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The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season featured a total of 31 
tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...
or subtropical cyclones, making it the most active
Atlantic hurricane season The Atlantic hurricane season is the period in a year from June through November when tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic Ocean, referred to in North American countries as hurricanes, tropical storms, or tropical depressions. In addition ...
on record. All but one cyclone became a named storm. Of the 30 named storms, 14 developed into hurricanes, and a record-tying seven further intensified into major hurricanes. It was the second and final season to use the
Greek letter The Greek alphabet has been used to write the Greek language since the late 9th or early 8th century BCE. It is derived from the earlier Phoenician alphabet, and was the earliest known alphabetic script to have distinct letters for vowels as ...
storm naming system, the first being
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; " Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discover ...
, the previous record. Of the 30 named storms, 11 of them made landfall in the
contiguous United States The contiguous United States (officially the conterminous United States) consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states and the Federal District of the United States of America. The term excludes the only two non-contiguous states, Alaska and Hawaii ...
, breaking the record of nine set in 1916. During the season, 27 tropical storms established a new record for earliest formation date by storm number. This season also featured a record 10 tropical cyclones that underwent rapid intensification, tying it with
1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...
, as well as holding the record for most
Category 4 hurricanes Category, plural categories, may refer to: Philosophy and general uses *Categorization, categories in cognitive science, information science and generally *Category of being * ''Categories'' (Aristotle) *Category (Kant) *Categories (Peirce) *C ...
in a singular season in the
Atlantic Basin The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
. This unprecedented activity was fueled by a La Niña that developed in the summer months of 2020 as it did, continue a stretch of above-average seasonal activity that began in 2016. Despite the record-high activity, this was the first season since
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...
in which no Category 5 hurricane formed. The season officially started on June 1 and officially ended on November 30. However, tropical cyclogenesis is possible at any time of the year, as demonstrated by the early formation of Tropical Storms Arthur and Bertha, on May 16 and 27, respectively. This was the sixth consecutive year with a pre-season system and the second of these seasons to have two, with the other being 2016. The first hurricane,
Hurricane Hanna The name Hanna or Hannah has been used for eleven tropical cyclones worldwide: five in the Atlantic Ocean and six in the Western Pacific Ocean (four regionally in the Philippines by PAGASA). The latter spelling has also been used for one extratropi ...
, made landfall in
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
on July 25.
Hurricane Isaias Hurricane Isaias () was a destructive Category 1 hurricane that caused extensive damage across the Caribbean and the East Coast of the United States while also spawning a large tropical tornado outbreak that generated the strongest tropical c ...
formed on July 31, and made landfall in
The Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the a ...
and
North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...
in early August, both times as a Category 1 hurricane; Isaias caused $4.8 billion in damage overall. In late August, Laura made landfall in
Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...
as a Category 4 hurricane, becoming the strongest tropical cyclone on record in terms of wind speed to make landfall in the state, alongside the 1856 Last Island hurricane and Ida. Laura caused at least $19 billion in damage and 77 deaths. September was the most active month on record in the Atlantic, with ten named storms. Slow-moving Hurricane Sally impacted the US Gulf Coast, causing severe flooding. The Greek alphabet was used for only the second time, starting on September 17 with Subtropical Storm Alpha, which made landfall in
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...
on the following day. Hurricane Zeta struck Louisiana on October 28, becoming the fourth named storm of the season to make landfall in the state, tying the record set in
2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
. Zeta also struck the United States later in the calendar year than any major hurricane on record. On the last day of October,
Hurricane Eta Hurricane Eta was a deadly and erratic Category 4 hurricane that devastated parts of Central America in early November 2020. The record-tying twenty-eighth named storm, thirteenth hurricane, and sixth major hurricane of the extremely-active 2 ...
formed and made landfall in
Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the coun ...
at Category 4 strength on November 3. Eta ultimately led to the deaths of at least 175 people and caused $8.3 billion in damage. Then, on November 10, Tropical Storm Theta became the record-breaking 29th named storm of the season and, three days later, Hurricane Iota formed in the Caribbean. Iota rapidly intensified into a high-end Category 4 hurricane, which also made 2020 the only recorded season with two major hurricanes in November. Iota ultimately made landfall in the same general area of Nicaragua that Eta had just weeks earlier and caused catastrophic damage. Overall, the tropical cyclones of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season collectively caused at least 417 deaths and over $51 billion in damage, totaling to the seventh costliest season on record. All forecasting agencies predicted above-average activity, some well-above-average, citing factors such as the expectation of low wind shear, abnormally warm
sea surface temperature Sea surface temperature (SST), or ocean surface temperature, is the ocean temperature close to the surface. The exact meaning of ''surface'' varies according to the measurement method used, but it is between and below the sea surface. Air mas ...
s, and a neutral El Niño–Southern Oscillation or La Niña.
Climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...
likely played a role in the record-breaking season, with respect to intensity and rainfall. However, each prediction, even those issued during the season, underestimated the actual amount of activity. Early in 2020, officials in the United States expressed concerns the hurricane season could exacerbate the effects of the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
for coastal residents due to the potential for a breakdown of safety protocols such as social distancing and stay-at-home orders. __TOC__


Seasonal forecasts

Forecasts of hurricane activity are issued before each hurricane season by noted hurricane experts, such as Philip J. Klotzbach and his associates at
Colorado State University Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University System. Colorado S ...
(CSU), and separately by
NOAA The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditio ...
forecasters. Klotzbach's team (formerly led by William M. Gray) defined the average (1981 to 2010) hurricane season as featuring 12.1 tropical storms, 6.4 hurricanes, 2.7 major hurricanes (storms reaching at least Category 3 strength in the Saffir–Simpson scale), and an
accumulated cyclone energy Accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) is a metric used by various agencies to express the energy released by a tropical cyclone during its lifetime. It is calculating by summing the square of a tropical cyclone's maximum sustained winds, measured ever ...
(ACE) index of 106 units. Broadly speaking, ACE is a measure of the power of a tropical or subtropical storm multiplied by the length of time it existed. It is only calculated for full advisories on specific tropical and subtropical systems reaching or exceeding wind speeds of . NOAA defines a season as above normal, near normal or below normal by a combination of the number of named storms, the number reaching hurricane strength, the number reaching major hurricane strength, and the ACE Index.


Pre-season forecasts

On December 19, 2019, Tropical Storm Risk (TSR), a public
consortium A consortium (plural: consortia) is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations or governments (or any combination of these entities) with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources ...
consisting of experts on insurance, risk management, and seasonal climate forecasting at
University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...
, issued an extended-range forecast predicting a slightly above-average hurricane season. In its report, the organization called for 15 named storms, 7 hurricanes, 4 major hurricanes, and an ACE index of 105 units. This forecast was based on the prediction of near-average trade winds and slightly warmer than normal
sea surface temperature Sea surface temperature (SST), or ocean surface temperature, is the ocean temperature close to the surface. The exact meaning of ''surface'' varies according to the measurement method used, but it is between and below the sea surface. Air mas ...
s across the tropical Atlantic as well as a neutral El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phase in the equatorial Pacific. On April 2, 2020, forecasters at CSU echoed predictions of an above-average season, forecasting 16 named storms, 8 hurricanes, 4 major hurricanes, and an ACE index of 150 units. The organization posted significantly heightened probabilities for hurricanes tracking through the Caribbean and hurricanes striking the U.S. coastline. TSR updated their forecast on April 7, predicting 16 named storms, 8 hurricanes, 3 major hurricanes, and an ACE index of 130 units. On April 13, the
University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first ...
(UA) predicted a potentially hyperactive hurricane season: 19 named storms, 10 hurricanes, 5 major hurricanes, and accumulated cyclone energy index of 163 units. A similar prediction of 18 named storms, 9 hurricanes, and 4 major hurricanes was released by The Weather Company on April 15. Following that,
North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The univers ...
released a similar forecast on April 17, also calling for a possibly hyperactive season with 18–22 named storms, 8–11 hurricanes and 3–5 major hurricanes. On April 21, the
Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State becam ...
Earth Science System Center also predicted high numbers, 19.8 +/- 4.4 total named storms, range 15–24, best estimate 20. On May 20, Mexico's Servicio Meteorológico Nacional released their forecast for an above-average season with 15–19 named storms, 7–9 hurricanes, and 3–4 major hurricanes. The UK
Met Office The Meteorological Office, abbreviated as the Met Office, is the United Kingdom's national weather service. It is an executive agency and trading fund of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and is led by CEO Penelop ...
released their outlook that same day, predicting average activity with 13 tropical storms, 7 hurricanes, and 3 major hurricanes expected to develop between June and November 2020. They also predicted an ACE index of around 110 units. NOAA issued their forecast on May 21, calling for a 60% chance of an above-normal season with 13–19 named storms, 6–10 hurricanes, 3–6 major hurricanes, and an ACE index between 110% and 190% of the median. They cited the ongoing warm phase of the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation and the expectation of continued ENSO-neutral or even La Niña conditions during the peak of the season as factors that would increase activity. TSR revised their forecast downward slightly on May 28, this time predicting 17 named storms, 8 hurricanes, and 3 major hurricanes, while increasing the projected ACE index to 135.


Mid-season forecasts

CSU released an updated forecast on June 4, calling for 19 named storms, 9 hurricanes, and 4 major hurricanes. UA issued their second prediction for the season on June 12, decreasing their numbers to 17 named storms, 11 hurricanes, and 4 major hurricanes. On July 7, CSU released another updated forecast, predicting 20 named storms, 9 hurricanes, and 4 major hurricanes. That same day, TSR revised their forecast to 18 named storms, 8 hurricanes, and 4 major hurricanes. On July 16, The Weather Company released an updated forecast, calling for 20 named storms, 8 hurricanes, and 4 major hurricanes. On August 5, CSU released an additional updated forecast, their final for 2020, calling for a near-record-breaking season, predicting a total of 24 named storms, 12 hurricanes, and 5 major hurricanes, citing the anomalously low wind shear and surface pressures across the basin during the month of July and substantially warmer than average tropical Atlantic and developing La Niña conditions. On August 5, TSR released an updated forecast, their final for 2020, also calling for a near-record-breaking season, predicting a total of 24 named storms, 10 hurricanes, and 4 major hurricanes, citing the favorable July trade winds, low wind shear, warmer than average tropical Atlantic, and the anticipated La Niña. The following day, NOAA released their second forecast for the season, in which they called for an "extremely active" season, predicting it would contain 19–25 named storms, 7–11 hurricanes, and 3–6 major hurricanes. This was one of the most active forecasts ever released by NOAA for an Atlantic hurricane season.


Seasonal summary

The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1 and ended on November 30. The season featured 31 tropical depressions, 30 of which became tropical or subtropical storms. The latter total surpassed the previous record of 28 set in
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; " Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discover ...
. Of the 30 tropical or subtropical storms, 14 of those intensified into hurricanes, which is the second highest number ever observed, behind only 2005. Seven of the hurricanes intensified into major hurricanes, tying 2005 for the most in one season. It was the fifth consecutive Atlantic hurricane season with above average activity, exceeding the previous longest streak of four years between 1998 and
2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanist ...
. A total of 10 tropical cyclones underwent rapid intensification, tying the record set in
1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...
. The season also featured activity at a record pace. The third named storm and each one from the fifth onwards formed on an earlier date in the year than the corresponding storm in any other season since reliable records began in 1851. The ACE index for the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season as calculated by Colorado State University using data from the National Hurricane Center was 179.8 units, reflecting the season's well-above-average activity. The totals represent the sum of the squares for every (sub) tropical storm's intensity of at least 39 mph (63 km/h), divided by 10,000. Thus, tropical depressions are not included in the ACE index value. The season marked the extension of the warm phase of the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation, which has been ongoing since 1995. The warm AMO favors active Atlantic hurricane seasons and tropical cyclones which are more intense and often have longer durations. As a result, sea surface temperatures across the Atlantic basin were generally warmer-than-average. A strong west African monsoon, favorable wind patterns from Africa, weaker vertical wind shear all aided in the formation of tropical cyclones. Furthermore, the presence of a La Niña contributed to the unprecedented amount of activity during the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season.
Climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...
also likely played a role in the record-breaking season. ''
Scientific American ''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many famous scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it. In print since 1845, it ...
'' noted that "As the oceans absorb more and more of the excess heat trapped by
greenhouse gas A greenhouse gas (GHG or GhG) is a gas that absorbs and emits radiant energy within the thermal infrared range, causing the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere are water vapor (), carbon dioxide (), methane ...
es, waters will get warmer earlier in the season, which could help set new records in the future." A formal attribution study showed that the extreme rainfall was higher than in a counterfactual without climate change, especially for high-intensity storms. Matthew Rosencrans, the lead forecaster at the
National Weather Service The National Weather Service (NWS) is an agency of the United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weather-related products to organizations and the public for the ...
, emphasized that climate change has been linked to the intensity of storms and their slow movements, but not to the amount of activity, which might instead be increasing due to improvements in technology. Overall, the Atlantic tropical cyclones of 2020 collectively resulted in 416 deaths and more than $51.114 billion in damage, making the season the fifth costliest on record. A total of eleven named storms made landfall in the United States, breaking the previous record of nine in 1916. Six of these named storms struck the United States at hurricane intensity, tying 1886 and 1985 for the highest number in a single season. Eight of the eleven named storms struck the Gulf Coast of the United States. A total of 13 landfalls occurred outside of the United States, also a record. Furthermore, Zeta became the latest major hurricane to strike the United States when the cyclone made landfall in Louisiana on October 28, surpassing the previous recordholder, the
1921 Tampa Bay hurricane The Tampa Bay hurricane of 1921 (also known as the 1921 Tarpon Springs hurricane) was the most recent hurricane to make landfall in the Tampa Bay area and held the record as the major storm that stuck the continental United States latest in the c ...
, by three days. The United States reported approximately $37 billion in damage from the Atlantic tropical cyclones it was affected by in 2020. Six hurricanes inflicted at least $1 billion in damage in the United States, two more than the previous record of four in
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...
and 2005. The entire coastline from
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
to
Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and nor ...
was placed under some form of a watch or warning in relation to a tropical system, while only Florida's Jefferson and Wakulla counties would not be issued a tropical cyclone watch or warning during the season. Only five counties along the East Coast or Gulf Coast of the United States did not experience tropical storm-force winds. Louisiana in particular was heavily impacted in 2020, with the state recording four landfalls – three hurricanes and one tropical storm – tying the record set in
2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
. Central America also experienced devastating impacts during the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, especially in
Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...
and
Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the coun ...
. Both nations were struck by hurricanes
Eta Eta (uppercase , lowercase ; grc, ἦτα ''ē̂ta'' or ell, ήτα ''ita'' ) is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the close front unrounded vowel . Originally denoting the voiceless glottal fricative in most dialects, ...
and
Iota Iota (; uppercase: Ι, lowercase: ι; ) is the ninth letter of the Greek alphabet. It was derived from the Phoenician letter Yodh. Letters that arose from this letter include the Latin I and J, the Cyrillic І (І, і), Yi (Ї, ї), and ...
within a few weeks. The former caused at least $6.8 billion in damage in Central America, while the latter caused approximately $1.4 billion in damage in the region, mostly in Honduras and Nicaragua. Eta demolished or damaged more than 6,900 homes and 560 mi (900 km) of bridges and roadways in Nicaragua, though the destruction wrought by the storm would later limit wind damage caused by Iota. In Honduras, both cyclones destroyed tens of thousands of homes and severely impacted more than 4 million people. Furthermore, the Honduras Foreign Debt Forum noted that the two hurricanes set back economic development in Honduras by 22 years. The season also occurred during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. Early in the year, officials in the United States expressed concerns the hurricane season could potentially exacerbate the effects of the pandemic for U.S. coastal residents. As expressed in an
op-ed An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page", is a written prose piece, typically published by a North-American newspaper or magazine, which expresses the opinion of an author usually not affiliated with the publication's editorial board. ...
of the ''
Journal of the American Medical Association ''The Journal of the American Medical Association'' (''JAMA'') is a peer-reviewed medical journal published 48 times a year by the American Medical Association. It publishes original research, reviews, and editorials covering all aspects of b ...
'', "there exists an inherent incompatibility between strategies for population protection from hurricane hazards: evacuation and sheltering (i.e., transporting and gathering people together in groups)", and "effective approaches to slow the spread of COVID-19: physical distancing and stay-at-home orders (i.e., separating and keeping people apart)." A study published by ''GeoHealth'' in December 2020 confirmed a correlation between destination counties (a county in which an evacuee flees to) and an increase in COVID-19 cases.


