Tropical Storm Bill (2021)
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The 2021 Atlantic hurricane season was the third-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, producing 21  named storms and the second season in a row (third overall) in which the designated 21-name list of storm names was exhausted. It was also the most recent season with above-average
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 ...
activity in terms of the number of named storms. Seven of those storms strengthened into a hurricane, four of which reached major hurricane intensity, which is just slightly above-average. The season officially began on June 1 and ended on November 30. These dates historically describe the period in each year when most Atlantic tropical cyclones form. However, subtropical or
tropical cyclogenesis Tropical cyclogenesis is the development and strengthening of a tropical cyclone in the atmosphere. The mechanisms through which tropical cyclogenesis occurs are distinctly different from those through which temperate cyclogenesis occurs. Tropi ...
is possible at any time of the year, as demonstrated by Tropical Storm Ana's development on May 22, making this the seventh consecutive year in which a storm developed outside of the official season. That streak ended with the 2021 season, as there were no pre-season cyclones in the following season. Three named storms formed in June, tying the record for the most to develop in that month. Among them was
Tropical Storm Claudette The name Claudette has been used for eight tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean and for one in the South-West Indian Ocean. In the Atlantic Ocean: *Tropical Storm Claudette (1979), traversed the Greater Antilles and made its final landfall near ...
, which brought flooding to portions of 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 war ...
. Then, on July 1, Elsa developed and became the earliest-forming fifth named storm on record surpassing Tropical Storm Edouard in 2020. The storm later caused significant impacts from
Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...
to much of the
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 ...
, with about $1.2 billion in damage in the latter region. In August,
Tropical Storm Fred The name Fred has been used for a total of six tropical cyclones worldwide, three in the Atlantic Ocean, two in the Western Pacific Ocean, and one in the Australian region of the Indian Ocean. In the Atlantic: * Hurricane Fred (2009) – Category& ...
flooded parts of the Caribbean and
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 ...
, resulting in roughly $1.3 billion in damage. Hurricane Grace intensified to a Category 3 major hurricane before making
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
Mexican state The states of Mexico are first-level administrative territorial entities of the country of Mexico, which is officially named Mexico, United Mexican States. There are 32 federal entities in Mexico (31 states and the capital, Mexico City, as a sepa ...
of
Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...
, causing 17 deaths and about $513 million in damage in the
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 ...
and
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. On August 22,
Henri Henri is an Estonian, Finnish, French, German and Luxembourgish form of the masculine given name Henry (given name), Henry. People with this given name ; French noblemen :'' See the 'List_of_rulers_named_Henry#France, List of rulers named Henry ...
struck
Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
and brought flooding and high winds to 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 ...
, with damage estimated at $700 million.
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 ...
became the deadliest and most destructive tropical cyclone of the season after striking southeastern
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 borde ...
at Category 4 strength in late August, 16 years to the day after
Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
decimated that same region. After devastating Louisiana and moving farther inland, Ida caused catastrophic flooding and spawned several destructive tornadoes across the Northeastern United States. Damage estimates from the storm exceeded $75 billion, contributing to over 93% of the total damage done in 2021 season. Additionally, Ida killed 107 people, directly or indirectly, throughout the impacted regions. In September,
Hurricane Larry Hurricane Larry was a strong and long-lived Cape Verde hurricane that became the first hurricane to make landfall in Newfoundland since Igor in 2010. The twelfth named storm, fifth hurricane, and third major hurricane of the 2021 Atlantic hurrica ...
peaked as a powerful Category 3 hurricane over the open Atlantic before making landfall in the
Canadian province Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...
of
Newfoundland and Labrador 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 ...
as a Category 1 hurricane. Later in the month,
Hurricane Nicholas Hurricane Nicholas was a slow and erratic Category 1 hurricane that made landfall in the U.S. state of Texas in mid-September 2021. The fourteenth named storm, and sixth hurricane of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, Nicholas originated from a ...
moved erratically both on- and offshore the coasts of
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
and Louisiana. Freshwater flooding, coastal flooding, and winds generated by Nicholas left about $1 billion in damage.
Hurricane Sam Hurricane Sam was a strong, long-lived Cape Verde hurricane that threatened Bermuda, lasting from late September through early October. It was the fifth longest-lasting intense Atlantic hurricane, as measured by accumulated cyclone energy, since r ...
became the most intense system of the season, peaking as a strong Category 4 hurricane in late September. Tropical cyclones during this season collectively caused 194 deaths and nearly $81 billion in damage, making it the third-costliest season on record, behind
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 discovered in ...
and
2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
. Nearly all forecasting agencies predicted above-average activity during the season, due to expectations of 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 mass ...
s, the unlikelihood 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 L ...
, and the possibility of a
La Niña La Niña (; ) is an oceanic and atmospheric phenomenon that is the colder counterpart of as part of the broader El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate pattern. The name ''La Niña'' originates from Spanish for "the girl", by an ...
. Although these forecasted conditions transpired during the season, the agencies slightly underestimated the number of named storms, but nearly all were fairly accurate with the number of hurricanes and major hurricanes. This season, 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 ...
(NHC) began issuing regular Tropical Weather Outlooks on May 15, two weeks earlier than it has done in the past. The change was implemented given that named systems had formed in the Atlantic Ocean prior to the start of the season in each of the preceding six cycles. Prior to the start of the season, NOAA deployed five modified ''hurricane''-class saildrones at key locations around the basin, and in September, one of the vessels was in position to obtain video and data from inside
Hurricane Sam Hurricane Sam was a strong, long-lived Cape Verde hurricane that threatened Bermuda, lasting from late September through early October. It was the fifth longest-lasting intense Atlantic hurricane, as measured by accumulated cyclone energy, since r ...
. It was the first-ever research vessel to venture inside the middle of a major hurricane.


