.

The last storm to form in the Eastern Pacific during the 2014 hurricane season was Hurricane Vance, which dissipated on November 5.  The 2014 season will be remembered as being destructive and deadly with one of the higher number of named storms the Eastern Pacific has ever seen.

A Look Back at Deadly Hurricane Gordon

The erratic track of Gordon in November 1994  (Source: NOAA)

Having written recently about the record setting Hurricane Lenny, I wanted to take this opportunity to write about another record setting November storm.  Similar to this season, 1994 was also a below average hurricane season with only seven named tropical storms, including the infamous Gordon.

Gordon made its first of six landfalls in Nicaragua as a very weak system.  It caused some minor flooding before heading back out into the Western Caribbean Sea.  It next made landfall in Jamaica as a minimal tropical storm before impacting Cuba for its third landfall.  On this date 20 years ago, Gordon reached its peak intensity as a minimal Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph.

Although a relatively weak storm, Gordon caused catastrophic flooding in Haiti that led to a confirmed 1,122 deaths, with an unconfirmed death toll of approximately 2,200.  It next made three landfalls in the state of Florida, where it caused torrential rains, flooding and eight fatalities. 

Gordon also spawned six tornadoes in Florida which, in 1994 dollars, caused $400 million in damages.  Overall, the storm’s official death toll from its multiple landfalls was 1,147, with $514 million in damages.  Gordon finally dissipated on November 21 and is tied with 1996’s Hurricane Marco as the longest lasting November tropical storm on record.

Weather Quiz

Washington, D.C. - December 2009

True or False.

A colder and snowier than average November and December means the entire winter will be colder and snowier than average.

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Answer to question from November 8

D.   This question had no wrong answer. 

All of the choices are ways someone can live more sustainably and reduce their carbon footprint.  Using energy efficient appliances (“Energy Star” certified) – including lightbulbs – and driving fuel efficient vehicles are also ways to achieve this.

Weather Extremes in November

The month of November typically features wide temperature fluctuations across the Mid-Atlantic Region. Temperature swings of 10 degrees above average one day can be followed by days with high temperatures 10 degrees below average all in the same week. Although rare, it has snowed in November in the Washington, D.C. region, while November has also seen temperatures in the mid-70s.

The weather was particularly frigid on November 16, 1995 with a high of only 42 at National Airport and of 40 at Dulles Airport. Lows in the 20s were observed and a trace of snow was recorded.  Then on November 16, 2001, Washingtonians experienced the opposite extreme with record high temperatures set at National of 76 degrees and at Dulles of 74 degrees. Fast forward four years to November 16, 2005, those in the Mid-Atlantic experienced another balmy day with a high of 75 degrees at National Airport.  Today’s average temperatures include highs and lows of 57/40 and 57/34 at National and Dulles Airports respectively.

Such dramatic swings in temperature are common during the month of November and are sometimes by violent weather.  On November 17, 2013, there was a major severe weather outbreak across the Great Lakes Region and Ohio Valley.  Over 80 tornadoes were reported with the highest number in Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky.  This helps demonstrate that while severe weather is more common in the spring, the change in seasons during the fall can also produce widespread severe weather.

Hurricanes in November?

Lenny near peak intensity as a Category 4 (Source: NOAA)

November, like June, is often a very quiet month of the hurricane season. However, that’s not to say a memorable storm doesn’t form every few years. The most favored area for a tropical storm or hurricane to form this late in the season is in the Southwestern Caribbean Sea. The two primary factors that help systems to develop are that the water there remains very warm for most of the year and the wind pattern often remains favorable.

During the active 1999 hurricane season, Lenny became one of the strongest November hurricane on record.  In addition, 1999 saw both Hurricanes Dennis and Floyd make landfall along the U.S. East Coast.   Hurricane Lenny was named a tropical storm on November 13 and became a hurricane on November 15, once maximum sustained winds reached 74 mph. Lenny kept intensifying over the warm water of the Caribbean Sea and nearly became a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph – just under the 156 mph threshold.

Aside from being such a strong storm so late in the season, another characteristic that made Lenny very rare is that it tracked east through the Caribbean Sea. The vast majority of storms in the Atlantic Ocean Basin either track west or north, but forming so late in the season, Lenny headed east causing some damage to the Caribbean islands. Lenny was the last named storm of 1999.  By comparison, the 2014 hurricane season has been much quieter with the last named storm, Tropical Storm Hanna, dissipating on October 28^th.