Pre/early season activity

Tropical cyclogenesis began in the month of May, with tropical storms Arthur and Bertha. This marked the first occurrence of two pre-season tropical storms in the Atlantic since 2016, and the first occurrence of two named storms in the month of May since
2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
. For the sixth consecutive year, a tropical cyclone developed in the Atlantic basin prior to the official start of the
Atlantic hurricane An Atlantic hurricane, also known as tropical storm or simply hurricane, is a tropical cyclone that forms in the Atlantic Ocean, primarily between the months of June and November. A hurricane differs from a cyclone or typhoon only on the basis of ...
season, extending the record, which was broken during the previous season. Tropical Storm Cristobal formed on June 1, followed by Tropical Storm Dolly on June 23. Tropical storms Edouard,
Fay A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, ...
, and Gonzalo, along with hurricanes Hanna and
Isaias Isaiah ( or ; he, , ''Yəšaʿyāhū'', "God is Salvation"), also known as Isaias, was the 8th-century BC Israelite prophet after whom the Book of Isaiah is named. Within the text of the Book of Isaiah, Isaiah himself is referred to as "the ...
, formed in July. Hanna became the first hurricane of the season and made landfall in South Texas, while Isaias became the second hurricane of the season and struck much of the Caribbean and the East Coast of the United States. Tropical Depression Ten also formed in late July off the coast of West Africa but quickly dissipated. July 2020 tied 2005 for the most active July on record in the basin, with five named storms.


Peak season activity

Tropical storms Josephine and Kyle formed in August, as did hurricanes Laura and
Marco Marco may refer to: People * Marco (given name), people with the given name Marco * Marco (actor) (born 1977), South Korean model and actor * Georg Marco (1863–1923), Romanian chess player of German origin * Tomás Marco (born 1942), Spanish co ...
. Marco ultimately became the third hurricane of the season, but rapidly weakened and then dissipated near the south central
Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...
coastline. Laura subsequently became the fourth hurricane and first major hurricane of the season. The hurricane later made landfall in southwest Louisiana on August 27 at Category 4 strength with winds. Additionally, a tropical depression formed on the final day of the month which intensified into Tropical Storm Omar on September 1. September featured the formations of nine named storms: tropical storms Rene, Vicky, Wilfred, and Beta; Subtropical Storm Alpha; and hurricanes Nana (which rapidly formed and was named a few hours ahead of Omar), Paulette, Sally, and Teddy. This swarm of storms coincided with the peak of the hurricane season and the development of La Niña conditions. Nana developed on September 1 and made landfall in Belize as a Category 1 hurricane. Paulette struck Bermuda as a Category 2 hurricane, becoming the first tropical or subtropical cyclone to make landfall on that
British overseas territory The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remnants of the former Br ...
since Gonzalo in 2014. Sally made landfall in Florida just south of
Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
as a tropical depression before also striking the
Gulf Coast of the United States The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Texas, Louisiana, Missi ...
as a slow-moving Category 2 hurricane and causing extensive damage there. Teddy, the season's eighth hurricane and second major hurricane formed on September 12, while Vicky formed two days later. With the formation of the latter, five tropical cyclones were simultaneously active in the Atlantic basin for the first time since
1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses ( February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events J ...
. Meanwhile, Hurricane Teddy went on to strike Atlantic Canada after transitioning into an extremely large
extratropical cyclone Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable ...
on September 23. Additionally, Paulette redeveloped as a tropical storm on September 20 before once again becoming post-tropical two days later. Alpha developed atypically far east in the Atlantic and became the first tropical cyclone on record to strike Portugal. Beta's intensification into a tropical storm made September 2020 the most active month on record, with 10 named storms. Beta went on to make landfall in Texas and impact the
Deep South The Deep South or the Lower South is a cultural and geographic subregion in the Southern United States. The term was first used to describe the states most dependent on plantations and slavery prior to the American Civil War. Following the wa ...
before dissipating, marking an abrupt end to the heavy peak season activity.


Late season activity

October and November were extremely active, with seven named storms developing, five of which intensified into major hurricanesmore than twice the number recorded during this period in any previous season.
Hurricane Gamma Hurricane Gamma was a Category 1 hurricane that brought heavy rains, flooding, and landslides to the Yucatán Peninsula in early October 2020. The twenty-fifth depression, twenty-fourth named storm and ninth hurricane of the extremely active 202 ...
formed on October 2, before strengthening into the ninth hurricane of the season on October 3. Shortly afterward, Gamma made landfall on the
Yucatán Peninsula The Yucatán Peninsula (, also , ; es, Península de Yucatán ) is a large peninsula in southeastern Mexico and adjacent portions of Belize and Guatemala. The peninsula extends towards the northeast, separating the Gulf of Mexico to the north ...
as a minimal Category 1 hurricane. On the next day,
Hurricane Delta Hurricane Delta was the record-tying fourth named storm of 2020 to make landfall in Louisiana, as well as the record-breaking tenth named storm to strike the United States in that year. The twenty-sixth tropical cyclone, twenty-fifth nam ...
developed in the Caribbean south of
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...
and became the 10th hurricane of the season. Delta explosively intensified into a Category 4 hurricane, before rapidly weakening and making landfall on the Yucatán Peninsula on October 7, as a high-end Category 2 hurricane. It regained Category 3 status in the Gulf of Mexico, before weakening again and making its second landfall in Louisiana on October 9. After 14 more days of inactivity in the basin, Tropical Storm Epsilon formed in mid-October and became the season's 11th hurricane on October 20. By the following day, Epsilon became a Category 3 hurricane, making it the fourth major hurricane of the season. Afterward, the storm weakened as it slowly moved northward and then northeastward, before becoming extratropical on October 26. During the same month, Hurricane Zeta formed southwest of the
Cayman Islands The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territory—the largest by population in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located to the ...
and took a nearly identical track to Delta, striking the Yucatán Peninsula late on October 26, before turning northeastward, accelerating, and making landfall in southeast Louisiana as a Category 3 hurricane, on October 28. Then, after moving rapidly across the eastern United States, its extratropical remnants left behind accumulating snow across parts of
New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
.
Hurricane Eta Hurricane Eta was a deadly and erratic Category 4 hurricane that devastated parts of Central America in early November 2020. The record-tying twenty-eighth named storm, thirteenth hurricane, and sixth major hurricane of the extremely-active 2 ...
, the season's sixth major hurricane, made landfall as a Category 4 storm along the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua on November 3. Eta subsequently moved back into the Caribbean and restrengthened into a tropical storm before taking a winding and erratic path that went over
Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...
and through the
Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and e ...
before stalling in the southern Gulf of Mexico. It then moved north-northeast towards the west coast of Florida, briefly restrengthening into a minimal hurricane along the way. On November 10, Subtropical Storm Theta formed from a non-tropical low over the northeastern Atlantic, before transitioning to a tropical storm later that day. Just after Eta became extratropical off the
U.S. East Coast The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Eastern United States meets the North Atlantic Ocean. The eastern seaboard contains the coa ...
, Hurricane Iota formed over the central Caribbean on November 13, tying 2005 for the most tropical and subtropical cyclones in one year. Iota rapidly intensified into a high-end Category 4 hurricane, becoming the strongest storm of the season, peaking with
maximum sustained wind The maximum sustained wind associated with a tropical cyclone is a common indicator of the intensity of the storm. Within a mature tropical cyclone, it is found within the eyewall at a distance defined as the radius of maximum wind, or RMW. U ...
s of 155 mph (250 km/h) and a minimum
barometric pressure Atmospheric pressure, also known as barometric pressure (after the barometer), is the pressure within the atmosphere of Earth. The standard atmosphere (symbol: atm) is a unit of pressure defined as , which is equivalent to 1013.25 millibars, 7 ...
of . The 2020 season became the first with two major hurricanes in the month of November. Iota then went on to ravage the same areas in Central America that Eta had devastated only two weeks earlier, and dissipated on November 18, over
El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south ...
.


Systems


Tropical Storm Arthur

The NHC issued a Special Tropical Weather Outlook on May 15 concerning the potential for tropical or subtropical cyclogenesis from a trough of low pressure located over the Straits of Florida. Tropical Depression One formed from this low around 18:00 UTC on May 16, about east of Melbourne, Florida. Six hours later, an Air Force reconnaissance aircraft found that it had attained tropical storm strength. Tropical Storm Arthur weaved along the Gulf Stream and changed little in intensity as it encountered increasing wind shear. At 06:00 UTC on May 19, while located about east-northeast of
Cape Hatteras, North Carolina Cape Hatteras is a cape located at a pronounced bend in Hatteras Island, one of the barrier islands of North Carolina. Long stretches of beach, sand dunes, marshes, and maritime forests create a unique environment where wind and waves shap ...
, the storm reached its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of and a minimum barometric pressure of 990 mbar (29.23 inHg). Shortly thereafter, Arthur interacted with a non-tropical front and became an extratropical cyclone by 12:00 UTC on May 20. The low turned southeast before dissipating near Bermuda a day later. The precursor of Arthur dropped heavy rainfall over portions of the Bahamas, Cuba, and Florida. Precipitation in South Florida peaked at near
Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...
. Overall, stormy conditions in the state caused $112,000 in damage. After Arthur became a tropical cyclone, tropical storm watches were issued in North Carolina from Surf City to
Duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form ...
and from Pamlico Sound to Albemarle Sound on May 16; these were upgraded the following to tropical storm warnings as Arthur approached the Outer Banks. When Arthur passed by to the east, it produced an area where of rainfall fell across the Inner Banks region of North Carolina. It also created minor
storm surge A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the ...
from Cape Hatteras to the southeastern
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...
coast.


Tropical Storm Bertha

On May 26, a weak low-pressure area developed over central and northeastern Florida. By 06:00 UTC the next day, the system, then near the
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
and
South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...
coasts, developed a well-defined center and sufficient deep
convection Convection is single or multiphase fluid flow that occurs spontaneously due to the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoyancy). When the cause of the c ...
to be considered a tropical cyclone. After formation, Tropical Storm Bertha strengthened slightly and attained its peak intensity a few hours later, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 km/h) and a central pressure of 1,005 mbar (29.68 inHg) while located about east-southeast of
Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
. At 13:30 UTC that same day, the storm made landfall near
Isle of Palms, South Carolina Isle of Palms is a city in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States. At the 2010 census, the population was 4,133. Isle of Palms is a barrier island on the South Carolina coast. The city is included within the Charleston-North Charleston ...
. Inland, the system turned north and accelerated, before quickly weakening to a tropical depression. During the early hours of May 28, it transitioned into an extratropical cyclone over western Virginia, before dissipating over the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia several hours later. In Florida, the precursor of Bertha brought up to of rainfall and localized flooding to the Miami area. However, floodwaters entered some buildings in Hialeah and
Miami Beach Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter of which ...
, while roof collapses were reported in
Hallandale Beach Hallandale Beach (formerly known simply as Hallandale) is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is named after Luther Halland, the son of a Swedish worker for Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railroad. As of the ...
and
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...
. The storm also spawned an EF1 tornado in the vicinity of Redland, causing minor damage, although it was directly associated with the storm. Damage in Florida totaled approximately $71,000. There was localized flash flooding in coastal South Carolina and in parts of North Carolina, especially the Charlotte area. An EF1 tornado in Warren County caused about $50,000 in damage, although this was also not directly related to Bertha. Additionally, the remnants of Bertha caused flash flooding in portions of
West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the ...
. Overall, Bertha left at least $133,000 in damage.


Tropical Storm Cristobal

A large area of disturbed weather, associated with the remnant low of
Eastern Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...
Tropical Storm Amanda, moved northwestward across the
Yucatán Peninsula The Yucatán Peninsula (, also , ; es, Península de Yucatán ) is a large peninsula in southeastern Mexico and adjacent portions of Belize and Guatemala. The peninsula extends towards the northeast, separating the Gulf of Mexico to the north ...
of Mexico and emerged over the
Bay of Campeche The Bay of Campeche ( es, Bahía de Campeche), or Campeche Sound, is a bight in the southern area of the Gulf of Mexico, forming the north side of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. It is surrounded on three sides by the Mexican states of Campeche, ...
on June 1. Later that day, at 18:00 UTC, the remnant low developed into Tropical Depression Three. By 12:00 UTC on June 2, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Cristobal. Throughout the remainder of the day, Cristobal's wind field became more symmetrical and well defined and it gradually strengthened, with falling barometric pressure as the storm meandered towards the Mexican coastline. Cristobal made landfall as a strong tropical storm just west of
Ciudad del Carmen Ciudad del Carmen is a city in the southwest of the Mexican state of Campeche. Ciudad del Carmen is located at on the southwest of Carmen Island, which stands in the Laguna de Términos on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. , Ciudad del Carmen ...
at 13:35 UTC on June 3 at its peak intensity of . As Cristobal drifted inland, it weakened to a tropical depression as the overall structure of the storm deteriorated. The storm turned northward on June 5 and by 06:00 UTC that day, despite being situated inland over the Yucatán Peninsula, Cristobal re-intensified into a tropical storm. As Cristobal moved farther north into the Gulf of Mexico, it again reached winds of before dry air and interaction with an upper-level trough to the east began to displace most of the central convection to the east and north of the center. Late on June 7, Cristobal made landfall over southeastern Louisiana. The system weakened to a tropical depression on the next day, as it moved inland over the state. The storm continued northward along the Mississippi River Valley, before becoming an extratropical low early on June 10 over Iowa. The low moved northeastward across
Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
, the
Upper Peninsula of Michigan The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by ...
,
Northern Ontario Northern Ontario is a primary geographic and quasi-administrative region of the Canadian province of Ontario, the other primary region being Southern Ontario. Most of the core geographic region is located on part of the Superior Geological Pro ...
, and the southern
Hudson Bay Hudson Bay ( crj, text=ᐐᓂᐯᒄ, translit=Wînipekw; crl, text=ᐐᓂᐹᒄ, translit=Wînipâkw; iu, text=ᑲᖏᖅᓱᐊᓗᒃ ᐃᓗᐊ, translit=Kangiqsualuk ilua or iu, text=ᑕᓯᐅᔭᕐᔪᐊᖅ, translit=Tasiujarjuaq; french: b ...
, before dissipating on June 12. On June 1, the government of Mexico issued a tropical storm warning from
Campeche Campeche (; yua, Kaampech ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Campeche ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Campeche), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Located in southeast Mexico, it is bordered by ...
westward to Puerto de Veracruz. Residents at risk were evacuated. Nine thousand Mexican National Guard members were summoned to aid in preparations and repairs. Significant rain fell across much of Southern Mexico and Central America. Over two-hundred homes and three hospitals in Mexico experienced some degree of damage. Wave heights up to high closed ports for several days. In El Salvador, a mudslide caused seven people to go missing. Up to of rain fell in the Yucatán Peninsula, flooding sections of a highway. Street flooding occurred as far away as Nicaragua. Tropical storm watches and warnings were also issued along the
Gulf Coast of the United States The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Texas, Louisiana, Missi ...
beginning on June 5. Coastal flooding occurred in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Cristobal inflicted damage to 30 businesses, 23 homes, 23 roads, and 13 public buildings in Mississippi. Damage in the United States was estimated at $310 million. The storm caused an estimated $665 million in damage throughout all impacted areas. At least six deaths were connected to Cristobal, with three in Mexico and three in the United States.


