Notable November Hurricanes

Hurricane Otto in 2016  (Source: NOAA)

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June through November.  September is the busiest month of the season, after which tropical activity tends to fall precipitously as conditions become less favorable.  That said, there have been several significant November hurricanes worthy of discussion. 

Otto (2016):  Otto attained hurricane status in the Caribbean Sea on November 23 and intensified into a major, Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 115 mph.  Otto made landfall in Nicaragua on November 24 at peak intensity and was the latest landfalling Atlantic hurricane in modern history.  The National Hurricane Center tracked Otto as it crossed Central America into the eastern Pacific Ocean.  Otto was the first tropical system since 1996 to cross Central America and emerge in the Pacific Ocean.  Otto was the 15^th and final named storm of the 2016 season. 

Michelle (2001):  Not only was Michelle the strongest hurricane of the 2001 season, it was also one of the strongest November hurricanes on record in the Atlantic Ocean Basin.  Michelle, on November 3 reached Category 4 intensity with sustained winds of 140 mph.  It became the strongest hurricane to make landfall in Cuba since 1952.  Its minimum air pressure of 933 millibars (mb) was lower than last year’s Category 5 Hurricane Matthew’s lowest pressure of 934 mb.

Lenny (1999):  On November 17, 1999, Lenny made landfall on the island of St. Croix with sustained winds of 155 mph, nearly Category 5 intensity.  Although Lenny’s minimum central air pressure of 933 mb was the same as Michelle’s two years later, Lenny’s peak winds were higher.  Lenny was not only noteworthy for being the strongest November hurricane of the satellite era, but was also significant for its track.  Hurricanes normally track from east to west in the Northern Hemisphere.  However, being a late season storm, Lenny, tracked west to east across the Caribbean Sea.

Kate (1985):  Kate reached peak intensity in the Gulf of Mexico on November 20 with sustained winds of 120 mph and a minimum central air pressure of 953 mb.  Kate weakened slightly to a Category 2 storm before making landfall on the Florida Peninsula on November 21.  It was the fourth hurricane to impact the U.S. Gulf Coast during the 1985 season.  Hurricane Kate was also the latest landfalling hurricane on record in the contiguous United States.