Seasonal forecasts

In advance of, and during, each hurricane season, several forecasts of hurricane activity are issued by national meteorological services, scientific agencies, and noted hurricane experts. These include forecasters from the United States
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 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 ...
(NOAA)'s
Climate Prediction Center The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) is a United States federal agency that is one of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction, which are a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service. CPC is hea ...
, Tropical Storm Risk (TSR), the United Kingdom's
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 Penelope E ...
(UKMO), and Philip J. Klotzbach,
William M. Gray William "Bill" Mason Gray (9 October 1929 – 16 April 2016) was emeritus professor of atmospheric science at Colorado State University (CSU), and the head of the Tropical Meteorology Project at CSU's Department of Atmospheric Sciences. He ...
and their associates at
Colorado State University Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a public land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University System. Colorado State University is classified among "R1: ...
(CSU). The forecasts discuss weekly and monthly changes in significant factors that help determine the number of tropical storms, hurricanes, and major hurricanes within a particular year. According to NOAA and CSU, the average
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 ...
between 1991 and 2020 contained roughly 14 tropical storms, seven hurricanes, three major hurricanes, 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 72–111 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 typically categorizes a season as above-average, average, or below-average based on the cumulative ACE index, but the number of tropical storms, hurricanes, and major hurricanes within a hurricane season is sometimes also considered.


Pre-season forecasts

On December 9, 2020, TSR issued an extended range forecast for the 2021 hurricane season, predicting slightly above-average activity with 16 named storms, 7 hurricanes, 3 major hurricanes, and an ACE index of about 127 units. TSR cited the expected development of a weak
La Niña La Niña (; ) is an oceanic and atmospheric phenomenon that is the colder counterpart of as part of the broader El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate pattern. The name ''La Niña'' originates from Spanish for "the girl", by an ...
during the third quarter of 2021 as the main factor behind their forecast. CSU released their first predictions on April 8, 2021, predicting an above-average season with 17 named storms, 8 hurricanes, 4 major hurricanes, and an ACE index of 150 units, citing the unlikelihood 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 L ...
and much warmer than average
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 mass ...
s in the subtropical Atlantic. On the same day,
Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...
predicted 9–15 named storms, anticipating slightly above-average sea surface temperatures and a neutral
El Niño–Southern Oscillation El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is an irregular periodic variation in winds and sea surface temperatures over the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean, affecting the climate of much of the tropics and subtropics. The warming phase of the sea te ...
. TSR updated their forecast on April 13, with 17 named storms, 8 hurricanes, and 3 major hurricanes, with an ACE index of 134 units. On the same day, the
University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...
(UA) issued its seasonal prediction of above-average hurricane activities, with 18 named storms, 8 hurricanes, 4 major hurricanes, and an ACE index of 137 units.
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 universit ...
(NCSU) made its prediction for the season on April 14, calling for an above-average season with 15 to 18 named storms, 7 to 9 hurricanes, and 2 to 3 major hurricanes.
The Weather Company The Weather Company is a weather forecasting and information technology company that owns and operates weather.com and Weather Underground. The Weather Company has been a subsidiary of the Watson & Cloud Platform business unit of IBM since 2016. ...
(TWC) issued their first predictions on April 15, forecasting 18 named storms, 8 hurricanes, and 3 major hurricanes, citing warm sea surface temperatures, a La Niña, and other active seasons with similar atmospheric conditions. On May 13, TWC updated their forecast for the season, calling for an active season, with 19 named storms, 8 hurricanes, and 4 major hurricanes. On May 20, NOAA's Climate Prediction Center issued their forecasts for the season, predicting a 60% chance of above-average activity and 30% chance for below-average activity, with 13–20 named storms, 6–10 hurricanes, and 3–5 major hurricanes. The same day, UKMO issued their own forecast for the 2021 season, predicting an average one with 14 named storms, 7 hurricanes, and 3 major hurricanes, with a 70% chance that each of these statistics will fall between 9 and 19, 4 and 10, and 1 and 5, respectively. TSR's third seasonal forecast, issued on May 27, predicted 18 named storms, 9 hurricanes, and 4 major hurricanes.