Tropical Storm Dolly

Around June 17, an area of disturbed weather developed just north of the Bahamas after part of a tropical wave and an upper-level trough interacted. The disturbance moved north and organized into a low-pressure area early on June 22. Shortly thereafter, the low became a subtropical depression about east-southeast of
Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...
,
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
. Mid-level dry air and sea surface temperatures that were only marginally favorable resulted in very little strengthening on June 22. However, after moving east-northeastward and away from an upper low, the cyclone developed more deep
convection Convection is single or multiphase fluid flow that occurs spontaneously due to the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoyancy). When the cause of the c ...
and intensified into Subtropical Storm Dolly by 06:00 UTC on June 23. About six hours later, Dolly transitioned into a tropical cyclone and peaked with sustained winds of 45 mph (75 km/h) and a minimum pressure of . However, convection rapidly diminished after Dolly moved north of the
Gulf Stream The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension the North Atlantic Drift, is a warm and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida and up the eastern coastline of the Unit ...
and encountered drier air. Early on June 24, Dolly degenerated into a remnant low about south of Sable Island. The remnant low continued northeastward and dissipated south of Newfoundland early the next day.


Tropical Storm Edouard

A weak frontal system moved offshore from the Mid-Atlantic in early July, and an
area of low pressure In meteorology, a low-pressure area, low area or low is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of surrounding locations. Low-pressure areas are commonly associated with inclement weather (such as cloudy, windy, with possible ...
formed over its southern portion well to the east of the northeast
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...
coast on July 3. This system soon organized as its convection gradually increased and by 12:00 UTC on July 4, the system organized into Tropical Depression Five while centered about west-southwest of
Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , es ...
. The system initially moved east-northeastward and then northeastward on the north side of a large mid-level ridge. Westerly vertical wind shear and dry air in the northwestern portion of the depression caused it to change little in strength or organization as the storm accelerated and passed about 70 mi (110 km) northwest of Bermuda around 08:00 UTC on July 5. Despite the marginal conditions for development, a large convective burst formed over the center, allowing it to strengthen into Tropical Storm Edouard at 00:00 UTC on July 6. Edouard further intensified later that day, attaining maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 1005 mbar (29.68 inHg) around 18:00 UTC. By then, however, it was entering region of strong southwesterly vertical wind shear and colder water, and was approaching a frontal system. Edouard became extratropical just six hours later as its circulation merged with the frontal system about east-southeast of Cape Race,
Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
, at 00:00 UTC on July 7. The extratropical low began to slowly weaken on July 8, turning eastward and continuing to move rapidly within the strong mid-latitude westerlies. It crossed southern Ireland and the southern United Kingdom on July 9 and dissipated over the latter country that day. The
Bermuda Weather Service The Bermuda Weather Service is Bermuda's national meteorological service. It provides public, marine, tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern ...
issued a gale warning for the entirety of the island chain in advance of the system on July 4. Unsettled weather later ensued, and the depression caused tropical storm-force wind gusts and moderate rainfall on the island early on July 5. Impacts were relatively minor. Edouard's extratropical remnants brought brief, but heavy, rain to the British Isles, the Netherlands, Germany, southern Denmark and north-west Poland.


Tropical Storm Fay

The NHC began to track an area of disorganized cloudiness and showers over the far northern
Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...
early on July 5. This area was associated with the remaining section of the surface trough from which Edouard had recently formed. The disturbance moved inland over the
Florida Panhandle The Florida Panhandle (also West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida; it is a salient roughly long and wide, lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia on the north, and the ...
by 06:00 UTC the next day. It subsequently emerged off of the South Carolina coast into the Atlantic on July 8. Once offshore, the low moved northeastward, and around 18:00 UTC on July 9, the center re-formed and became better defined near an area of strong convection. At about the same, an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft observed that the system, then near Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, was producing sustained tropical-storm-force winds. The low was then designated as Tropical Storm Fay. After formation, the storm moved northward to the east of the Mid-Atlantic states. At 18:00 UTC on July 10, it reached its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of and a minimum pressure of 998 mbar (29. 47 inHg). Two hours later, Fay made landfall near
Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.
, with winds of . It quickly lost intensity inland, degenerating into a remnant low while over southeastern
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
and later being absorbed into a larger mid-latitude low over southeastern Canada. Fay's precursor brought flooding to parts of the Southeastern United States, especially South Carolina, which recorded up to of precipitation near Saint Helena Island. Tropical storm warnings were issued for coastal areas of New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island on July 9. A similar warning was issued for coastal Delaware on July 10. New Jersey experienced some of the worst impacts from the storm. Heavy rainfall caused flooding in several
Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore (known by locals simply as the Shore) is the coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Geographically, the term encompasses about of oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy in the north to Cape May P ...
towns and resulted in closures along many roadways, including the
New Jersey Turnpike The New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) is a system of controlled-access highways in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The turnpike is maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA).The Garden State Parkway, although maintained by NJTA, is not cons ...
. Wind gusts up to left at least 10,000 people in the state without electricity. Fay directly caused the deaths of two people, who drowned due to rip currents; four others drowned due to the residual high surf conditions after Fay had passed by. Overall, damage from the storm in the Northeastern United States totaled at least $350 million, based on wind and storm surge damage on residential, commercial, and industrial properties.


Tropical Storm Gonzalo

A dry, thermal low-pressure area merged with a
tropical wave A tropical wave (also called easterly wave, tropical easterly wave, and African easterly wave), in and around the Atlantic Ocean, is a type of atmospheric trough, an elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which ...
just offshore the west coast of Africa on July 15. Scatterometer data early on July 21 indicated that a small, but well-defined low-pressure area formed well east of the
Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles ( es, link=no, Antillas Menores; french: link=no, Petites Antilles; pap, Antias Menor; nl, Kleine Antillen) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Most of them are part of a long, partially volcanic island arc be ...
. After a steady increase in deep convection, the low developed into a tropical depression around 18:00 UTC about east of the Windward Islands. Light wind shear and sea surface temperatures of allowed the depression to intensify into Tropical Storm Gonzalo around 06:00 UTC on July 22. Gonzalo moved generally westward due to the Bermuda-Azores high-pressure. The storm continued to strengthen throughout the day, with an eyewall under a
central dense overcast The central dense overcast, or CDO, of a tropical cyclone or strong subtropical cyclone is the large central area of thunderstorms surrounding its circulation center, caused by the formation of its eyewall. It can be round, angular, oval, or irr ...
and hints of a developing eye becoming evident. Gonzalo soon reached peak intensity, however, with sustained winds of 65 mph (100 km/h) and a minimum pressure of at 06:00 UTC on July 23, as very dry air from Saharan Air Layer to its north significantly disrupted the central dense overcast. Although convection quickly redeveloped, the storm then encountered high wind shear, causing the cyclone to weaken. It weakened to a tropical depression before landfall on
Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
just north of Manzanilla Beach. Likely due to land interaction, Gonzalo weakened further and degenerated into an open trough near
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
's Paria Peninsula by 00:00 UTC on July 26. Although the system moved westward across the Cabo Verde Islands, little rainfall was recorded as the disturbance had a limited amount of convection then. On July 23, hurricane watches were issued for Barbados and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and a tropical storm watch was issued later that day for Grenada and Tobago. After Gonzalo failed to strengthen into a hurricane on July 24, the hurricane and tropical storm watches were replaced with tropical storm warnings. The storm brought squally weather to Trinidad and Tobago and parts of southern Grenada. However, the storm's impact ended up being significantly smaller than originally anticipated. Only two reports of wind damage were received: a fallen tree on a health facility in Les Coteaux and a damaged bus stop roof in Argyle.


Hurricane Hanna

On July 11, a tropical wave exited the west coast of Africa. Dry air caused the system to be mostly devoid of convection by the time it reached the
Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles ( es, link=no, Antillas Menores; french: link=no, Petites Antilles; pap, Antias Menor; nl, Kleine Antillen) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Most of them are part of a long, partially volcanic island arc be ...
on July 17. Thereafter, unfavorable upper-level winds prevented the wave from developing significantly, as it crossed the Bahamas and Florida on July 20 and July 21. After the wave reached the Gulf of Mexico, upper-level winds became more favorable. The system acquired a well-defined circulation, and a tropical depression formed at 00:00 UTC on July 23 about south-southeast of Port Eads, Louisiana. Despite light to moderate wind shear and warm seas, mid-level dry air caused the depression to strengthen slowly. About 24 hours after forming, the depression became Tropical Storm Hanna as it moved west-northwestward. Later on July 24, Hanna began intensifying slightly faster as convective banding increased and an eye feature developed. That same day, the cyclone also curved westward due to a strengthening deep-layer ridge to the north. Hanna reached hurricane intensity at 12:00 UTC on July 25. The storm then curved west-southwestward and peaked with sustained winds of 90 mph (150 km/h) and a minimum pressure of . Hanna made landfall on
Padre Island, Texas Padre Island is the largest of the Texas barrier islands and the world's longest barrier island. The island is located along Texas's southern coast of the Gulf of Mexico and is noted for its white sandy beaches. Meaning ''father'' in Spanish, it ...
, at the same intensity at 22:00 UTC on July 25, one hour and fifteen minutes before making landfall in Kenedy County. The system rapidly weakened after moving inland, dropping to tropical depression status at 18:00 UTC on July 26 near
Monterrey Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is ancho ...
,
Nuevo León Nuevo León () is a state in the northeast region of Mexico. The state was named after the New Kingdom of León, an administrative territory from the Viceroyalty of New Spain, itself was named after the historic Spanish Kingdom of León. With a ...
, and then dissipating shortly thereafter. The precursor disturbance to Hanna dropped heavy rain to parts of
Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and th ...
, the
Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and e ...
, and Cuba. In
Walton County, Florida Walton County is located on the Emerald Coast in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida, with its southern border on the Gulf of Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 75,305. Its county seat is DeFuniak Springs. The c ...
, a 33-year-old man drowned in rip currents while rescuing his son. In portions of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the
Florida Panhandle The Florida Panhandle (also West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida; it is a salient roughly long and wide, lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia on the north, and the ...
, the outer bands of Hanna brought heavy rainfall, even threatening street flooding in
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster.
; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...
. Immediately after the system was classified as a tropical depression, tropical storm watches were issued for much of the Texas shoreline. At 21:00 UTC on July 24, a hurricane warning was issued from
Baffin Bay Baffin Bay ( Inuktitut: ''Saknirutiak Imanga''; kl, Avannaata Imaa; french: Baie de Baffin), located between Baffin Island and the west coast of Greenland, is defined by the International Hydrographic Organization as a marginal sea of the Arct ...
to Mesquite Bay, Texas, due to Hanna being forecast to become a hurricane before landfall. As the hurricane approached landfall, Texas governor
Greg Abbott Gregory Wayne Abbott (born November 13, 1957) is an American politician, attorney, and former jurist serving as the 48th governor of Texas since 2015. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 50th Tex ...
announced the deployment of 17 
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
mobile testing teams focused on shelters and 100 medical personnel provided by the
Texas National Guard The Texas Military Forces (TXMF) are the principal instrument through which the Texas Military Department (TMD) executes security policy for Texas, which has the second-largest population and border in the United States, and the 9th-largest eco ...
. Hanna brought storm surge flooding, destructive winds, torrential rainfall, flash flooding and five isolated EF0 tornadoes across South Texas and Northeastern Mexico. In the former, the storm destroyed several mobile homes and deroofed many poorly-built structures. About 200,000 homes in Cameron and
Hidalgo Hidalgo may refer to: People * Hidalgo (nobility), members of the Spanish nobility * Hidalgo (surname) Places Mexico * Hidalgo (state), in central Mexico * Hidalgo, Coahuila, a town in the north Mexican state of Coahuila * Hidalgo, Nuevo Le ...
counties combined suffered power outages. Floodwaters entered dozens of buildings in low-lying areas. In the United States, Hanna indirectly caused five deaths and caused about $1.1 billion in damage. In Mexico, heavy rain fell in
Coahuila Coahuila (), formally Coahuila de Zaragoza (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza), is one of the 32 states of Mexico. Coahuila borders the Mexican states of N ...
, Nuevo León, and
Tamaulipas Tamaulipas (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas), is a state in the northeast region of Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal Entiti ...
. More than 250 homes in Coahuila were inundated, while at least 45 neighborhoods in
Reynosa Reynosa () is a border city in the northern part of the state of Tamaulipas, in Mexico. It is also the municipal seat of Reynosa Municipality. The city is located on the southern bank of the Rio Grande in the international Reynosa–McAllen Me ...
reported flood damage. The cyclone directly caused four deaths in Mexico and caused approximately $100 million in damage.


