The

2006 Atlantic hurricane season The 2006 Atlantic hurricane season was the least active since 1997 as well as the first season since 2001 in which no hurricanes made landfall in the United States, and was the first since 1994 in which no tropical cyclones formed during Octobe ...

was a cycle of the annual

tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

season in the Atlantic Ocean in the Northern Hemisphere. The season officially began on June 1, 2006, and ended on November 30, 2006. These dates, adopted by convention, historically describe the period in each year when most

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...

or tropical cyclogenesis occurs in the Atlantic Ocean. The first storm to form in 2006 was Tropical Storm Alberto on June 10; the last,

Hurricane Isaac Hurricane Isaac was a deadly and destructive tropical cyclone that came ashore in the U.S. state of Louisiana during August 2012. The ninth named storm and fourth hurricane of the annual hurricane season, Isaac originated from a tropical w ...

, dissipated on October 2. The season saw near average activity in terms of the overall number of cyclones. There were ten named storms in the Atlantic basin in 2006, of which five became hurricanes with two intensifying further into major hurricanes. It was the first season since the 2001 season in which no hurricanes made landfall in the United States, and the first since the 1994 season that no tropical cyclones formed during October; activity was slowed by a rapidly forming El Niño event in 2006, the presence of the

Saharan Air Layer The Saharan Air Layer (SAL) is an extremely hot, dry and sometimes dust-laden layer of the atmosphere that often overlies the cooler, more-humid surface air of the Atlantic Ocean. It carries upwards of 60 million tonnes of dust annually over th ...

over the tropical Atlantic, and the steady presence of a robust secondary high-pressure area to the

Azores High The Azores High also known as North Atlantic (Subtropical) High/Anticyclone or the Bermuda-Azores High, is a large subtropical semi-permanent centre of high atmospheric pressure typically found south of the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean, at the Hor ...

centered on Bermuda. This timeline documents tropical cyclone formations, strengthening, weakening, landfalls,

extratropical transition 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 of p ...

s, and dissipations during the season. It includes information that was not released throughout the season, meaning that data from post-storm reviews by the

National Hurricane Center The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is the division of the United States' NOAA/National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting tropical weather systems between the Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian west poleward to the 3 ...

, such as a storm that was not initially warned upon, has been included. By convention, meteorologists use one

time zone A time zone is an area which observes a uniform standard time for legal, Commerce, commercial and social purposes. Time zones tend to follow the boundaries between Country, countries and their Administrative division, subdivisions instead of ...

when issuing forecasts and making observations:

Coordinated Universal Time Coordinated Universal Time or UTC is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is within about one second of mean solar time (such as UT1) at 0° longitude (at the IERS Reference Meridian as the currently used ...

(UTC), and also use the

24-hour clock The modern 24-hour clock, popularly referred to in the United States as military time, is the convention of timekeeping in which the day runs from midnight to midnight and is divided into 24 hours. This is indicated by the hours (and minutes) pas ...

(where 00:00 = midnight UTC). The National Hurricane Center uses both UTC and the time zone where the center of the tropical cyclone is currently located. The time zones utilized (east to west) are: Greenwich,

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

Atlantic 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 ...

, Eastern, and

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

. In this timeline, all information is listed by UTC first, with the respective regional time zone included in parentheses. Additionally, figures for

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. Unl ...

s and position estimates are rounded to the nearest 5 units (

knots A knot is a fastening in rope or interwoven lines. Knot may also refer to: Places * Knot, Nancowry, a village in India Archaeology * Knot of Isis (tyet), symbol of welfare/life. * Minoan snake goddess figurines#Sacral knot Arts, entertainme ...

miles The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of distance; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 English ...

, or kilometers), following National Hurricane Center practice. Direct wind observations are rounded to the nearest whole number. Atmospheric pressures are listed to the nearest

millibar The bar is a metric unit of pressure, but not part of the International System of Units (SI). It is defined as exactly equal to 100,000 Pa (100 kPa), or slightly less than the current average atmospheric pressure on Earth at sea leve ...

and nearest hundredth of an

inch of mercury Inch of mercury (inHg and ″Hg) is a non- SI unit of measurement for pressure. It is used for barometric pressure in weather reports, refrigeration and aviation in the United States. It is the pressure exerted by a column of mercury in heigh ...

