The 2020 Hurricane Season: What We've Seen and What's to Come

As Hurricane Sally drops almost 30 inches of rain in four hours over the Florida panhandle with wind gusts if over 92 miles per hour, several other hurricanes are forming over the Atlantic Ocean. This busy hurricane season has already done its share of damage by featuring over 20 tropical cyclones, the same number of tropical storms, and more than a handful of hurricanes. As of the middle of September, there have been over 20 named storms and the season has gained the distinction of being the second most active one on record, only behind the 2005 hurricane season.

What were the first signs of the kind of activity this hurricane season had in store?

Although the official start of the hurricane season is June 1, this year has not wanted to follow the calendar. As early as the middle of May tropical storms Arthur and Bertha had the honor of kicking it off. This is the sixth year in a row where weather formations have been on display even before the official start of the season. Another sign that this season has been quite active is the fact that it has had a named tropical cyclone actually make landfall within the continental Unties States before the start of the month of September. The reason? It might be because of the ongoing weather phenomenon of La Niña which began at the outset of the summer months.

Which were the first storms of the 2020 season and how much damage did they cause?

June

Hurricane Cristobal - 15 deaths, $665 million in damages starting as far south as Guatemala, and moving across Mexico upwards towards the United States.

July

Tropical Storm Fay - 6 deaths and $350 million in damages across Delaware, New Jersey, and parts of coastal New York state.

Hurricane Hanna - $875 million in damages after making landfall as Category 1 in southern Texas.

Hurricane Isaias - $5.225 billion in damages after impacting Florida and making landfall in North Carolina.

August

Hurricane Marco - Minimal impact.

Hurricane Laura - 72 deaths and $10.1 billion in damages after making landfall in Louisiana

September

Hurricane Nana - Impacted Central America.

Tropical Storm Rene - Struck Cabo Verde Islands.

Hurricane Paulette - Made landfall in Bermuda.

What can be expected for the rest of the 2020 hurricane season?

Besides the nine storms that have already been named, NOAA's Climate Prediction Center expects between ten and fifteen additional storms for the remainder of the season which ends in November. This prediction places the current season in a position to become the first one in which 25 storms are named.

What is particularly worrisome about this hurricane season?

Officials across the country are quite concerned about this hurricane season, not only due to the high number of possible storms but mainly because of the COVID-19 pandemic which makes all the evacuations procedures extremely difficult to carry out and coordinate without impacting the health of those requiring shelter. Social distancing would be hard to maintain and the coronavirus may have an easier time spreading.

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