Hurricane Isaias

A tropical wave emerged into the Atlantic from the west coast of Africa on July 24. The wave gradually organized and became better defined, developing a broad area of low pressure on the following day. Due to the threat the system posed to the Lesser Antilles, the NHC initiated advisories on the system as
Potential Tropical Cyclone The following is a glossary of tropical cyclone terms. A ;Advisory: Official information issued by tropical cyclone warning centers describing all tropical cyclone watches and warnings in effect along with details concerning tropical cyclone lo ...
Nine at 15:00 UTC on July 28. By the next day, the disturbance was producing heavy rains and gale-force winds. Scatterometer passes by early on July 30 indicated that the system had developed a sufficiently well-defined center and became Tropical Storm Isaias by 00:00 UTC about south of
Ponce, Puerto Rico Ponce (, , , ) is both a city and a municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government. Ponce, Puerto Rico's most populated city outside the San Juan metropolitan area, was founded on 12 August 1 ...
. The cyclone made landfall about 16 hours later near
San Pedro de Macorís San Pedro de Macorís is a city and Municipalities of the Dominican Republic, municipality (''municipio'') in the Dominican Republic and the capital of the San Pedro de Macorís Province, San Pedro de Macorís province in the east region of the ...
,
Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...
. Shortly after the storm's eye moved offshore the northern coast of
Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and th ...
early on July 31, Isaias intensified into a hurricane. Nine hours later, it made landfall on
Great Inagua Island Inagua is the southernmost district of the Bahamas, comprising the islands of Great Inagua and Little Inagua. The headquarters for the district council are in Matthew Town. History The original settlers were the Lucayan people, who arrived some ...
in the
Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...
. The storm then fluctuated in intensity due to strong wind shear and dry air, with Isaias reaching its initial peak intensity early on July 31 with winds of 85 mph (135 km/h). At 13:00 UTC on August 1, Isaias made landfall on
North Andros North Andros is one of the 31 districts of the Bahamas. It is also the largest district (in area) in the country. It has some of the largest settlements on Andros Island Andros Island is an archipelago within the Bahamas, the largest of the Ba ...
with winds of , and the system weakened to a tropical storm at 18:00 UTC. It then turned north-northwest, remaining offshore
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...
and
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
while fluctuating between 65 and 70 mph (100–110 km/h) wind speeds. As the cyclone accelerated northeastward and approached the Carolina coastline, wind shear relaxed, allowing the storm to quickly re-intensify into a hurricane at 18:00 UTC on August 3. At 03:10 UTC the next day, Isaias made landfall in
Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina Ocean Isle Beach (Ocean Isle) is a small seaside town in Brunswick County, North Carolina, United States. It was incorporated as a town in 1959 and is part of the Myrtle Beach metropolitan area. The population was 550 at the 2010 census. Located ...
, at peak intensity with sustained winds of 90 mph (150 km/h) and a minimum pressure of . Following landfall, Isaias accelerated and weakened slowly, dropping below hurricane status at 06:00 UTC over North Carolina. The storm passed over the Mid-Atlantic states before transitioning to an extratropical low around 00:00 UTC on August 5 while situated over central
Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
, and dissipating several hours later over
Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
. Numerous tropical storm watches warnings as well as hurricane watches and hurricane warnings were issued for the
Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles ( es, link=no, Antillas Menores; french: link=no, Petites Antilles; pap, Antias Menor; nl, Kleine Antillen) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Most of them are part of a long, partially volcanic island arc be ...
,
Greater Antilles The Greater Antilles ( es, Grandes Antillas or Antillas Mayores; french: Grandes Antilles; ht, Gwo Zantiy; jam, Grieta hAntiliiz) is a grouping of the larger islands in the Caribbean Sea, including Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and ...
,
Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...
,
Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...
, and the entire
East Coast of the United States The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Eastern United States meets the North Atlantic Ocean. The eastern seaboard contains the coa ...
. Isaias caused devastating flooding and wind damage in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Several towns were left without electricity and drinking water in Puerto Rico. In the United States, Isaias triggered a large tornado outbreak that prompted the issuance of 109 
tornado warning A tornado warning ( SAME code: TOR) is a severe weather warning product issued by regional offices of weather forecasting agencies throughout the world to alert the public when a tornado has been reported or indicated by weather radar within the ...
s across 12 states. A total of 39 tornadoes touched down, several of which caused significant damage. Impact was mostly minor in Florida and Georgia. Storm surge in South Carolina left significant impacts in
Horry County Horry County ( ) is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 351,029. It is the fourth-most populous county in South Carolina. The county seat is Conway. Horry County is the central ...
, with 483 homes damaged in
Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach is a resort city on the east coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous stretch of beach known as "The Grand Strand" in the northeastern part of the state. Its ...
alone. In North Carolina, storm surge destroyed some bulkheads and dunes, while water flooded streets and entered the ground floors of businesses in downtown Wilmington. An EF3 tornado in
Bertie County Bertie County ( , with both syllables stressed) is a county located in the northeast area of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,934. Its county seat is Windsor. The county was created in 1722 as Berti ...
demolished several mobile homes and stick-built dwellings, killing two people and injuring 14. Strong winds, storm surge, and many tornadoes left significant damage in the Northeastern United States. Almost 3 million people were without electricity at the height of the storm, including over 1 million people in New Jersey alone. Isaias caused 17 deaths across the Greater Antilles and eastern United States: 14 in the continental United States, 2 in the Dominican Republic, and 1 in Puerto Rico. Damage estimates exceeded $4.8 billion, with almost $3.5 billion of which occurring in the Northeastern United States, making Isaias the costliest tropical cyclone to strike the region since
Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as ''Superstorm Sandy'') was an extremely destructive and strong Atlantic hurricane, as well as the largest Atlantic hurricane on record as measured by diameter, with tropical-storm-force winds spann ...
in 2012.


Tropical Depression Ten

On July 28, a tropical wave emerged off the west coast of Africa. The system soon developed a defined low pressure center on July 29 as it turned north along the east side of an upper-level low. Associated convection became sufficiently organized for the system to be classified as a tropical depression the following day; at this time the cyclone was located about east-southeast of the easternmost Cabo Verde Islands. The system reached its peak intensity with winds of and a pressure of around 00:00 UTC on August 1. Scatterometer data revealed conflicting data, with tropical storm-force winds noted in one pass within the deepest convection to the southwest of the storm's center where the weakest winds are typically found. A near-concurrent pass from another satellite showed lower winds and the highest winds were determined to be rain-inflated, and given the conflicting data the NHC determined the system to have not become a tropical storm. Thereafter, a combination of decreasing sea surface temperatures and dry air caused convection to dissipate. The depression turned west-northwest and degraded into a remnant low later that day. It soon dissipated on August 2 north of the Cabo Verde Islands.


Tropical Storm Josephine

On August 7, the NHC began monitoring a tropical wave over the tropical Atlantic. Shower and thunderstorm activity on the wave axis increased as it moved westward at and a mid-level circulation formed on August 9, although the low-level circulation remained elongated and poorly-organized. The wave's circulation then became defined and a low-pressure system with disorganized convection formed late on August 10. A burst of
convection Convection is single or multiphase fluid flow that occurs spontaneously due to the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoyancy). When the cause of the c ...
near the center followed by some subsequent organization allowed the system to be designated Tropical Depression Eleven at 06:00 UTC on August 11 about west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. However, the depression's ability to intensify was initially hindered by dry mid-level air and moderate easterly wind shear. After over two days with little change in intensity, the shear relaxed some, allowing convection to begin to form closer to the estimated center of the depression. This allowed it to strengthen into Tropical Storm Josephine at 12:00 UTC on August 13, reaching an initial peak intensity of and a minimum pressure of . Josephine's intensity began to fluctuate on August 14, as wind-shear affected the system, causing convection to be displaced from the circulation. Hurricane Hunter aircraft investigated the system later that day and found that the storm's center had relocated further north in the afternoon hours and Josephine reached its peak intensity with winds of 45 mph (75 km/h) and a minimum pressure of at 18:00 UTC. Nonetheless, Josephine headed into increasingly hostile conditions as it began to pass north of the
Leeward Islands french: Îles-Sous-le-Vent , image_name = , image_caption = ''Political'' Leeward Islands. Clockwise: Antigua and Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Saint kitts and Nevis. , image_alt = , locator_map = , location = Caribbean SeaNorth Atlantic Ocean , coor ...
. As a result, the storm later weakened, becoming a tropical depression at 06:00 UTC on August 16, just north of the
Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands ( es, Islas Vírgenes) are an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. They are geologically and biogeographically the easternmost part of the Greater Antilles, the northern islands belonging to the Puerto Rico Trench and St. Croix ...
. The weakening cyclone's circulation became increasingly ill-defined, and Josephine eventually weakened into a trough of low pressure 12 hours later.


Tropical Storm Kyle

A
mesoscale convective system A mesoscale convective system (MCS) is a complex of thunderstorms that becomes organized on a scale larger than the individual thunderstorms but smaller than extratropical cyclones, and normally persists for several hours or more. A mesoscale con ...
moved offshore of South Carolina and Georgia early on August 11. The convective activity weakened that day, but a small mid-level circulation formed from the system and it re-developed some thunderstorm activity that night while it moved slowly northeastward off the coast of South Carolina. This activity generated the development of a weak low-level circulation that moved near the coast of southern North Carolina late on August 12. The system became better organized the next day, although it lacked a well-defined center and banding features. The low then moved offshore of the Outer Banks early on August 14, and deep convection increased as most of the circulation was over the warm water temperatures in the Atlantic. The low became better defined overnight as a result of the convection, and became Tropical Storm Kyle around 12:00 UTC on August 14, about east-northeast of Duck, North Carolina. The storm then moved quickly east-northeastward along the Gulf Stream due to the flow between a broad mid-level trough over the
Northeastern United States The Northeastern United States, also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast, is a geographic region of the United States. It is located on the Atlantic coast of North America, with Canada to its north, the Southe ...
and the western Atlantic subtropical ridge. Despite moderate-to-strong wind shear, Kyle strengthened on August 15, reaching its peak intensity around 12:00 UTC with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 km/h) and a minimum pressure at 1,000 mbar (29.53 inHg) about southeast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The storm began to weaken afterward due to increasing shear and interaction with a stationary front; its circulation began to become elongated as a result. Kyle became an extratropical cyclone when it embedded itself within the front at 00:00 UTC August 16. Its center dissipated and the remnants were absorbed into the front shortly thereafter. Several days later, extratropical
European windstorm European windstorms are powerful extratropical cyclones which form as cyclonic windstorms associated with areas of low atmospheric pressure. They can occur throughout the year, but are most frequent between October and March, with peak intensit ...
Ellen Ellen is a female given name, a diminutive of Elizabeth, Eleanor, Elena and Helen. Ellen was the 609th most popular name in the U.S. and the 17th in Sweden in 2004. People named Ellen include: * Ellen Adarna (born 1988), Filipino actress * Elle ...
, which contained remnants of Tropical Storm Kyle, brought hurricane-force winds to the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
and the United Kingdom.


Hurricane Laura

On August 16, a tropical wave exited the west coast of Africa and entered the Atlantic. The wave combined with a broad area of low pressure located a few hundred miles west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands on August 18. Deep convection steadily increased and became better organized as the disturbance moved across the central tropical Atlantic, and by 00:00 UTC on August 20, the presence of a sufficiently well-defined low-level circulation indicated that Tropical Depression Thirteen developed about 980 mi (1,575 km) east-southeast of
Antigua Antigua ( ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the native population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Bar ...
. By 12:00 UTC that same day, the cyclone organized further and strengthened into Tropical Storm Laura. However, moderate wind shear then prohibited further intensification. The storm had a disorganized appearance in satellite imagery as it crossed the northern Leeward islands on August 21. It then became organized on August 22, while passing just south of the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Early on August 23, Laura made landfall about west of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, with winds of . The storm weakened little as it moved across the mountainous terrain of
Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and th ...
. Laura made landfall near
Uvero Uvero, also known as El Uvero, is a Cuban village and ''consejo popular'' ("people's council", i.e. hamlet) of the municipality of Guamá, in Santiago de Cuba Province. In 2011 it had a population of 2,581. History The toponym derives from the Sp ...
in
Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...
's
Santiago de Cuba Province Santiago de Cuba Province is the second most populated province in the island of Cuba. The largest city Santiago de Cuba is the main administrative center. Other large cities include Palma Soriano, Contramaestre, San Luis and Songo-la Maya. Hi ...
with winds of at 02:00 UTC on August 24, before re-emerging into the Caribbean and striking near Playa de las Tunas in
Pinar del Río Province Pinar del Río is one of the provinces of Cuba. It is at the western end of the island of Cuba. Geography The Pinar del Río province is Cuba's westernmost province and contains one of Cuba's three main mountain ranges, the Cordillera de Guanig ...
at the same intensity about 22 hours later. Laura entered the Gulf of Mexico later on August 25, where it became a hurricane around 12:00 UTC that day. Later, while situated over the central Gulf, Laura began a period of rapid intensification, and by 12:00 UTC on August 26, the storm became a major Category 3 hurricane. A mid-level low near
Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
caused the system to turn northwestward and then northward, and over the period ending at 00:00 UTC on August 27, it intensified by about , to Category 4 strength. At that time, Laura reached its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of and minimum pressure 937 mbar (27.67 inHg) while located less than south of
Creole, Louisiana Creole is an unincorporated community in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, United States. The ZIP Code for Creole is 70632. History A post office was established at Creole in March 1890. The community was probably named for the Louisiana Creole people. ...
. Laura's pressure then rose slightly to 939 mbar (27.72 inHg), but the storm maintained its peak winds as it made its final landfall near
Cameron, Louisiana Cameron is a census-designated place (CDP) in and the parish seat of Cameron Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the Lake Charles Metropolitan Statistical Area. After sustaining extreme damage from Hurricane Rita in 2005 and Hurricane ...
, at 06:00 UTC. The hurricane became the strongest tropical cyclone in terms of wind speed since the 1856 Last Island hurricane. Laura steadily weakened after moving inland, dropping to tropical storm strength around 18:00 UTC over northern Louisiana and then to a tropical depression over Arkansas early on August 28. The deteriorating system then turned northeastward and degenerated into a remnant low over
northern Kentucky Northern Kentucky is the third-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky after Louisville and Lexington, and its cities and towns serve as the de facto "south side" communities of Cincinnati, Ohio. The three main counties ...
by 06:00 UTC on August 29. The remnant low was absorbed by another low centered near the
Great Lakes region The Great Lakes region of North America is a binational Canadian–American region that includes portions of the eight U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin along with the Canadian p ...
six hours later. As Laura passed through the Northern Leeward Islands, it brought heavy rainfall to
Guadeloupe Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...
and
Dominica Dominica ( or ; Kalinago: ; french: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is geographically ...
, and prompted the closing of all ports in the
British Virgin Islands ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = Territorial song , song = "Oh, Beautiful Virgin Islands" , image_map = File:British Virgin Islands on the globe (Americas centered).svg , map_caption = , mapsize = 290px , image_map2 = Brit ...
. The storm produced heavy downpours upon Puerto Rico and Hispaniola. The storm left extensive damage in Louisiana, especially in the southwest region of the state. Storm surge penetrated up to nearly inland, while Creole and Grand Chenier were inundated with coastal floodwaters ranging from above ground, sweeping away structures in Cameron Parish. Wind gusts reached up to at Holly Beach, resulting in catastrophic wind damage in Calcasieu and Cameron parishes. Outside of the two parishes, Beauregard and Vernon parishes were next hardest hit, with the core of the storm passing directly over. Several other parishes reported damage to homes and buildings due to strong winds or falling trees. Laura destroyed approximately 10,000 homes and damaged over 130,000 others in the state. Damage in Louisiana alone totaled about $17.5 billion.
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
was second hardest hit by the storm, with high winds downing many power lines, power poles, and trees in the eastern part of the state, while some counties reported damage to businesses and homes. Laura produced 16 tornadoes in the United States, the most significant of them being an EF2 tornado in
Randolph County, Arkansas Randolph County is located between the Ozark Mountains and Arkansas Delta in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The county is named for John Randolph, a U.S. senator from Virginia influential in obtaining congressional approval of the Louisiana Purcha ...
. Altogether, there were 81 storm related deaths. Of these, 47 were direct deaths associated with Laura, including 31 in Haiti, 9 in the Dominican Republic, and 7 in the United States. There were also 34 indirect deaths, all of them in the United States.


