The Epic 2020 and 2005 Atlantic Hurricane Seasons

 

Hurricane Eta, November 2020 (Source: TropicalTidbits.com)

One of 2020’s major weather stories is how busy the Atlantic hurricane season was.  For a sixth consecutive season there was at least one named storm before its official start on June 1.  Two tropical storms, Arthur and Bertha, developed in May 2020.  Although a busier than average season was forecast by NOAA, no one expected it to be as busy as it was.

A total of 30 named storms developed of which 13 became hurricanes, including six major hurricanes.  That’s in contrast to the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season that finished with 28 named storms, 15 hurricanes – with seven major ones.  While this season’s total of 30 named storms set a record, the 15 hurricanes and seven major hurricanes in 2005 remain a record.  A “major” hurricane is a Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale with 111/+ mph sustained winds.

The 2020 season got off to a fast start and ended in mid-November when Hurricane Iota dissipated after making landfall in Central America.  That was consistent with the official end of the hurricane season on November 30.  In contrast, the 2005 season saw two active storms continue after November 30.  Tropical Storm Epsilon developed on November 29 and became a Category 1 hurricane on December 2.  Tropical Storm Zeta didn’t dissipate until early January 2006.

Three major hurricanes (Katrina, Rita and Wilma) developed in August and September 2005, with a total of five through September 30 (including Dennis and Emily in July 2005).  By comparison, the first major hurricane of 2020, Laura, didn’t develop until the second half of August, with only two through the end of September.  Two major hurricanes developed during the month of October in both 2005 and 2020.

A key difference between 2005 and 2020 is what happened during the month of November.  No major hurricanes developed on or after November 1 in 2005.  By comparison, November 2020 was an especially active month in the tropical Atlantic.  Hurricane Eta became a major Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 150 mph last month.  It was the first major hurricane with a name from the Greek Alphabet.  While the 2005 Atlantic season had four Category 5 hurricanes, none developed in 2020 – until Hurricane Iota reached Category 5 intensity on November 16.  That made November 2020 the first on record with two major Atlantic hurricanes.

The 2005 hurricane season was much more damaging for the United States due to catastrophic hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma.  However, the United States had a record number of landfalling tropical systems in 2020.  The key difference is that many of the landfalling storms in 2020 were either weaker than in 2005 or made landfall in less densely populated areas.  The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) will meet this winter to determine which storms from the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season will have their names retired.