Mid-season forecasts

The second prediction by CSU, issued on June 3, increased the number of named storms to 18, while leaving the number of hurricanes and major hurricanes unchanged at 8 and 4, respectively. On June 16, UA updated their forecast for the season, with 19 named storms, 6 hurricanes, 4 major hurricanes, and an ACE index of 183 units. On July 6, TSR released their third forecast for the season, slightly increasing their numbers to 20 named storms, 9 hurricanes, and 4 major hurricanes. This prediction was largely based on their expectation for a weak La Niña to develop by the third quarter of the year. On July 8, CSU updated their prediction to 20 named storms, 9 hurricanes, and 4 major hurricanes. UKMO's updated forecast on August 2 called for 15 named storms, 6 hurricanes, and 3 major hurricanes. The second and final forecast by NOAA, issued on August 4, predicted 15 to 21 named storms, 7 to 10 hurricanes, and 3 to 5 major hurricanes. On August 5, CSU's final seasonal predictions decreased the number of named storms to 18 and hurricanes to 8, while the number of major hurricanes remained unchanged. TSR issued their final forecast for the season on the same day, lowering their numbers to 18 named storms, 7 hurricanes, and 3 major hurricanes.


Seasonal summary

The 2021 Atlantic hurricane season officially ran from June 1 to November 30. A total of 21 tropical depressions formed, all of which reached at least tropical or subtropical intensity. The season ranks as the third-most active of all time in the Atlantic basin, behind only
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 discovered in ...
and
2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
. Consequently, the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season was the third on record to exhaust its naming list. Nine of the systems lasted for two days or less, tied with
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
for the most since the NHC began monitoring subtropical systems in
1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...
. Although the season was highly active in terms of the number of named storms, seven of those tropical or subtropical systems intensified into a hurricane and four of those became a major hurricane, which is near-average and just slightly above-average, respectively. Nonetheless, 2021 marked the record sixth consecutive above-average season in the Atlantic. The ongoing warm Atlantic multidecadal oscillation, which began in
1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
, contributed to the season's high level of activity, as it led to above-average
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 mass ...
s in the Atlantic basin. Other factors included the presence of a
La Niña La Niña (; ) is an oceanic and atmospheric phenomenon that is the colder counterpart of as part of the broader El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate pattern. The name ''La Niña'' originates from Spanish for "the girl", by an ...
and abnormally heavy West African Monsoon precipitation. Collectively, the tropical and subtropical systems of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season caused 194 deaths and about $80.727 billion in damage, making it the third costliest season on record. Eight named storms struck the United States, which is the third most ever, behind only the previous season and
1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that had been stored and cooled. * ...
. In conjunction with 2020, 19 systems of at least tropical storm intensity made landfall in the country during the two seasons, surpassing the record of 15 during the
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 6 ...
and 2005 seasons combined. As a result, some regions significantly impacted during the 2020 season were once again hit hard in 2021, especially eastern
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 borde ...
and portions of 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 ...
.
Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
was struck by two tropical systems, Elsa and
Henri Henri is an Estonian, Finnish, French, German and Luxembourgish form of the masculine given name Henry (given name), Henry. People with this given name ; French noblemen :'' See the 'List_of_rulers_named_Henry#France, List of rulers named Henry ...
, an unusual occurrence especially given that the state had recorded no landfalls since
Bob Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: Places *Mount Bob, New York, United States *Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica People, fictional characters, and named animals *Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Bob (surname) ...
in
1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
. Four tropical cyclones or their remnantsElsa,
Fred Fred may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico Ro ...
,
Ida Ida or IDA may refer to: Astronomy * Ida Facula, a mountain on Amalthea, a moon of Jupiter *243 Ida, an asteroid *International Docking Adapter, a docking adapter for the International Space Station Computing *Intel Dynamic Acceleration, a techn ...
, and
Nicholas Nicholas is a male given name and a surname. The Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Anglicanism, Anglican Churches celebrate Saint Nicholas every year on December 6, which is the name day for "Nicholas". In Greece, the n ...
each caused at least $1 billion in damage in the United States. The ACE index for the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, as calculated by Colorado State University using data from the NHC, was approximately 146 units. The totals represent the sum of the squares for every (sub)tropical storm's intensity of over 39 mph (63 km/h), divided by 10,000. Therefore, the ACE index value does not include tropical depressions. Each season dating back to 2016 recorded ACE index values exceeding 129, which senior research associate Brian McNoldy of the
University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...