Hurricane Marco

Between August 10 and August 11, a tropical wave entered into the Atlantic from the west coast of Africa. Convection remained poorly organized for several days as the wave moved eastward across the Atlantic and into the Caribbean. However, showers and thunderstorms within the wave became more concentrated as it reached the central Caribbean on August 19, with a low-pressure area developing on the next day. By 06:00 UTC on August 21, the wave possessed a closed circulation and sufficient organized convection, resulting in its designation as Tropical Depression Fourteen near the coasts of Nicaragua and Honduras. The system moved northwestward and intensified, becoming Tropical Storm Marco around 00:00 UTC on August 22, as it moved over the northwestern Caribbean. This strengthening trend continued as Marco moved through the
Yucatán Channel The Yucatán Channel or Straits of Yucatán (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Canal de Yucatán'') is a strait between Mexico and Cuba. It connects the Yucatán Basin of the Caribbean Sea with the Gulf of Mexico. It is just over wide and nearly deep ...
. The storm reached hurricane strength at 12:00 UTC on August 23 while centered over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico, with maximum sustained winds of and a minimum pressure of 991 mbar (29.26 inHg). This would be Marco's peak intensity, as strong southwesterly wind shear caused the system to weaken to tropical storm strength by 00:00 UTC on August 24, while the center was about south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. The storm made a westward turn as it neared the Louisiana coast later that day. Marco then weakened to a depression shortly after 00:00 UTC on August 25 and degenerated into a remnant low about six hours later, without making landfall. The storm produced rainfall in western Cuba, with amounts generally ranging from in
Pinar del Río Province Pinar del Río is one of the provinces of Cuba. It is at the western end of the island of Cuba. Geography The Pinar del Río province is Cuba's westernmost province and contains one of Cuba's three main mountain ranges, the Cordillera de Guanig ...
, while a peak total of was observed at Cape San Antonio. Flash flooding occurred in some areas, prompting at least 14 people to seek shelter. Overflowing rivers caused flooding in the communities of Acacoyagua,
Escuintla Escuintla () is an industrial city in Guatemala, its land extension is 4384 km², and it is nationally known for its sugar agribusiness. Its capital is a minicipality with the same name. Citizens celebrate from December 6 to 9 with a small fair ...
, and
Tapachula Tapachula de Córdova y Ordóñez, simply known as Tapachula, is a city and municipality located in the far southeast of the state of Chiapas in Mexico, near the Guatemalan border and the Pacific Ocean. It is one of the most important cities of ...
. Heavy rains fell along parts of the Gulf Coast of the United States between Florida and Mississippi, with up to of precipitation near
Apalachicola, Florida Apalachicola ( ) is a city and the county seat of Franklin County, Florida, United States, on the shore of Apalachicola Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico. The population was 2,231 at the 2010 census. History The Apalachicola people, after ...
. Floodwaters inundated many streets in Panama City Beach. Due to its dissipating state as it approached Louisiana, the storm caused minimal impact there. Overall, Marco left approximately $35 million in damage throughout its path.


Tropical Storm Omar

A vigorous mid to upper-level
shortwave trough A shortwave or shortwave trough is an embedded kink in the trough / ridge pattern. Its length scale is much smaller than that of and is embedded within longwaves, which are responsible for the largest scale (synoptic scale) weather systems. Sho ...
moved into the
Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern por ...
on August 29. The shortwave trough then interacted with the remnants of a
frontal system A weather front is a boundary separating air masses for which several characteristics differ, such as air density, wind, temperature, and humidity. Disturbed and unstable weather due to these differences often arises along the boundary. For ins ...
, resulting in the formation of a
low-pressure area In meteorology, a low-pressure area, low area or low is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of surrounding locations. Low-pressure areas are commonly associated with inclement weather (such as cloudy, windy, with possible ...
offshore northeast Florida on August 30. Drifting over the
Gulf Stream The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension the North Atlantic Drift, is a warm and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida and up the eastern coastline of the Unit ...
, the low quickly organized into a tropical depression around 12:00 UTC on August 31 while situated about south-southeast of
Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is the ...
. Dry air and vertical wind shear offset the warm sea surface temperatures as the system headed northeastward. However, following a burst in deep
convection Convection is single or multiphase fluid flow that occurs spontaneously due to the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoyancy). When the cause of the c ...
, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Omar around 12:00 UTC on September 1. The storm then peaked with sustained winds of and a minimum pressure of . An increase in wind shear kept Omar weak. Consequently, the storm struggled to maintain deep convection as it moved eastward and weakened to a tropical depression early on September 3. Omar decelerated due to a weak steering flow, turning northward on September 5, due to a southerly flow associated with a deep-layer trough. Although the cyclone experienced periodic bursts of convection, strong wind shear eventually caused the storm to degenerate into a remnant low about northeast of Bermuda late on September 5. The low moved generally northward before being absorbed by a frontal system on the following day.


Hurricane Nana

On August 23, a tropical wave emerged into the Atlantic from the west coast of Africa. Convection increased noticeably as the wave crossed the
Intertropical Convergence Zone The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ ), known by sailors as the doldrums or the calms because of its monotonous windless weather, is the area where the northeast and the southeast trade winds converge. It encircles Earth near the thermal e ...
and on August 27, when it was about halfway between the Cabo Verde Islands and the Lesser Antilles. After the system entered the Caribbean on August 30, convection became concentrated near the system's mid-level circulation center. By 06:00 UTC on September 1, the system acquired a closed surface circulation and sufficiently organized deep convection to become Tropical Storm Nana while located about southeast of
Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley Inter ...
. The classification as a tropical storm was because the system already possessed tropical storm-force winds. By 18:00 UTC that same day, the storm strengthened, reaching sustained winds of before moderate northerly shear briefly halted intensification and partially exposed the center of circulation; even so, its pressure continued to drop. After the shear abated slightly late on September 2, Nana redeveloped convection over its center and intensified into a hurricane at 03:00 UTC on September 3 near the coast of
Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...
. Nana simultaneously peaked with maximum sustained winds of and a minimum pressure of 994 mbar (29.36 inHg). At 06:00 UTC, the hurricane made landfall at the same intensity near Sittee Point, about south of
Belize City Belize City is the largest city in Belize and was once the capital of the former British Honduras. According to the 2010 census, Belize City has a population of 57,169 people in 16,162 households. It is at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, wh ...
. Once inland, Nana quickly weakened to a tropical storm six hours later and then a tropical depression late on September 3 near the Guatemala–Mexico border. It degenerated into a remnant low by 00:00 UTC on September 4, and dissipated shortly thereafter. The mid-level remnants of the system emerged over the
Gulf of Tehuantepec Gulf of Tehuantepec () is a large body of water on the Pacific coast of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, southeastern Mexico, at . Many (but not all) Pacific hurricanes form in or near this body of water. A strong, gale-force wind called the Tehuan ...
where they regenerated into Tropical Storm Julio in the eastern Pacific on September 5. Nana caused street flooding in the
Bay Islands Bay Islands may refer to: * Bay Islands Department, Honduras * Southern Moreton Bay Islands, Queensland, Australia See also * Bay of Islands * Bay of Isles * Island Bay, Wellington * Little Bay Islands Little Bay Islands is a vacant town in ...
of Honduras. In Belize, the storm produced sustained winds up to and gusts up to at Carrie Bow Cay. Winds caused extensive damage to avocado, banana, citrus, corn, and plantain crops, with hundreds of acres of banana and plantation crops destroyed. Damage Assessment and Need Analysis (DANA) teams reported 13 structures damaged in Silk Grass and 7 others in Hopkins, while 4 homes in Dangriga experienced roof damage. Elsewhere, however, structural impacts were limited. Total economic losses in Belize exceeded $20 million. Heavy amounts of precipitation also occurred in northern Guatemala and southeastern Mexico.


Hurricane Paulette

On September 2, a tropical wave emerged into the Atlantic from the west coast of Africa. The wave organized over the eastern Atlantic and formed a low-pressure area on September 6, as it moved generally westward. Around 00:00 UTC on the next day, the low developed into Tropical Depression Seventeen roughly 1,150 mi (1,850 km) west of the Cabo Verde Islands. About 12 hours later, the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Paulette. The storm moved generally west-northwestward while gradually intensifying. At 12:00 UTC on September 9, Paulette reached an initial peak intensity with sustained winds of , which lasted for about 12 hours, before increasing wind shear weakened the storm. Despite unfavorable conditions, Paulette began to re-intensify on September 11. Eventually, lessening wind shear allowed Paulette to become more organized and begin to form an eye, becoming a hurricane early on September 13, about southeast of Bermuda. Dry air entrainment gave the storm a somewhat ragged appearance, but Paulette continued to slowly strengthen as it approached Bermuda, with its eye clearing out and its convection becoming more symmetric. Paulette then turned sharply northward and strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane as it made landfall on Bermuda at 08:50 UTC on September 14 with winds of 100 mph (155 km/h). The storm continued to strengthen after moving over Bermuda, reaching its peak intensity later that day, with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (165 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 965 mbar (28.50 inHg). After attaining its peak intensity, Paulette accelerated northeastward on September 15 and began an extratropical transition, which it completed the next day about southeast of Cape Race,
Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
. After gradually weakening over the following few days and slowly curving southward, the extratropical cyclone began to redevelop a warm core as the convection associated with the low gradually increased in coverage and organization. By 18:00 UTC on September 20, the system reorganized into a tropical storm about south-southwest of the Azores. Then, at 00:00 UTC on September 22, Paulette reached a secondary peak intensity of . It moved eastward over the next day, and became post-tropical for the second and final time on September 23 while situated roughly southeast of the Azores. Although the remnant low briefly re-strengthened again, drier and more stable air as well as colder ocean temperatures prevented redevelopment. The low meandered to the south of the Azores before degenerating into a trough of low pressure late on September 28. Paulette produced hurricane-force winds on Bermuda, with sustained winds reaching at Pearl Island and surface-level gusts reaching at
L.F. Wade International Airport L.F. Wade International Airport , formerly named Bermuda International Airport, is the sole airport serving the British overseas territory of Bermuda in the North Atlantic Ocean. It is located in the parish of St. George's and is northeast of B ...
. Trees and power lines were downed throughout Bermuda as Paulette passed over, leading to roughly 25,000 power outages, which accounts for approximately 70 percent of electrical customers on the island. Damage on Bermuda totaled approximately $50 million. There were two direct deaths and one injury associated with Paulette, each of which occurred due to rip currents along the Atlantic coast of the United States. Between September 13 and September 15, several water rescues were conducted along the coast of
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
.


Tropical Storm Rene

A tropical wave emerged off the coast of Africa over the Atlantic Ocean on September 6. A well-defined low-pressure area already existed, though
convection Convection is single or multiphase fluid flow that occurs spontaneously due to the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoyancy). When the cause of the convec ...
initially remained limited. An area of deep convection formed over the center of the low by 06:00 UTC on September 7, marking the formation of Tropical Depression Eighteen approximately east of the easternmost islands of Cabo Verde. Convection consolidated and organized further, with banding developing later that day, while the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Rene about 12 hours later. Moving west-northwestward for much of its duration, Rene made landfall near
Boa Vista Island Boa Vista (Portuguese language, Portuguese for "good view"), also written as Boavista, is a desert-like island that belongs to the Cape Verde Islands. At , it is the third largest island of the Cape Verde archipelago. The island of Boa Vista is ...
around 00:00 UTC on September 8 with sustained winds of . Dry air and only marginally warm seas caused convection to wane and Rene weakened to a tropical depression several hours later. After another burst in deep convection early on September 9, the cyclone re-strengthened into a tropical storm. At 12:00 UTC on September 10, Rene peaked with sustained winds of 45 mph (75 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of . Showers and thunderstorms decreased starting on the following day due to dry air and Rene weakened to a tropical depression on September 12. Strong westerly shear caused further weakening, with Rene degenerating into a trough about northeast of the Leeward Islands. The
remnants Remnant or remnants may refer to: Religion * Remnant (Bible), a recurring theme in the Bible * Remnant (Seventh-day Adventist belief), the remnant theme in the Seventh-day Adventist Church * ''The Remnant'' (newspaper), a traditional Catholic ne ...
turned southwestward and dissipated a few days later. Rene brought gusty winds and heavy rain to the Cabo Verde Islands on September 8. A tropical storm warning was issued for the islands on September 7, which remained in effect though late the next day.


Hurricane Sally

In early September, a well-defined surface trough developed over the western Atlantic just south of Bermuda. The trough moved slowly west-southwestward towards the Bahamas, where it produced disorganized convection beginning on September 10. By 18:00 UTC on September 11, convection within the system became better organized and a well-defined center of circulation developed, marking the formation of Tropical Depression Nineteen between Andros Island and
Bimini Bimini is the westernmost district of the Bahamas and comprises a chain of islands located about due east of Miami. Bimini is the closest point in the Bahamas to the mainland United States and approximately west-northwest of Nassau. The popula ...
in the Bahamas. The depression moved westward and made landfall near
Cutler Bay, Florida Cutler Bay is an incorporated town in Miami-Dade County, Florida established in 2005, with a population of approximately 45,425 as of 2020. With 45,425 people, Cutler Bay is in 9th place of the top 10 most populous municipalities of the 34 m ...
, around 06:00 UTC on September 12, with winds of . Six hours later, while its center was over the
Everglades The Everglades is a natural region of tropical climate, tropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large drainage basin within the Neotropical realm. The system begins near Orland ...
, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Sally. Sally emerged over the Gulf of Mexico a few hours later and turned to the northwest once offshore. Moderate northwesterly shear hindered its steady strengthening. When the shear decreased somewhat early the next day, a burst of deep convection developed near and to the east of the storm's center and it began to go through a period of rapid intensification. During this time, Sally became a category 1 hurricane at 06:00 UTC on September 14, while centered about south of
Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...
, as its intensity increased from to over an 18-hour period. After weakening to early on September 15, Sally slowed to a crawl while turning north-northeastward. Later that same day, Sally began a second period of rapid intensification, becoming a high-end Category 2 hurricane by 06:00 UTC September 16. At around 09:45 UTC, the system made landfall at peak intensity near
Gulf Shores, Alabama Gulf Shores is a resort city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 9,741. Geography Gulf Shores is located on the Gulf of Mexico at 30°16'4.069" North, 87°42'5.285" West (30.267797, −87.70 ...
, with maximum sustained winds of and a minimum central pressure of 965 mbars (28.50 inHg). Sally rapidly weakened to a tropical storm by 18:00 UTC as it moved slowly inland. Later, the storm weakened to a tropical depression by 06:00 UTC on September 17, and became an extratropical low six hours later over eastern Alabama. It was subsequently absorbed within a cold front and dissipated over
South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...
on the following day. In its early stages, Sally dropped heavy rainfall in South Florida. Although this mostly caused street flooding, up to of water was reported in some businesses and homes in
Key West Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it cons ...
. Winds uprooted some trees and knocked down power lines, leaving about 10,000 customers without power. The hurricane lashed the
Florida Panhandle The Florida Panhandle (also West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida; it is a salient roughly long and wide, lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia on the north, and the ...
with strong winds, heavy precipitation, and storm surge. Approximately 50 structures were demolished, while thousands of others in Escambia and
Santa Rosa Santa Rosa is the Italian, Portuguese and Spanish name for Saint Rose. Santa Rosa may also refer to: Places Argentina *Santa Rosa, Mendoza, a city * Santa Rosa, Tinogasta, Catamarca * Santa Rosa, Valle Viejo, Catamarca * Santa Rosa, La Pampa * S ...
counties suffered damage. Flooding left numerous roads impassable and washed out several roads and bridges. The widespread uprooting of trees and damaged power lines left at least 245,000 customers without electricity. In
Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
, hurricane-force winds in Baldwin and
Mobile Mobile may refer to: Places * Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city * Mobile County, Alabama * Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S. * Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Mobile ( ...
counties damaged many buildings, uprooted numerous trees and knocked down power lines, causing 275,000 electrical customers to lose power. Farther inland, heavy rainfall left several roads impassable and washed out in
Coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. S ...
,
Crenshaw Crenshaw may refer to: Places in the United States *Crenshaw, Los Angeles **Crenshaw High School *Crenshaw County, Alabama *Crenshaw, Mississippi *Crenshaw, Pennsylvania Transportation *Crenshaw Boulevard *Crenshaw station (C Line, Los Angeles Met ...
, and Escambia counties. In
Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
, storm surge inundated 100 low-lying roads in Hancock County and 60 others in Jackson County. Falling trees blocked some roads and damaged some homes in the latter. Storm surge in
Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...
left some roads impassable in low-lying areas of
Jefferson Jefferson may refer to: Names * Jefferson (surname) * Jefferson (given name) People * Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States * Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foo ...
, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, and St. Tammany parishes. Flash flooding impacted portions of
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
, especially in Washington County and the Augusta and Waynesboro areas. Some trees were uprooted due to saturated grounds, leaving around 30,000 customers without power. Overall, there were 23 tornadoes reported across the Southeastern United States while Sally was a tropical cyclone, including 12 in South Carolina, 6 in Georgia, 4 in North Carolina, and 1 in Florida. The storm was responsible for nine fatalities – three in Florida and two each in Alabama and Georgia – and approximately $7.3 billion in damage.


