The 2009 Atlantic hurricane season was an event in 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. Depen ...

season in the north Atlantic Ocean. It was below-average Atlantic hurricane season with nine

named storm Tropical cyclones and subtropical cyclones are named by various warning centers to simplify communication between forecasters and the general public regarding forecasts, watches and warnings. The names are intended to reduce confusion in the ...

s, the fewest since the 1997 season. The season officially began on June 1, 2009, and ended on November 30, 2009, dates that conventionally delimit the period of each year when most

s develop in the Atlantic basin. The first storm to form was Tropical Depression One on May 28, 2009 (one of three in 2009 that did not become a tropical storm), while the last storm,

Hurricane Ida Hurricane Ida was a deadly and extremely destructive Category 4 Atlantic hurricane in 2021 that became the second-most damaging and intense hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. state of Louisiana on record, behind Hurricane Katrina in 200 ...

, dissipated on November 10. Of the year's nine named storms, three became hurricanes with two intensifying further into

major hurricane Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

s. The inactivity throughout the basin was linked to the formation of an

El Niño El Niño (; ; ) is the warm phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and is associated with a band of warm ocean water that develops in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific (approximately between the International Date ...

, which increased

wind shear Wind shear (or windshear), sometimes referred to as wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere. Atmospheric wind shear is normally described as either vertical or horizont ...

. The two most significant storms of the season, in terms of loss of life and damage, were Hurricanes Bill and Ida. Hurricane Bill was an unusually large storm and was also the season's strongest, attaining winds of . Tropical Storm Claudette was the only storm during 2009 to make

landfall Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...

in the United States; Hurricane Ida became

extratropical 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 ...

shortly before coming ashore in

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

. This timeline includes information that was not operationally released, meaning that data from post-storm reviews by the National Hurricane Center, such as a storm that was not operationally warned upon, has been included. This timeline documents tropical cyclone formations, strengthening, weakening,

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 ...

s, and dissipations during the season. By convention, meteorologists use one

time zone A time zone is an area which observes a uniform standard time for legal, commercial and social purposes. Time zones tend to follow the boundaries between countries and their subdivisions instead of strictly following longitude, because it ...

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 use ...

(UTC), and also use the 24-hour clock (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) prior to 2020 were:

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 Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air Li ...

, and Central. In this timeline, all information is listed by UTC first with the respective regional time 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, or

kilometer The kilometre ( SI symbol: km; or ), spelt kilometer in American English, is a unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), equal to one thousand metres (kilo- being the SI prefix for ). It is now the measurement unit used for ex ...

s), following the convention used in the National Hurricane Center's products. 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.

Timeline of events

May

;May 28 *1 a.m. EDT (0600 UTC) – Tropical Depression One develops from 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 ...

roughly 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 ...

. *1 p.m. EDT (1800 UTC) – Tropical Depression One attains its peak intensity with winds of and a

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 1006

mbar 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 lev ...

(hPa; ). ;May 29 *7 p.m. EDT (0000 UTC on May 30) – Tropical Depression One degenerates into a non-

convective 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 ...

remnant low-pressure area roughly south-southeast of

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...

June

*No tropical cyclones formed during the month of June. ;June 1 *12 a.m. EDT (0400 UTC) – The 2009 Atlantic hurricane season officially begins.

July

*No tropical cyclones formed during the month of July, making the 2009 season one of fourteen since 1944 in which no tropical storms developed during June and July.

August

;August 11 * 2:00 a.m. AST (0600 UTC) – Tropical Depression Two develops from a tropical wave roughly west of the

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

. ;August 12 * 8:00 a.m. AST (1200 UTC) – Post-season research indicated that at this time, Tropical Depression Two attained tropical storm status. However, as it was not operationally recognized as such, it was not named. * 8:00 p.m. AST (0000 UTC on August 13) – Tropical Storm Ana weakens into a tropical depression. ;August 13 * 2:00 a.m. AST (0600 UTC) – Tropical Depression Two degenerates into a non-convective remnant low about 775 mi (1,250 km) west of the Cape Verde Islands. ;August 14 * 8:00 p.m. AST (0000 UTC on August 15) – The remnants of Tropical Depression Two regenerate into a tropical depression roughly 1,075 mi (1,730 km) 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 bet ...