described as "unprecedented even for four years, let alone six!" Throughout the season,
NOAA Hurricane Hunters The NOAA Hurricane Hunters are a group of aircraft used for hurricane reconnaissance by the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). They fly through hurricanes to help forecasters and scientists gather operational an ...
logged 462.2 flight hours, conducting 58 eyewall passages and deploying 1,310 
dropsonde A dropsonde is an expendable weather reconnaissance device created by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), designed to be dropped from an aircraft at altitude over water to measure (and therefore track) storm conditions as the devi ...
s in the process. NOAA also deployed 66 underwater gliders, which made 78,328 observations on oceanic salinity and temperatures. Additionally, NOAA used five unmanned saildrones to increase documentation on atmospheric and oceanic conditions across the Atlantic basin. One of the five saildrones became the first research vessel to ever enter a major hurricane when it reached
Hurricane Sam Hurricane Sam was a strong, long-lived Cape Verde hurricane that threatened Bermuda, lasting from late September through early October. It was the fifth longest-lasting intense Atlantic hurricane, as measured by accumulated cyclone energy, since r ...
on September 30. It recorded sustained winds of 125 mph (205 km/h) and waves up to in height while also capturing video footage from inside the storm.


Pre/early season activity

Tropical Storm Ana formed on May 22, making 2021 the seventh consecutive year in which a tropical or subtropical cyclone formed before the season's official start. Ana formed in a location where no tropical storms within the month of May had been documented since before 1950. In mid-June, a rapidly developing non-tropical low offshore of the
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
coast became Tropical Storm Bill. The system lasted for only two days before becoming extratropical. Later that month,
Tropical Storm Claudette The name Claudette has been used for eight tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean and for one in the South-West Indian Ocean. In the Atlantic Ocean: *Tropical Storm Claudette (1979), traversed the Greater Antilles and made its final landfall near ...
formed just off the coast of Louisiana and Tropical Storm Danny developed offshore
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 = ...
. Overall, June featured three named storms, tied with
1886 Events January–March * January 1 – Upper Burma is formally annexed to British Burma, following its conquest in the Third Anglo-Burmese War of November 1885. * January 5– 9 – Robert Louis Stevenson's novella ''Strange ...
,
1909 Events January–February * January 4 – Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escaped death by fleeing across ice floes. * January 7 – Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama. * Januar ...
,
1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...
, and 1968 for the most during that month. Elsa formed on June 30 and became a tropical storm on the following day, making it the earliest fifth-named storm on record, surpassing the previous record by five days, set by Tropical Storm Edouard in 2020. It soon became the first hurricane of the season before impacting the
Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
and making landfall 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 Caribbea ...
. Later, Elsa brought impacts to the Eastern United States, striking Florida on July 7 and New York and Rhode Island on July 9. Thereafter, activity came to a monthlong halt due to unfavorable conditions across the basin. On August 11, Fred formed in the eastern Caribbean, bringing impacts to the Greater and
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 betwe ...
, and the Southeastern United States. A few days later,
Grace Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uninco ...
formed and strengthened into the second hurricane and first major hurricane of the season, and brought impacts to the Greater Antilles and 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 making landfall in the
Mexican state The states of Mexico are first-level administrative territorial entities of the country of Mexico, which is officially named Mexico, United Mexican States. There are 32 federal entities in Mexico (31 states and the capital, Mexico City, as a sepa ...
of
Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...
. A third tropical system, Henri, developed on August 16, near
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 ...
. Henri meandered for several days before becoming the third hurricane of the season on August 21 and impacted New England, causing record flooding in some places. Towards the end of the month, Hurricane Ida formed, leaving major damage in western Cuba before rapidly intensifying into a Category 4 hurricane and making landfall in southeastern Louisiana at peak intensity, producing widespread, catastrophic damage. Its remnants then generated a deadly tornado outbreak and widespread, record-breaking flooding across the Northeastern United States. Two other tropical storms, Julian and Kate, also existed briefly during this time but remained at sea.
Larry Larry is a masculine given name in English, derived from Lawrence (given name), Lawrence or Laurence. It can be a shortened form of those names. Larry may refer to the following: People Arts and entertainment *Larry D. Alexander, American arti ...
formed on the last day of August and strengthened into a major hurricane early in September. It became the first hurricane to make landfall on
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 ...
since
Igor Igor may refer to: People * Igor (given name), an East Slavic given name and a list of people with the name * Mighty Igor (1931–2002), former American professional wrestler * Igor Volkoff, a professional wrestler from NWA All-Star Wrestling * ...
in
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
.