Hurricane Teddy

A tropical wave emerged into the Atlantic from the west coast of Africa on September 10. Though the wave was experiencing moderate northeasterly shear, convection increased early on September 12, which led to the development of a well-defined surface center. As a result, a tropical depression formed around 06:00 UTC about southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. After overcoming a combination of northeasterly shear, dry air in the mid-levels and the large size and radius of maximum winds of the system, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Teddy around 00:00 UTC on September 14. Late the next day, the storm began its first period of rapid intensification. During this time, microwave images indicated that an eye formed, and that Teddy had become a hurricane near 00:00 UTC September 16 about east-northeast of Barbados. The storm continued to intensify, becoming a Category 2 hurricane several hours later. Some slight westerly wind shear briefly halted further strengthening, but when it subsided, the storm began another period of rapid intensification early on September 17. Teddy became a Category 3 major hurricane around 12:00 UTC while centered about east-northeast of
Guadeloupe Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...
and became a Category 4 hurricane six hours later. Around 00:00 UTC on September 18, Teddy reached its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (220 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 945 mbar (27.91 inHg). An
eyewall replacement cycle In meteorology, eyewall replacement cycles, also called concentric eyewall cycles, naturally occur in intense tropical cyclones, generally with winds greater than , or major hurricanes ( Category 3 or above). When tropical cyclones reach this int ...
late on September 18 caused the storm to weaken to a Category 3, while an increase in southwesterly shear caused Teddy to drop below major hurricane strength around 00:00 UTC on September 20. The cyclone passed about east of Bermuda on September 21 as it turned northward and north-northeastward while interacting with a negatively tilted trough. This interaction caused an increase in both the storm's maximum wind speed and size. Teddy reached a secondary peak intensity of between 06:00 UTC and 12:00 UTC on September 22. Interaction with the trough also triggered the extratropical transition process; Teddy's wind field became more asymmetric, and the associated convection become less centralized. At about 18:00 UTC that same day, the hurricane weakened to Category 1 intensity, before becoming an extratropical low at around 00:00 UTC on September 23, while located about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia. The low then moved onshore of
Atlantic Canada Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (french: provinces de l'Atlantique), is the region of Eastern Canada comprising the provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec. The four provinces are New Brunswick, Newfoundlan ...
approximately 12 hours later near
Ecum Secum, Nova Scotia Ecum Secum is a rural community on the Eastern Shore (Nova Scotia), Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia, Canada, located in both the Halifax Regional Municipality and Guysborough County, Nova Scotia, Guysborough County. Located along the shores of Ec ...
, with sustained winds of . The system weakened as it moved northward across eastern Nova Scotia and then the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where it was absorbed by a larger non-tropical low early on September 24, near eastern
Labrador , nickname = "The Big Land" , etymology = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Canada , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 ...
. The hurricane generated large ocean swells which spread along much of the U.S. Atlantic coast and from the northern Caribbean to Bermuda. Two people drowned in Puerto Rico due to rip currents generated by these swells on September 18, as did a swimmer in New Jersey. Abnormally high tides also caused coastal flooding in
Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
, and the Outer Banks of
North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...
. In the latter, waves swept away some sand dunes and pushed sand onto roadways. About 220 households lost power in Bermuda. Otherwise, impact was mainly limited to sand being deposited on roadways on the island's south coasts. The extratropical remnants of Teddy generated wind gusts up to in Nova Scotia. Approximately 18,000 customers throughout the Atlantic Canada region lost electricity. There were also isolated reports of minor flooding. Damage from Teddy in all areas impacted totaled roughly $35 million.


Tropical Storm Vicky

In the early hours of September 11, a tropical wave moved off the coast of Africa. An area of low pressure associated with the wave moved northwestward and crossed the Cabo Verde Islands on September 12, producing showers and locally heavy rain. The next day, the disturbance steadily organized, and by 00:00 UTC on September 14, the system became Tropical Depression Twenty-One about west of the northwesternmost of the Cabo Verde Islands. The depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Vicky six hours later based on scatterometer data. Despite extremely strong shear partially caused by Hurricane Teddy's
outflow Outflow may refer to: *Capital outflow, the capital leaving a particular economy *Bipolar outflow, in astronomy, two continuous flows of gas from the poles of a star *Outflow (hydrology), the discharge of a lake or other reservoir system * Outflow ...
removing all but a small convective cluster to the northeast of its center, Vicky intensified further, reaching its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 km/h) and a pressure of 1,001 mbar (29.52 inHg) at 12:00 UTC on September 15. Over the ensuing couple of days, the storm was beset by increasing wind shear, and it weakened to a tropical depression around 12:00 UTC on September 17. Then, about six hours later, it degenerated into a remnant low about 920 mi (1,480 km) west-northwest of the northwesternmost Cabo Verde Islands and subsequently dissipated. The precursor tropical wave of Vicky produced flooding in the Cabo Verde Islands. Within a 24-hour period, approximately of precipitation fell in the capital city of Praia. Flooding blocked several roads and damaged automobiles, bridges, buildings, and farmland. The floods killed one person in Praia on September 12.


Tropical Storm Wilfred

A
tropical wave A tropical wave (also called easterly wave, tropical easterly wave, and African easterly wave), in and around the Atlantic Ocean, is a type of atmospheric trough, an elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which ...
and its associated broad low-pressure area emerged into the Atlantic from the west coast of Africa on September 13. A well-defined center of circulation formed on September 17 as the result of a strong burst of deep convection formed near the center of the low. Stronger and more organized convection appeared later that day, while a scatterometer pass revealed that the circulation had become better defined, and the presence of tropical-storm-force winds. As a result, Tropical Storm Wilfred developed around 18:00 UTC on September 17 while situated about southwest of the southernmost islands of Cabo Verde. Six hours later, the storm attained its peak intensity with sustained winds of and a minimum pressure of 1,006 mbar (29.71 inHg). Very dry air from the Saharan Air Layer prevented further intensification, while westerly to northwesterly wind shear increased to about by September 19. Deep convection began to diminish on the following day, causing Wilfred to weaken to a tropical depression around 12:00 UTC. Early on September 21, Wilfred degenerated into an open trough approximately east of the northern Leeward Islands.


Subtropical Storm Alpha

A large, extratropical low-pressure area developed over the northeast Atlantic Ocean on September 14, following the interaction between a surface front and an upper-level low. The low peaked with sustained winds of on September 15. Although the low weakened as it headed south-southeastward, the wind field contracted and convection began forming closer to the circulation due to marginally warm sea surface temperatures and sufficient atmospheric instability. By 06:00 UTC on September 17, the system developed into Subtropical Storm Alpha roughly east of the Azores. Alpha continued to strengthen and attained its peak intensity as a subtropical system around 00:00 UTC on September 18, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 996 mbar (29.41 inHg). At 18:40 UTC that day, the cyclone made landfall about south of
Figueira da Foz Figueira da Foz (), also known as Figueira for short, is a city and a municipality in the Coimbra District, in Portugal. Practically at the midpoint of the Iberian Peninsula's Atlantic coast, it is located at the mouth of the Mondego River, west ...
, Portugal. Around 00:00 UTC on September 19, Alpha weakened to a subtropical depression inland over north-
central Portugal The Central Region ( pt, Região do Centro, ) or Central Portugal is one of the statistical regions of Portugal. The cities with major administrative status inside this region are Coimbra, Aveiro, Viseu, Caldas da Rainha, Leiria, Castelo Branco ...
. Three hours later, it degenerated to a post-tropical remnant low near
Viseu Viseu () is a city and municipality in the Centro Region of Portugal and the capital of the district of the same name, with a population of 100,000 inhabitants, and center of the Viseu Dão Lafões intermunipical community, with 267,633 inhabi ...
, Portugal. and dissipated shortly thereafter. In preparation for Alpha on September 18, orange warnings were raised for high wind and heavy rain in
Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2011 census was 143,397, in an area of . The fourth-largest urban area in Portugal after Lisbon, Porto Metropolitan Area, Porto, and Bra ...
and Leiria districts of Portugal. Alpha and its associated low produced a wind gust up to at
Monte Real Monte Real is a town (''vila'' in Portuguese) and a former civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government b ...
. High winds downed many trees and caused numerous power outages in coastal Portugal. The storm also spawned at least two
tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...
es, both rated EF1 on the
Enhanced Fujita scale The Enhanced Fujita scale (abbreviated as EF-Scale) rates tornado intensity based on the severity of the damage they cause. It is used in some countries, including the United States, Canada, China, and Mongolia. The Enhanced Fujita scale repla ...
. In Spain, the front associated with Alpha caused a train to derail in
Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
, while
thunderstorm A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorms are someti ...
s on
Ons Island The Ons Island ( gl, Illa de Ons; es, Isla de Ons) is the main island of a small archipelago in the Ria de Pontevedra in Galicia, Spain. Ons belongs administratively to the municipality of Bueu, which has a regular ferry boat connection to the is ...
caused a
forest fire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire ...
. There were no reports of injuries or deaths related to Alpha while it was a subtropical cyclone, but its remnants caused one fatality in Spain, as a woman in Calzadilla died after a roof collapsed upon her. Overall, Alpha caused at least $1 million in damage.


Tropical Storm Beta

An area of disturbed weather, composed of a tropical wave, an upper-level low-pressure area, and a frontal trough, stretched from the western Caribbean to offshore the Southeastern United States on September 5 and September 6. Drifting westward, the disturbance reached the northeastern Gulf of Mexico and consolidated by September 12. However, development of the system was not expected at the time due to strong upper-level winds produced by Hurricane Sally, which made landfall in
Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
on September 16 and then moved across the Southeastern United States. By 12:00 UTC the next day, disturbance organized into Tropical Depression Twenty-Two about south-southeast of
Brownsville, Texas Brownsville () is a city in Cameron County in the U.S. state of Texas. It is on the western Gulf Coast in South Texas, adjacent to the border with Matamoros, Mexico. The city covers , and has a population of 186,738 as of the 2020 census. It ...
. The depression headed slowly northeastward and intensified, becoming Tropical Storm Beta late on September 18. Although dry air generated by a surface trough and an upper-level trough prevented Beta from rapidly intensifying, the cyclone was able to reach a peak wind speed of 65 mph (100 km/h) around 12:00 UTC on September 20 and a minimum pressure of 993 mbar (30.47 inHg) around 00:00 UTC on the next day. Beta became nearly stationary after turning westward on September 20, causing
upwelling Upwelling is an oceanographic phenomenon that involves wind-driven motion of dense, cooler, and usually nutrient-rich water from deep water towards the ocean surface. It replaces the warmer and usually nutrient-depleted surface water. The nut ...
and weakening the storm. Beta made landfall at 02:45 UTC on September 22, over the southern end of
Matagorda Peninsula The Matagorda Peninsula () is a narrow spit of land on the southeastern coast of Texas in the United States. The peninsula is in Matagorda County, Texas. The barrier island lies between Matagorda Bay, an estuary, and the Gulf of Mexico. The Tex ...
, near
Port O'Connor, Texas Port O'Connor is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Calhoun County, Texas, United States, near the Gulf coastline between Galveston and Corpus Christi. The CDP had a population of 1,253 at the 2010 census. It is par ...
, with winds of . By 18:00 UTC, the storm weakened to a tropical depression and turned east-northeastward. Beta soon became an extratropical low inland near the Texas coast. The extratropical low moved through the
Deep South The Deep South or the Lower South is a cultural and geographic subregion in the Southern United States. The term was first used to describe the states most dependent on plantations and slavery prior to the American Civil War. Following the wa ...
until dissipating over northeastern Alabama early on September 25. Beta caused widespread moderate to major flooding in portions of the
Greater Houston Greater Houston, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land, is the fifth-most populous metropolitan statistical area in the United States, encompassing nine counties along the Gulf Co ...
metropolitan area. Rainfall amounts generally ranged from , with a peak total of in Brookside Village.
Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
officials reported that over 100,000 gallons of domestic wastewater spilled at five locations in the city as a result. Rising floodwaters necessitated more than 100 high-water rescues and the closures of several highways and interstates in the area. At least 20-25 homes in the Houston metropolitan area suffered flood damage. Officials also reported that one man drowned in
Brays Bayou Brays Bayou is a slow-moving river in Harris County, Texas. A major tributary of Buffalo Bayou, the Brays flows for from the western edge of the county, south of Barker Reservoir along the border with Fort Bend County, east to its convergence ...
. The extratropical remnants of Beta brought heavy rainfall to other states, especially Louisiana and Mississippi. Throughout the United States, Beta caused approximately $225 million in damage.