Timeline of storms

June

;June 1 *The 2006 Atlantic hurricane season officially begins. ;June 10 *1 a.m. CDT (0600 UTC) – Tropical Depression One forms south of the western tip of

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 Caribbea ...

. *7 p.m. CDT (0000 UTC June 11) – Tropical Depression One strengthens into Tropical Storm Alberto. ;June 13 *12:30 p.m. EDT (1630 UTC) – Tropical Storm Alberto makes landfall near Adams Beach,

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 to ...

, with winds.The figures for

s and position estimates are rounded to the nearest 5 units (

, or kilometers), following the convention used in the

'
operational products
for each storm. All other units are rounded to the nearest digit. ;June 14 *2 a.m. EDT (0600 UTC) – Tropical Storm Alberto weakens into a tropical depression. *8 a.m. EDT (1200 UTC) – The remnants of Alberto become extratropical.

July

;July 17 *0600 UTC – A previously extratropical low-pressure area becomes a tropical depression about southeast of

Nantucket Nantucket () is an island about south from Cape Cod. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and County of Nantucket, a combined county/town government that is part of the U.S. state of Massachuse ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. However, this depression is not assigned a number operationally, or warned on, by the

. *1200 UTC – The tropical depression near Nantucket strengthens into a

tropical storm A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

, but is not operationally named. ;July 18 *8 a.m. EDT (1200 UTC) – Tropical Depression Two forms east-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 ...

. *1200 UTC – The unnamed tropical storm degenerates into a remnant low. *2 p.m. EDT (1800 UTC) – Tropical Depression Two strengthens into Tropical Storm Beryl. ;July 21 *2:45 a.m. EDT (0645 UTC) – Tropical Storm Beryl makes landfall on the island of

, with winds. *2 p.m. EDT (1800 UTC) – Tropical Storm Beryl becomes extratropical. ;July 31 *8 p.m. EDT (0000 UTC August 1) – Tropical Depression Three forms east-southeast of Barbuda.

August

;August 1 *2 a.m. AST (0600 UTC) – Tropical Depression Three strengthens into Tropical Storm Chris. ;August 3 *2 p.m. AST (1800 UTC) – Tropical Storm Chris weakens to a tropical depression. ;August 4 *2 a.m. AST (0600 UTC) – Tropical Depression Chris weakens into a remnant

low Low or LOW or lows, may refer to: People * Low (surname), listing people surnamed Low Places * Low, Quebec, Canada * Low, Utah, United States * Lo Wu station (MTR code LOW), Hong Kong; a rail station * Salzburg Airport (ICAO airport code: LO ...

. ;August 21 *2 p.m. AST (1800 UTC) – Tropical Depression Four forms south-southeast of

Praia Praia (, Portuguese language, Portuguese for "beach") is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde.

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

. ;August 22 *8 p.m. AST (0000 UTC August 23) – Tropical Depression Four strengthens into Tropical Storm Debby. ;August 24 *2 p.m. AST (1800 UTC) – Tropical Depression Five forms in the Caribbean about north-northwest of

Grenada Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pe ...

. ;August 25 *8 a.m. AST (1200 UTC) – Tropical Depression Five strengthens into Tropical Storm Ernesto. ;August 26 *2 a.m. AST (0600 UTC) – Tropical Storm Debby weakens to a tropical depression. *8 a.m. AST (1200 UTC) – Tropical Depression Debby weakens into a low. ;August 27 *2 a.m EDT (0600 UTC) – Tropical Storm Ernesto strengthens into

Hurricane Ernesto The name Ernesto has been used for seven tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean. * Tropical Storm Ernesto (1982), formed southwest of Bermuda and dissipated without threatening land. * Tropical Storm Ernesto (1988), formed east of Bermuda and did ...