. ;August 15 * 2:00 a.m. AST (0600 UTC) – Tropical Depression Two strengthens into Tropical Storm Ana. The storm also attains its peak intensity with winds of and a minimum pressure of 1003 mbar (hPa; ). * 2:00 a.m. AST (0600 UTC) – Tropical Depression Three forms out of a tropical wave roughly west-southwest of the Cape Verde islands. * 2:00 p.m. AST (1800 UTC) – Tropical Depression Three strengthens into

Tropical Storm Bill The name Bill has been used for five tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean. * Hurricane Bill (1997), threatened Bermuda, but passed the island without incident * Tropical Storm Bill (2003), made landfall west of New Orleans killing four and causin ...

. ;August 16 * 1:00 a.m. EDT (0600 UTC) – Tropical Depression Four develops over the eastern

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 ...

, roughly west-southwest of

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sou ...

. * 7:00 a.m. EDT (1200 UTC) – Tropical Depression Four strengthens into Tropical Storm Claudette. * 8:00 a.m. AST (1200 UTC) – Tropical Storm Ana weakens into a tropical depression shortly before degenerating into a trough of low pressure roughly east of the Lesser Antilles. * 1:00 p.m. EDT (1800 UTC) – Tropical Storm Claudette attains its peak winds of while situated roughly south of

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 ...

. * 7:00 p.m. EDT (0000 UTC on August 17) – Tropical Storm Claudette attains its minimum pressure of 1005 mbar (hPa; ) just off the

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 ...

coastline. ;August 17 Claudette 2009 rainfall

* 12:30 a.m. EDT (0530 UTC) – Tropical Storm Claudette makes landfall near Fort Walton Beach, Florida with winds of . * 2:00 a.m. AST (0600 UTC) – Tropical Storm Bill strengthens into a

Category 1 hurricane 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 ...

midway between the Lesser Antilles and the Cape Verde Islands. * 7:00 a.m. EDT (1200 UTC) – Tropical Storm Claudette weakens to a tropical depression over

. * 7:00 p.m. EDT (0000 UTC on August 18) – Tropical Depression Claudette dissipates over eastern

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 ...

. * 8:00 p.m. AST (0000 UTC on August 18) – Hurricane Bill strengthens to a Category 2 hurricane. ;August 18 * 2:00 p.m. AST (1800 UTC) – Hurricane Bill strengthens into a major hurricane—a storm with winds of or higher. ;August 19 * 2:00 a.m. AST (0600 UTC) – Hurricane Bill strengthens to a Category 4 hurricane, attaining its peak winds of . ;August 20 * 8:00 a.m. AST (1200 UTC) – Hurricane Bill weakens to a Category 3 hurricane. * 8:00 a.m. AST (0000 UTC on August 21) – Hurricane Bill attains its secondary peak intensity with winds of and a minimum pressure of 943 mbar (hPa; ), the lowest pressure recorded in any storm during the 2009 season. ;August 21 * 2:00 p.m. AST (1800 UTC) – Hurricane Bill weakens to a Category 2 hurricane. ;August 22 Danny A2009238 1730 1km

* 2:00 a.m. AST (0600 UTC) – Hurricane Bill makes its closest approach to

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 ...

, passing roughly west of the island with winds of . * 2:00 p.m. AST (1800 UTC) – Hurricane Bill weakens to a Category 1 hurricane. ;August 23 * 2:00 p.m. AST (1800 UTC) – Hurricane Bill brushes the coastline of

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

with winds of . * 10:00 p.m. AST (0200 UTC on August 24) – Hurricane Bill weakens to a tropical storm just off the southern coast of Newfoundland * 11:00 a.m. AST (0300 UTC) – Tropical Storm Bill makes landfall at Point Rosie on the

Burin Peninsula The Burin Peninsula ( ) is a peninsula located on the south coast of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Marystown is the largest population centre on the peninsula.Statistics Canada. 2017. Marystown, T ensu ...