Hurricane Gamma

On September 21, a tropical wave emerged into the Atlantic from the west coast of Africa. Dry air limited convection associated with the wave for several days, before convection increased as the system reached the western Caribbean on September 30. A surface low-pressure area developed early on October 2, and then the convection became sufficiently organized, resulting in the formation of Tropical Depression Twenty-Five by 06:00 UTC that day about southeast of Cozumel, Quintana Roo. The depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Gamma about 12 hours later. Thereafter, Gamma quickly intensified as it moved across the northwestern Caribbean Sea, reaching Category 1 hurricane strength and peaking with maximum sustained winds of and a minimum pressure of 978 mbar (28.88 inHg) as it made landfall near
Tulum, Quintana Roo Tulum () is the largest community in the municipality of Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico. It is located on the Caribbean coast of the state, near the site of the archaeological ruins of Tulum. History As recently as the early 1990s, Tulum was a ...
, at 16:45 UTC on October 3. It quickly weakened to a tropical storm while crossing the northern Yucatán Peninsula. After emerging over the southern Gulf of Mexico near
Río Lagartos Río Lagartos is a town in the state of Yucatán, Mexico. The town lies 42 kilometres north of Tizimín. Mérida is approximately 230 kilometres further west. Río Lagartos is located at a lagoon, the Ria Lagartos, which is part of a natural rese ...
early on October 4, deep convection redeveloped over the center, enabling Gamma to re-strengthen and briefly reach a secondary peak intensity of at 18:00 UTC on October 4. The storm then stalled for several hours before slowly commencing a move southwestward. During this time, increasing shear and intrusions of dry air weakened the storm, leaving its center exposed by early on October 5. By 18:00 UTC that day, Gamma weakened to a tropical depression. It continued to produce disorganized convection through its final landfall, which occurred at 03:00 UTC on October 6, near San Felipe, Yucatán, with winds of . The storm was absorbed by Hurricane Delta by late on October 6, while its circulation promptly dissipated over land. Numerous tropical storm watches and warnings were issued by the government of Mexico for parts of the Yucatán Peninsula following the formation of Gamma and several thousand people were evacuated to shelters. The storm produced strong winds, heavy rainfall, flash flooding, landslides, and mudslides in the region. Precipitation peaked at in Tizimin. Extensive flooding was reported in the city, while at least 30 people were forced to evacuate their homes due to rising floodwaters. In Progreso, many streets were inundated and floodwaters entered several homes on the outskirts of the city. In states outside of the Yucatán Peninsula region, water entered 11,457 homes, 10,815 of which were in
Tabasco Tabasco (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tabasco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tabasco), is one of the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 17 municipalities and its capital city is Villahermosa. It is located in ...
. Flooding in
Chiapas Chiapas (; Tzotzil language, Tzotzil and Tzeltal language, Tzeltal: ''Chyapas'' ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas), is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, ...
damaged 543 homes, 326 roadways, 13 sections of a waterpipe network, and 2 schools. Gamma caused at least six deaths in Mexico, with four in Chiapas and two in Tabasco. Damage in Mexico totaled approximately $100 million. Gamma's outerbands also produced heavy rainfall in the
Cayman Islands The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territory—the largest by population in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located to the ...
,
Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...
, and
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...
.


Hurricane Delta

A tropical wave emerged into the Atlantic from the west coast of Africa on September 26. There was little convection associated with the wave until September 30, with shower and thunderstorm activity increased. Convection then fluctuated as it moved across the Caribbean Sea due to moderate wind shear and dry air. However, a well-defined center of circulation formed with sufficiently organized deep convection around 18:00 UTC on October 4, marking the formation of Tropical Depression Twenty-Six. Thunderstorm activity continued to increase after formation, but was initially confined to the southern portion of the circulation due to northerly wind shear. Once the shear lessened on October 5, convection became more symmetric around the center, and the system strengthened to become Tropical Storm Delta by 12:00 UTC that day about south-southwest of
Montego Bay Montego Bay is the capital of the Parishes of Jamaica, parish of Saint James Parish, Jamaica, St. James in Jamaica. The city is the fourth-largest urban area in the country by population, after Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston, Spanish Town, and Por ...
, Jamaica. Delta soon began to rapidly intensify, attaining hurricane strength 12 hours later. As it moved west-northwestward over the western Caribbean Sea, Delta became a Category 3 major hurricane by 12:00 UTC October 6. The cyclone then peaked as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum winds of 140 mph (220 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 953 mbar (28.14 inHg) six hours later. This period of rapid intensification resulted in a increase in winds over a period. This breakneck rate of strengthening was due to a combination of extremely warm ocean water temperatures, low wind shear, and sufficiently moist air aloft. The hurricane weakened early on October 7 due to a slight increase in mid-level wind shear, which inhibited upper-level outflow from the storm and disrupted its small core. Around 10:30 UTC that day, Delta made landfall near
Puerto Morelos Puerto Morelos () is a town and seaport in Quintana Roo, Mexico's easternmost state, on the Yucatán Peninsula. The town is located in the northeast of the state, about south of the resort city of Cancún, and about north of the city of Playa de ...
, Quintana Roo, as a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of . Delta spent several hours over the
Yucatán Peninsula The Yucatán Peninsula (, also , ; es, Península de Yucatán ) is a large peninsula in southeastern Mexico and adjacent portions of Belize and Guatemala. The peninsula extends towards the northeast, separating the Gulf of Mexico to the north ...
before emerging into the Gulf of Mexico north of Dzilam de Bravo, Yucatán, as a Category 1 hurricane around 18:00 UTC. Moving northwestward and situated in generally favorable atmospheric and oceanic conditions, Delta again intensified, strengthening back to a major hurricane within 24 hours. It then reached its secondary peak intensity at 00:00 UTC on October 9, with winds of and a minimum pressure of 953 mb (28.14 inHg). During the day, however, an increase in southwesterly shear and a decrease in the oceanic heat content over the northern Gulf of Mexico caused Delta to weaken to Category 2 strength as it moved toward the southwestern Louisiana coast. Delta made landfall near
Creole, Louisiana Creole is an unincorporated community in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, United States. The ZIP Code for Creole is 70632. History A post office was established at Creole in March 1890. The community was probably named for the Louisiana Creole people. ...
, with winds of at 23:00 UTC. Its landfall location was only about east of where Hurricane Laura's eye crossed the coast on August 27. Inland, Delta weakened to tropical storm strength at 06:00 UTC on October 10 near
Alexandria, Louisiana Alexandria is the ninth-largest city in the state of Louisiana and is the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the prin ...
. The storm continued to weaken that day as it turned northeastward, becoming extratropical over
Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
by 18:00 UTC and subsequently degenerating into a trough of low pressure over
Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
on October 12. As Delta was nearing landfall in Quintana Roo, Mexican president
Andrés Manuel López Obrador Andrés Manuel López Obrador (; born 13 November 1953), also known by his initials AMLO, is a Mexican politician who has been serving as the 65th president of Mexico since 1 December 2018. He previously served as Head of Government of Mex ...
announced on October 6 the activation of the DN-III emergency plan and the mobilization of 5,000 soldiers of the
Mexican Armed Forces The Mexican Armed Forces ( es, Fuerzas Armadas de México) are the military forces of the United Mexican States. The Spanish crown established a standing military in colonial Mexico in the eighteenth century. After Mexican independence in 1821, ...
to help with the evacuation of sheltering people in the region. There were numerous reports of uprooted trees and damage to the region's electrical grids, with approximately one-third of the region's population losing power. The storm caused significant flooding in
Cozumel Cozumel (; yua, Kùutsmil) is an island and municipality in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen. It is separated from the mainland by the Cozumel Channel and is close to the Yucatán ...
and
Playa del Carmen Playa del Carmen, known colloquially as 'Playa', is a resort city located along the Caribbean Sea in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. It is part of the municipality of Solidaridad. As of 2020, the city's population was just over 300,000 peopl ...
. Overall, damage in Mexico totaled approximately $185 million. As Delta moved into the northern Gulf of Mexico, widespread watches and warnings were issued along the U.S. Gulf Coast. States of emergency were declared in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama and numerous coastal, low-lying, and flood prone areas were evacuated. The hurricane and its remnants produced heavy rain, strong winds, storm surge, and tornadoes across much of the Southeastern United States. In Louisiana, strong winds generated by Delta caused additional damage to structures that were impacted by Laura, while debris remaining since the Laura were scattered across roadways and drains. However, much of the damage in the state was caused by flooding, with of rainfall at LeBleu Settlement. Floodwaters entered several homes in
Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-sma ...
and Calcasieu. In Mississippi, roughly 100,000 businesses and homes lost electricity after rainfall and tropical storm-force wind gusts uprooted trees. Damage from Delta in the United States reached $2.9 billion. Altogether, there were six storm-related fatalities, two each in the Yucatán, Louisiana, and Florida.


Hurricane Epsilon

An upper-level trough associated with a weak baroclinic low-pressure area moved offshore the East Coast of the United States on October 13. A cold front moved into the vicinity on the system two days later, before degenerating into a surface trough. The interaction of these systems led to the formation of a non-tropical surface low on October 16. The low drifted southward into an area of warmer sea surface temperatures, allowing convection to expand and organize. A large cluster of deep convection formed just east of the low by 06:00 UTC on October 19 while it was located about east of Bermuda, resulting in a sufficiently organized structure for it to be designated as Tropical Depression Twenty-Seven. Six hours later, the system strengthened into Tropical Storm Epsilon, and then slowly intensified the following day, as it encountered sporadic bouts of dry-air intrusion imported by moderate vertical wind shear while executing a small counter-clockwise loop. The vertical shear subsided somewhat and the remaining dry air was ejected from the core between enabling the storm to undergo rapid intensification, despite relatively cool sea temperatures and moderate wind shear remaining. It intensified into a hurricane around 00:00 UTC October 21 and reached Category 3 status by 18 hours later while located about southeast of Bermuda. Epsilon then peaked with maximum sustained winds of and a minimum pressure of 952 mbar (28.12 inHg) early on October 22. Epsilon was also the farthest east a major hurricane had been observed after October 20. However, the storm quickly weakened to Category 1 strength as its inner core eroded, though Epsilon then maintained this intensity over the next two days. Early on October 23, the hurricane made its closest advance toward Bermuda, passing about to its east. Epsilon turned sharply northeast and accelerated on October 24, slowly weakening as it approached the north extent of the
Gulf Stream The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension the North Atlantic Drift, is a warm and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida and up the eastern coastline of the Unit ...
. Encountering colder ocean temperatures, Epsilon fell to tropical storm intensity around 18:00 UTC on October 25, and became extratropical early on the next day about east of
Cape Race, Newfoundland Cape Race is a point of land located at the southeastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland, in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Its name is thought to come from the original Portuguese name for this cape, "Raso", meani ...
. Epsilon's remnants were later absorbed into a deep extratropical low southwest of
Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
. The hurricane's large wind field prompted the issuance of a tropical storm watch for Bermuda at 15:00 UTC on October 20, which was later upgraded to a warning 24 hours later. Although the Bermuda Weather Service anticipated that hurricane-force winds would not impact the island, the
Government of Bermuda Bermuda is the oldest British Overseas Territory, and the oldest self-governing British Overseas Territory, and has a great degree of internal autonomy through authority and roles of governance delegated to it by the national Government (the Bri ...
warned residents to prepare for
power outage A power outage (also called a powercut, a power out, a power failure, a power blackout, a power loss, or a blackout) is the loss of the electrical power network supply to an end user. There are many causes of power failures in an electricit ...
s and to check their emergency supplies. Additionally, ''Dangerous Surf Advisory'' signs were posted at south shore beaches. Rainfall on the island as the storm passed by amounted to less than ; winds at Bermuda's airport gusted near tropical storm-force, with a peak wind gust of . As it began moving away from Bermuda on October 23, the tropical storm warning was cancelled. The hurricane also generated large sea swells from Bermuda to the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the Leeward Islands. The hurricane caused one direct death; a 27-year-old man drowned in Epsilon-induced rip currents in
Daytona Beach, Florida Daytona Beach, or simply Daytona, is a coastal Resort town, resort-city in east-central Florida. Located on the eastern edge of Volusia County, Florida, Volusia County near the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic coastline, its population ...
. The trailing weather fronts associated with this low produced waves up to on the coast of Ireland on October 28.


Hurricane Zeta

A large area of unsettled weather developed due to the combination of a tropical wave and a midlevel trough October 18–October 19 over the southwestern Caribbean Sea. The system drifted west-northwestward to near Grand Cayman on October 23. Thereafter, deep convection increased overnight into the morning of October 24. Around 12:00 UTC, satellite data indicated that a well-defined low formed, marking the formation of Tropical Depression Twenty-Eight. Then, 12 hours later, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Zeta, while located about east-southeast of Cozumel, Quintana Roo. Despite experiencing some north-northwestwardly shear, the storm steadily intensified, and reached hurricane strength by 06:00 UTC on October 26. At 03:55 UTC the next day, Zeta landfall near Ciudad Chemuyil, Quintana Roo, with winds of . After weakening to a tropical storm inland, Zeta moved offshore of the northern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula about 11 hours later just east of
Telchac Puerto Telchac Puerto is a port town in the Yucatan. It is located about one hour north east of the city of Mérida (65 kilometers) and 30 minutes from Progreso. Dining A bakery and several seafood restaurants are in Telchac Puerto. Fried fish st ...
. Dry air wrapped around the northern half of Zeta's circulation as it moved offshore over the southern Gulf of Mexico, leaving its center partially exposed. However, the storm soon encountered a conducive environment of low shear and warm sea surface temperatures, allowing Zeta to become a hurricane again early on October 28; this marked the start of a period of rapid intensification. Zeta peaked later that day at 21:00 UTC when it became a Category 3 major hurricane with maximum sustained winds of and a minimum barometric pressure of 970 mbar (28.65 inHg), as it made its second landfall near
Cocodrie, Louisiana Cocodrie is an unincorporated fishing, shrimping and crabbing village in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, United States, 10 miles south of Chauvin and due south of the city of Houma. It is part of the Houma– Bayou Cane–Thibodaux Metrop ...
. Zeta steadily lost strength after landfall, weakening to a tropical storm over Alabama at 06:00 UTC on October 29, before transitioning into a post-tropical cyclone over central Virginia by 18:00 UTC that day, while moving rapidly northeastward. Early on October 30, Zeta's remnants dissipated east of the mid-Atlantic U.S. coast. Heavy rain in
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...
caused a landslide that killed two people after demolishing a home in Saint Andrew Parish. Zeta left roughly $15 million in damage on the island. Strong winds and rain caused flooding and damaged infrastructure in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. Zeta knocked out power to more than 2.6 million homes and businesses across the
Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern por ...
; it also disrupted 2020 election
early voting Early voting, also called advance polling or pre-poll voting, is a convenience voting process by which voters in a public election can vote before a scheduled election day. Early voting can take place remotely, such as via postal voting, or in ...
in several states. In Louisiana, the cyclone produced hurricane-force winds, with the highest reported sustained wind speed being at Golden Meadow, while the same location recorded gusts up to . Strong winds caused significant damage to hundreds of homes in
Jefferson Jefferson may refer to: Names * Jefferson (surname) * Jefferson (given name) People * Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States * Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foo ...
,
Lafourche Lafourche Parish (french: Paroisse de la Fourche) is a parish located in the south of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Thibodaux. The parish was formed in 1807. It was originally the northern part of Lafourche Interior Parish, whi ...
, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, and
Terrebonne Terrebonne, meaning ''good earth'' in French, is a name of several places in North America: ;Canada *Terrebonne, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal ** Terrebonne station, a commuter railway station in Terrebonne, Quebec **Terrebonne City Council, the go ...
parishes, while some 100 homes were destroyed. Storm surge resulted in coastal flooding, especially in Lafourche and Jefferson parishes, with water entering buildings in Golden Meadow and Leesville. Roughly 500,000 households in the state lost electricity. Areas of extreme southern Mississippi reported severe wind damage, as hurricane-force winds also impacted the state's coastal counties. Around 10,000 homes in Mississippi were damaged. Storm surge inundated hundreds of roads in the vicinity of
Bay St. Louis Bay St. Louis is a city in and the county seat of Hancock County, Mississippi, in the United States. Located on the Gulf Coast on the west side of the Bay of St. Louis, it is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi Metropolitan Statistical Area. As o ...
, while Route 90 was submerged in Harrison County. Much of the rest of the state reported generally minor impact. Coastal Alabama suffered storm surge flooding, inundating roads and damaging some businesses and properties. Farther inland, winds damaged hundreds of homes, knocked down a number of power lines and uprooted trees. In Georgia, Zeta left extensive damage from the
Atlanta metropolitan area Metro Atlanta, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Alpharetta, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the ...
northward due to tropical storm-force wind gusts. Within the Atlanta area, strong winds damaged many traffic signals and uprooted trees, blocking many roads and causing property damage. Heavy rains also produced flooding in Rabun County, Georgia, Rabun and Union County, Georgia, Union counties. Approximately 1 million people lost electricity. The storm uprooted hundreds of trees, damaged hundreds of homes, and caused flash flooding in parts of
North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...
. Similar but slightly lesser impacts occurred in South Carolina. Zeta also damaged hundreds of power lines and uprooted trees in
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...
, though structural damage was mostly minor. As the remnants of Zeta moved off shore from the continental U.S., 2020–21 North American winter#Hurricane Zeta-related snow event, it left behind accumulating snow across parts of
New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
. There were seven related deaths in the United States: three in Georgia; two in Mississippi; and one each in Louisiana and Mississippi. Damage within the United States totaled $4.4 billion, with at least $1.25 billion incurred in Louisiana, $1.1 billion in Georgia, $840 million in Alabama, $635 million in Mississippi, $550 million in the Carolinas, and $25 million in Virginia.