. *8 a.m. EDT (1200 UTC) – Hurricane Ernesto weakens to a tropical storm. ;August 28 *7:15 a.m. EDT (1115 UTC) – Tropical Storm Ernesto makes a first landfall in

at Playa Cazonal with winds. ;August 29 *11 p.m. EDT (0300 UTC) – Tropical Storm Ernesto makes a second landfall at Plantation Key,

, with winds. ;August 30 *1 a.m. EDT (0500 UTC) – Tropical Storm Ernesto makes a third landfall in southwestern Miami-Dade County, Florida with . ;August 31 *11:40 p.m. EDT (0340 UTC September 1) – Tropical Storm Ernesto makes a fourth landfall at Oak Island, North Carolina, with .

September

;September 1 *8 a.m. EDT (1200 UTC) – Tropical Storm Ernesto weakens to a tropical depression. *2 p.m. EDT (1800 UTC) – Tropical Depression Ernesto becomes extratropical. ;September 3 *2 p.m. AST (1800 UTC) – Tropical Depression Six forms west of the Cape Verde Islands. ;September 5 *2 a.m. AST (0600 UTC) – Tropical Depression Six strengthens into Tropical Storm Florence. ;September 10 *2 a.m. AST (0600 UTC) – Tropical Storm Florence strengthens into Hurricane Florence. *2 p.m. EDT (1800 UTC) – Tropical Depression Seven forms east-northeast 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 ...

. ;September 11 *8 a.m. EDT (1200 UTC) – Tropical Depression Seven strengthens into Tropical Storm Gordon. ;September 12 *8 a.m. EDT (1200 UTC) – Tropical Depression Eight forms south-southeast of the Cape Verde Islands. *8 p.m. AST (0000 UTC September 13) – Hurricane Florence becomes extratropical. *8 p.m. EDT (0000 UTC September 13) – Tropical Storm Gordon strengthens into

Hurricane Gordon Hurricane Gordon was a long-lived and catastrophic late-season hurricane of the 1994 Atlantic hurricane season. The twelfth and final tropical cyclone of the season, Gordon formed as a tropical depression in the southwestern Caribbean on Novem ...

. ;September 13 *2 p.m. EDT (1800 UTC) – Hurricane Gordon reaches Category 2 intensity. *8 p.m. AST (0000 UTC September 14) – Hurricane Gordon reaches Category 3 intensity, becoming the first major hurricane of the season. *8 p.m. AST (0000 UTC September 14) – Tropical Depression Eight strengthens into Tropical Storm Helene. ;September 16 *8 a.m. AST (1200 UTC) – Tropical Storm Helene strengthens into Hurricane Helene. ;September 17 *2 p.m. AST (1800 UTC) – Hurricane Helene reaches Category 2 intensity. *8 p.m. AST (0000 UTC September 18) – Hurricane Helene reaches to Category 3 intensity, becoming the second major hurricane of the season. ;September 20 *8 p.m. AST (0000 UTC September 21) – Hurricane Gordon becomes extratropical. ;September 24 *2 p.m. AST (1800 UTC) – Hurricane Helene becomes extratropical. ;September 27 *2 p.m. EDT (1800 UTC) – Tropical Depression Nine forms east-southeast 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 = , e ...

. ;September 28 *2 a.m. EDT (0600 UTC) – Tropical Depression Nine strengthens into Tropical Storm Isaac. ;September 30 *8 a.m. AST (1200 UTC) – Tropical Storm Isaac strengthens into Hurricane Isaac.

October

;October 2 *8 a.m. AST (1200 UTC) – Hurricane Isaac weakens to a tropical storm. *8 p.m. AST (0000 UTC October 3) – Tropical Storm Isaac becomes extratropical.

November

;November 30 *The 2006 Atlantic hurricane season officially ends.

Notes

References

External links

2006 Tropical Cyclone Advisory Archive

and Central Pacific Hurricane Center
Hurricanes and Tropical Storms – Annual 2006

National Centers for Environmental Information The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), an agency of the United States government, manages one of the world's largest archives of atmospheric, coastal, geophysical, and oceanic data, containing information that ranges from th ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hurricane Season Atlantic 2006 Timeline

Articles which contain graphical timelines 2006 Atl T