of Newfoundland with winds of . ;August 24 * 8:00 a.m. AST (1200 UTC) – Tropical Storm Bill transitions into an extratropical cyclone over the north Atlantic Ocean as it rapidly tracks eastward towards the United Kingdom. ;August 26 * 4:00 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC) – Tropical Storm Danny develops from a disorganized area of low pressure roughly east of Nassau, Bahamas. * 7:00 p.m. EDT (0000 UTC on August 27) – Tropical Storm Danny attains its peak intensity with winds of and a minimum pressure of 1006 mbar (hPa; ). ;August 29 * 1:00 a.m. EDT (0600 UTC) – Tropical Storm Danny degenerates into a trough of low pressure shortly before being absorbed by a larger low-pressure system.

September

;September 1 * 2:00 p.m. AST (1800 UTC) –

Tropical Storm Erika Tropical Storm Erika was one of the deadliest and most destructive natural disasters in Dominica since Hurricane David in 1979. The fifth named storm of the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season, Erika developed from a westward-moving tropical wa ...

forms roughly east of Guadeloupe. * 8:00 p.m. AST (0000 UTC on September 2) – Tropical Storm Erika attains its peak intensity with winds of and a minimum pressure of 1004 mbar (hPa; ). ;September 2 * 2:30 p.m. AST (1830 UTC) – Tropical Storm Erika passes over the island of Guadeloupe with winds of . ;September 3 * 2:00 p.m. AST (1800 UTC) – Tropical Storm Erika weakens to a tropical depression. * 8:00 p.m. AST (0000 UTC on September 4) – Tropical Depression Erika degenerates into a non-covective remnant low over the eastern Caribbean. Hurricane Fred showing proximity to Africa

Hurricane Fred showing proximity to Africa

;September 7 * 2:00 p.m. AST (1800 UTC) – Tropical Depression Seven develops out of an area of low pressure roughly south of Brava, Cape Verde. * 8:00 p.m. AST (0000 UTC on September 8) – Tropical Depression Seven intensifies into Tropical Storm Fred. ;September 8 * 8:00 p.m. AST (0000 UTC on September 9) – Tropical Storm Fred intensifies into a hurricane, the second of the season. ;September 9 * 2:00 a.m. AST (0600 UTC) – Hurricane Fred intensifies into a Category 2 hurricane. * 8:00 a.m. AST (1200 UTC) – Hurricane Fred further intensifies into a Category 3 hurricane and attains its peak intensity with winds of and a minimum pressure of 958 mbar (hPa; ), becoming the strongest known hurricane on record south of 30°N and east of 35°W. * 8:00 p.m. AST (0000 UTC on September 10) – Hurricane Fred weakens to a Category 2 hurricane. ;September 10 * 2:00 p.m. AST (1800 UTC) – Hurricane Fred weakens to a Category 1 hurricane. ;September 11 * 2:00 p.m. AST (1800 UTC) – Hurricane Fred weakens to a tropical storm as it stalls northwest of the Cape Verde Islands. ;September 12 * 2:00 p.m. AST (1800 UTC) – Tropical Storm Fred degenerates into a non-convective remnant low roughly west of Santo Antão, Cape Verde. The remnants of Fred would persist for nearly a week before fully dissipating south of Bermuda on September 19. ;September 25 * 2:00 p.m. AST (1800 UTC) – Tropical Depression Eight forms roughly southwest of the Cape Verde Islands. ;September 26 * 2:00 p.m. AST (1800 UTC) – Tropical Depression Eight degenerates into a remnant low west of the Cape Verde Islands.