Hurricane Eta

On October 29, the NHC began monitoring a disturbance interacting with a pair of tropical waves while moving across the Lesser Antilles and into the eastern Caribbean Sea. On October 30, the disturbance moved west-northwestward and gradually became better organized. By 18:00 UTC on October 31, the system's deep convection had consolidated and a low-level circulation had become sufficiently well-defined, marking the formation of Tropical Depression Twenty-Nine centered about south of Pedernales, Dominican Republic. The depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Eta by 00:00 UTC on November 1, and quickly intensified, becoming a hurricane by 06:00 UTC on November 2, while located about south of Grand Cayman. Eta strengthened extremely rapidly through that day, and by 18:00 UTC it had intensified into a Category 4 hurricane. It reached its peak intensity with sustained maximum winds of and a minimum pressure of 922 mbar (27.23 inHg) at 06:00 UTC on November 3. Later that day, at 21:00 UTC, it made landfall south-southwest of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, with winds of . Eta rapidly weakened over land, moving westward, diminishing to a tropical storm by 12:00 UTC on November 4, and to a tropical depression early the following day while moving northward over central Honduras. There, its surface circulation appeared to dissipate, but an associated low- to mid-tropospheric circulation center remained present. The disturbance then emerged over the Gulf of Honduras just before 00:00 UTC on November 6, where it re-acquired a surface circulation, re-developing into a tropical depression to the east of Belize around six hours later. It regained tropical storm status around 06:00 UTC on November 7, as it accelerated east-northeastward across the Caribbean Sea. Eta made its next landfall along the southern coast of Sancti Spíritus Province in Cuba around 09:00 UTC on November 8, with winds of . Then, after crossing Cuba and the Straits of Florida, Eta made its third landfall, striking Lower Matecumbe Key in the
Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and e ...
at 04:00 UTC on November 9, with winds of . Next, after moving into the Gulf of Mexico, Eta briefly re-strengthened into a hurricane southwest of Florida on November 11, before weakening back to tropical storm strength. It then turned northeastward and made its final landfall near Cedar Key, Florida, at 09:00 UTC on November 12, with winds of . The storm weakened over land, emerging over the Atlantic Ocean near the Florida–
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
state line later that day. Eta re-intensified slightly on November 13 while moving northeastward off the coast of the Carolinas, before transitioning into an extratropical cyclone later that day. Hurricane and tropical storm watches and warnings were issued along the Caribbean coast of Honduras and of northeastern Nicaragua as Eta approached. The intense wind and rain generated by Eta caused flooding and landslides, resulting in crop losses, plus the destruction of roads, bridges, power lines and houses throughout Central America. The storm damaged or demolished at least 6,900 homes, 45 schools, 16 healthcare facilities, and some of bridges and roadways throughout Nicaragua. Eta also damaged hundreds of dwellings to some degree in both Guatemala and Honduras. Washed out bridges and roads isolated more than 40 communities in the latter. In Guatemala, flooding also ruined more than of crops. Mexico suffered significant impacts as well, with thousands of homes damaged in
Chiapas Chiapas (; Tzotzil language, Tzotzil and Tzeltal language, Tzeltal: ''Chyapas'' ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas), is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, ...
and
Tabasco Tabasco (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tabasco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tabasco), is one of the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 17 municipalities and its capital city is Villahermosa. It is located in ...
. Overall, more than 210 fatalities across Central America were attributed to the storm, including 74 in Honduras, 60 in Guatemala, 27 in Mexico, 19 in Panama, two each in Nicaragua and Costa Rica, and one in El Salvador. Damage in Central America reached approximately $6.8 billion. Relief efforts were severely hampered when, just two weeks later, Hurricane Iota made landfall approximately 15 miles (25 km) south of where Eta moved ashore. Tropical storm watches were issued on November 5 in the
Cayman Islands The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territory—the largest by population in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located to the ...
, followed by more watches in Cuba, the northwestern
Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...
, and South Florida. Eta bought heavy rainfall and gusty winds to the Cayman Islands and Cuba, the latter of which was already dealing with overflowing rivers that prompted the evacuations of 25,000 people. Heavy rainfall and tropical-storm force winds were recorded across much of Florida as a result of Eta's two landfalls there, causing widespread flooding, especially in Broward County, Florida, Broward and Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade counties. Streets remained inundated in both counties for several days, while floodwaters entered homes in parts of Broward County. More than 290,000 customers lost electricity in the Miami metropolitan area. Eta also caused some coastal and freshwater flooding in the Tampa Bay area, while over 40,000 customers in the region lost power. The storm then interacted with a cold front, causing flash flooding in Georgia and the Carolinas. Eta caused roughly $1.5 billion in damage in the United States and at least ten deaths, with nine in
North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...
and one in Florida.


Tropical Storm Theta

On November 6, the NHC began monitoring a non-tropical area of disturbed weather in the central Atlantic for possible gradual subtropical development. A non-tropical low subsequently formed about 1,300 mi (2,095 km) west-southwest of the Azores on November 8. The system became better organized as it began to detach from a frontal boundary during the following day. At 00:00 UTC on November 10, it developed into Subtropical Storm Theta. By 18:00 UTC that afternoon, the storm had transitioned into a tropical storm; it simultaneously attained what would be its peak intensity, with maximum winds of 70 mph (110 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 987 mbar (29.15 inHg). By the following morning, the effects of strong southwesterly shear had weakened Theta somewhat, though it soon began to regain some strength, and by 00:00 UTC on November 12, re-intensified to its earlier peak. Steady weakening occurred on , as the storm experienced strong northerly vertical shear. By 06:00 UTC on November 15, Theta had weakened to a tropical depression about southwest of Madeira Island, and it degenerated to a remnant low six hours later.


Hurricane Iota

A tropical wave emerged into the Atlantic from the west coast of Africa at a low-latitude on October 30. The wave moved westward and remained disorganized for several days. Deep convection increased significantly on November 12 while the system was located over the central Caribbean, becoming a broad low-pressure area that day. At around 12:00 UTC on November 13, Tropical Depression Thirty-One formed about northwest of Aruba. Six hours later, the system strengthened into Tropical Storm Iota. Environmental conditions at the time—low vertical wind shear, extremely warm sea surface temperatures and a moist atmosphere—were favorable for rapid or even explosive intensification of the storm into a major hurricane. Iota reached hurricane strength by 06:00 UTC on November 15, while located about east of Providencia Island, Colombia, and reached Category 4 strength 24 hours later. Around 12:00 UTC on November 16, the hurricane attained its peak intensity with maximum winds of and a minimum pressure of 917 mbar (27.08 inHg) while located just northwest of Providencia Island. Data from Air Force Reserve reconnaissance aircraft indicated that Iota had strengthened and that its central pressure had fallen 80 mbar (2.36 inHg) during the 42 hours preceding this achievement. Afterward, the hurricane weakened some as it passed over the relatively cool wake created nearly two weeks earlier by Hurricane Eta. At 03:40 UTC on November 17, Iota made landfall near Haulover, Nicaragua, in the Pearl Lagoon, South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region, Pearl Lagoon municipality with sustained winds of . Its landfall location was approximately south of where Eta made landfall on November 3. After moving inland, Iota rapidly weakened over the mountainous terrain of Nicaragua, becoming a tropical storm by 18:00 UTC that day while located over western Nicaragua. Then, after moving over southern Honduras and east-central El Salvador, it weakened to a tropical depression by 12:00 UTC on November 18. Iota dissipated over western El Salvador several hours later. In
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, flooding due to heavy rainfall damaged 288 homes in the state of Falcón, with most located in the Paraguaná Peninsula. The government of Colombia issued a hurricane warning for Providencia and a hurricane watch for the island of San Andrés (island), San Andrés on November 14. Iota caused extreme damage in the archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina. The hurricane demolished approximately 98 percent of the infrastructure on Providencia Island – including buildings constructed as early as the 15th century – while all homes were damaged to some degree. Portions of the mainland also suffered major damage, particularly in the Guajira Peninsula. Floodwaters impacted approximately 70 percent of the city of Cartagena, Colombia, Cartagena. A total of 1,043 homes were damaged in Atlántico Department alone. Ten direct deaths occurred in Colombia. Hurricane warnings were issued for portions of the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua and of Honduras on November 14. In the former, wind damage was limited to an extent due to the recent passage of Hurricane Eta. However, the cyclone knocked down many electrical poles and deroofed many homes and a makeshift hospital in the Bilwi area. Heavy rainfall, combined with already saturated soil due to Eta, caused widespread flooding and mudslides. Iota caused at least 56 deaths in Nicaragua, 39 directly and 17 indirectly. Heavy precipitation resulted in flooding and mudslides in Honduras, especially close to or north of Iota's path, completely destroying numerous homes. At least 13 people in Honduras were killed due to the direct effects of Iota. Mexico also reported extensive impacts from the storm, especially in
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,
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, and Veracruz. Floodwaters and mudslides damaged almost 59,000 homes and left 135 communities isolated. Overall, Iota directly or indirectly caused at least 84 deaths, and total damage estimates for the hurricane amounted to $1.4 billion, about $1.25 billion of which was incurred in Honduras and Nicaragua.


Storm names

The following list of names was used for named storms that formed in the North Atlantic in 2020. As more than 21 named storms occurred, storms that formed after Wilfred were assigned names from the Tropical cyclone naming#North Atlantic Ocean, auxiliary list, which corresponded to the letters of the Greek alphabet. Use of this naming protocol had only happened once before, in
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. The list of storm names for the 2020 season was the same list used in the 2014 Atlantic hurricane season, 2014 season, as no names were retired from that year. The names ''Isaias'', ''Paulette'', ''Rene'', ''Sally'', ''Teddy'', ''Vicky'', and ''Wilfred'' from the regular list were used for the first time this year, as were the auxiliary list names ''Eta'', ''Theta'', and ''Iota''. Isaias and Paulette replaced Hurricane Ike, Ike and Hurricane Paloma, Paloma, respectively, after 2008 Atlantic hurricane season, 2008, but both names went unused in 2014.


Retirement

On March 17, 2021, during the joint 42nd and 43rd Sessions of the RA IV Hurricane Committee in the spring of 2021, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) retired the name ''Laura'', replacing it with ''Leah'' for the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, 2026 season. The letters ''Eta'' and ''Iota'' were also retired. The WMO did not retire the names of several 2020 hurricanes that caused extensive damage, specifically: Isaias, Sally, Delta and Zeta. This made Sally, the most destructive of the four, the most expensive non-retired North Atlantic hurricane on record, with a damage total of around $7.3 billion (2020 USD).


End of Greek alphabet usage

After the 2005 season, the WMO decided to keep using the Greek letter names as an auxiliary list each year. It also determined that the retirement of a Greek alphabet name (removing it from use), was not feasible. Instead, the WMO put a policy in place whereby a storm with a Greek letter name found worthy of retirement would be included in the list of retired names along with the year of occurrence, but the Greek letter would continue to be available for use in future years. In 2020, several highly devastating storms with Greek letter names, particularly Eta and Iota (which, under the previous policy, would have been retired as "Eta (2020)" and "Iota (2020)" respectively), prompted concerns from meteorologists, including retired National Hurricane Center#Hurricane Specialists Unit, Hurricane Specialist Unit chief James Franklin (meteorologist), James Franklin, that the current policy would defeat the purpose of name retirement. On March 17, 2021, the WMO announced that the use of the Greek list would be discontinued to avoid confusion. Instead, if the regular naming list is exhausted, an auxiliary list consisting of 21 given names would be used, which will allow the names to be retired.


Season effects

This is a table of the tropical cyclones that formed in the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. It includes their duration, names, intensities, areas affected, damage and death totals. Deaths in parentheses are additional and indirect (an example of an indirect death would be a traffic accident), but were still related to that storm. Damage and deaths include totals while the storm was extratropical, a wave, or a low. All of the damage figures are in 2020 USD.


See also

* Tropical cyclones in 2020 *
Atlantic hurricane season The Atlantic hurricane season is the period in a year from June through November when tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic Ocean, referred to in North American countries as hurricanes, tropical storms, or tropical depressions. In addition ...
* List of Atlantic hurricane records * Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone * South Atlantic tropical cyclone * 2020 Pacific hurricane season * 2020 Pacific typhoon season * 2020 North Indian Ocean cyclone season * South-West Indian Ocean cyclone seasons: 2019–20 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, 2019–20, 2020–21 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, 2020–21 * Australian region cyclone seasons: 2019–20 Australian region cyclone season, 2019–20, 2020–21 Australian region cyclone season, 2020–21 * South Pacific cyclone seasons: 2019–20 South Pacific cyclone season, 2019–20, 2020–21 South Pacific cyclone season, 2020–21


Notes


References


External links


National Hurricane Center Website

National Hurricane Center's Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlook



Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Reports
{{Tropical cyclone season, 2020 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, Articles which contain graphical timelines Atlantic hurricane seasons Tropical cyclones in 2020