Peak to late season activity

As the mid-point of the hurricane season approached, Mindy formed on September 8 and struck 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 (geography), salient roughly long and wide, lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia (U. ...
shortly thereafter. It was followed by Nicholas, which developed on September 12 and made landfall along the central
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
coast two days later as a hurricane. Three tropical storms—Odette, Peter, and Rose—then formed in quick succession and were steered by prevailing winds away from any interaction with land. The busy pace of storm-formation continued late into September. Sam, a long-lived major hurricane, developed in the central tropical Atlantic and proceeded to rapidly intensify from a tropical depression to a hurricane within 24 hours on September 23 and 24. Sam peaked in strength on September 26 as a high-end Category 4 hurricane. It remained a major hurricane (Category 3 or stronger) for nearly eight consecutive days, the longest continuous stretch at that intensity for an Atlantic hurricane since
Ivan Ivan () is a Slavic languages, Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John (given name), John) from Hebrew language, Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. T ...
, in 2004. Meanwhile, Subtropical Storm Teresa formed north of Bermuda on September 24. Short-lived Victor developed late in the month at an unusually low
latitude In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north pol ...
of 8.1°N, tying Kirk in 2018 and behind only an unnamed 1902 hurricane (7.7°N) for the southernmost location in which an Atlantic system has reached tropical storm intensity. However,
tropical cyclogenesis Tropical cyclogenesis is the development and strengthening of a tropical cyclone in the atmosphere. The mechanisms through which tropical cyclogenesis occurs are distinctly different from those through which temperate cyclogenesis occurs. Tropi ...
then paused again for much of the month of October, primarily due to the presence of drier air. For the first time since
2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
and only the second time during the hyperactive era which began in 1995, no named storms developed between October 6 and October 30. Finally, Subtropical Storm Wanda formed in the central North Atlantic on October 30 and transitioned into a fully tropical storm on November 1. This system was the same storm that previously had brought rain and damaging wind gusts to southern
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 ...
as a potent
nor'easter A nor'easter (also northeaster; see below), or an East Coast low is a synoptic-scale extratropical cyclone in the western North Atlantic Ocean. The name derives from the direction of the winds that blow from the northeast. The original use o ...
. Wanda remained a tropical cyclone until transitioning into an extratropical low on November 7, which marked the conclusion of activity during the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season.