October

;October 4 * 2:00 a.m. AST (0600 UTC) – Tropical Storm Grace forms out of an extratropical system roughly west of Lajes, Azores, becoming the northeasternmost forming cyclone in the Atlantic on record. * 8:00 p.m. AST (0000 UTC on October 5) – Tropical Storm Grace attains its peak winds of . ;October 5 * 2:00 p.m. AST (1800 UTC) – Tropical Storm Grace attains its minimum pressure of 986 mbar (hPa; ). * 8:00 p.m. AST (0000 UTC on October 6) – The tenth tropical depression of the season forms roughly 775 mi (1,250 km) east of the Lesser Antilles. ;October 6 * 2:00 a.m. AST (0600 UTC) – Tropical Storm Grace transitions into an extratropical cyclone roughly west-southwest of Cork, Ireland. * 2:00 a.m. AST (0600 UTC) – The tropical depression east of the Lesser Antilles strengthens into Tropical Storm Henri. ;October 7 * 2:00 a.m. AST (0600 UTC) – Tropical Storm Henri attains its peak intensity with winds of and a minimum pressure of 1005 mbar (hPa; ). ;October 8 * 2:00 a.m. AST (0600 UTC) – Tropical Storm Henri weakens to a tropical depression. * 2:00 p.m. AST (1800 UTC) – Tropical Depression Henri degenerates into a remnant low roughly north of

Anguilla Anguilla ( ) is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Saint Martin. The terr ...

November

;November 4 * 12:00 a.m. CDT (0600 UTC) – Tropical Depression Eleven forms over the southwestern Caribbean Sea near San Andres Island. * 6:00 a.m. CDT (1200 UTC) – Tropical Depression Eleven intensifies into Tropical Storm Ida. ;November 5 Hurricane Ida in the Yucatan Channel November 8 2009

* 12:00 a.m. CDT (0600 UTC) – Tropical Storm Ida strengthens into a Category 1 hurricane as it passes near the

Corn Islands The Corn Islands are two islands about east of the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, constituting one of 12 municipalities of the South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region. The official name of the municipality is ''Corn Island'' (the English name is ...

with winds of . * 6:00 a.m. CDT (1200 UTC) –

makes landfall near Rio Grande, Nicaragua with winds of . * 12:00 p.m. CDT (1800 UTC) – Hurricane Ida weakens into a tropical storm over the high terrain of Nicaragua. ;November 6 * 12:00 a.m. CDT (0600 UTC) – Tropical Storm Ida further weakens to a tropical depression as it nears Honduras. ;November 7 * 12:00 a.m. CDT (0600 UTC) – Tropical Depression Ida restrengthens into a tropical storm after moving over the warm waters of the northwestern Caribbean Sea. * 6:00 p.m. CDT (0000 UTC on November 8) – Tropical Storm Ida regains hurricane status. ;November 8 * 6:00 a.m. CDT (1200 UTC) – Hurricane Ida intensifies into a Category 2 hurricane. * 12:00 p.m. CDT (1800 UTC) – Hurricane Ida attains its minimum pressure of 975 mbar (hPa; ). * 6:00 p.m. CDT (0000 UTC on November 9) – Hurricane Ida attains its peak winds of over 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 ...

. ;November 9 * 12:00 a.m. CDT (0600 UTC) – Hurricane Ida weakens to a Category 1 hurricane. * 6:00 a.m. CDT (1200 UTC) – Hurricane Ida quickly weakens to a tropical storm. * 12:00 p.m. CDT (1800 UTC) – Tropical Storm Ida regains hurricane status for a third time. * 3:00 p.m. CDT (2100 UTC) – Hurricane Ida attains its secondary peak intensity with winds of . * 6:00 p.m. CDT (0000 UTC) – Hurricane Ida weakens to a tropical storm as it nears the

United States Gulf Coast 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, Missis ...

. ;November 10 * 3:00 a.m. CDT (0900 UTC) – Tropical Storm Ida transitions into an extratropical cyclone just before moving inland over southern Alabama. ;November 30 *The 2009 Atlantic hurricane season officially ends.

Notes

References

External links

2009 Tropical Cyclone Advisory Archive
National Hurricane Center and

Central Pacific Hurricane Center The Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC) of the United States National Weather Service is the official body responsible for tracking and issuing tropical cyclone warnings, watches, advisories, discussions, and statements for the Central Pacifi ...

Hurricanes and Tropical Storms – Annual 2009
National Centers for Environmental Information {{DEFAULTSORT:Timeline Of The 2009 Atlantic Hurricane Season * 2009 Atlantic hurricane season Articles which contain graphical timelines 2009 Atl T