Systems


Tropical Storm Ana

An upper-level trough drifted across the western Atlantic on May 19, inducing 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 ...
along a stalled
front Front may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''The Front'' (1943 film), a 1943 Soviet drama film * ''The Front'', 1976 film Music * The Front (band), an American rock band signed to Columbia Records and active in the 1980s and e ...
the next day. This system became co-located with an
upper-level low A cold-core low, also known as an upper level low or cold-core cyclone, is a cyclone aloft which has an associated cold pool of air residing at high altitude within the Earth's troposphere, without a frontal structure. It is a low pressure syste ...
, reducing
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 horizontal ...
and causing
atmospheric instability Atmospheric instability is a condition where the Earth's atmosphere is generally considered to be unstable and as a result the weather is subjected to a high degree of variability through distance and time. Atmospheric stability is a measure of th ...
, which allowed
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 ...
to develop despite cold
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 mass ...
s. After the disturbance shed its frontal characteristics, it became Subtropical Storm Ana at 06:00 UTC on May 22 about northeast of
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. Ana then made counter-clockwise loop due to weak steering currents. After the wind field became more symmetrical and convection organized further by early on May 23, Ana transitioned into a tropical storm as it accelerated northeastward amid southwesterly mid-level flow. Ana peaked with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 km/h) before it encountered increasing wind shear and began losing convection. By 18:00 UTC on May 23, the system transitioned into an
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 of ...
about northeast of Bermuda. The extratropical cyclone merged with a trough early on May 24 and was then absorbed by a frontal system later that day. On May 20, the Bermuda Weather Service issued a tropical storm watch for the precursor to Ana, before canceling it two days later. The storm's precursor produced mostly light winds on Bermuda, although the Pearl Island station observed a sustained wind speed of and a gust of .


Tropical Storm Bill

In mid-June, a cold front sagged southward across the Mid-Atlantic United States. Shower and thunderstorm activity coalesced offshore
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 = ...
, leading to the formation of an area of low pressure there. This low, and the associated convection, became better defined while being directed northeast by a shortwave trough, and a tropical depression formed about east-southeast of Cape Fear,
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
, around 06:00 UTC on June 14. Though sheared, the incipient cyclone strengthened into Tropical Storm Bill twelve hours later. Banding features became better defined, especially across the northern and western quadrants of the storm, and Bill reached peak winds of 65 mph (100 km/h) early on June 15 while paralleling the
Northeast United States The Northeastern United States, also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast, is a geographic list of regions of the United States, region of the United States. It is located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast ...
coastline. Its northeast track soon brought the system over colder waters and into higher wind shear, resulting in Bill's transition to an extratropical cyclone approximately east-southeast of
Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...
, around 00:00 UTC on June 16. The low dissipated into a trough six hours later before progressing across southeastern Newfoundland.


Tropical Storm Claudette

In mid-June, a tropical wave crossed the Caribbean and eventually interacted with the enhanced portion of the monsoon trough in the East Pacific. This resulted in a large cyclonic gyre over Central America, with distinct disturbances over the East Pacific and in the
Bay of Campeche The Bay of Campeche ( es, Bahía de Campeche), or Campeche Sound, is a bight (geography), 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 Mexico, Mexic ...
. The latter system moved north, though it struggled with wind shear, resulting in a broad center with multiple swirls and winds largely confined in a rainband to the east. Around 00:00 UTC on June 19, the system organized into Tropical Storm Claudette and promptly moved onshore about 30 mi (50 km) south-southwest of
Houma, Louisiana Houma ( ) is the largest city in, and the parish seat of, Terrebonne Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is also the largest principal city of the Houma– Bayou Cane–Thibodaux metropolitan statistical area. The city's government ...
, with peak winds of 45 mph (75 km/h). The cyclone weakened to a depression as it moved northeastward over
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 ...
, but it regained tropical storm intensity while crossing
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
and reached a secondary peak intensity just offshore. By June 22, Claudette was accelerating northeast and undergoing an extratropical transition, a process it completed around 06:00 UTC that day. The extratropical low dissipated on June 23 to the southeast 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 ...
. The precursor Central American gyre, which also contributed to the development of
Tropical Storm Dolores The name Dolores (or Delores, a misspelling) has been used for twelve tropical cyclones in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and for one in the Western Pacific. In the Eastern Pacific: * Hurricane Dolores (1966) – Category 1 hurricane that stayed out at ...
in the eastern Pacific, brought flooding to portions of Mexico, especially in
Oaxaca Oaxaca ( , also , , from nci, Huāxyacac ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of Mexico. It is ...
,
Puebla Puebla ( en, colony, settlement), officially Free and Sovereign State of Puebla ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its cap ...
, and
Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...
. At least 400 homes in Veracruz alone suffered damage due to flooding or mudslides, while two people drowned 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, ...
. Between far eastern Louisiana 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 (geography), salient roughly long and wide, lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia (U. ...
, Claudette produced tropical storm-force wind gusts, heavy rainfall, and storm surge ranging from in height. Precipitation in Louisiana peaked at near Slidell, causing some degree of damage to 100 homes in the city. Additionally, about 100 homes in
Hancock County, Mississippi Hancock County is the southernmost county of the U.S. state of Mississippi and is named for Founding Father John Hancock. As of the 2010 census, the population was 43,929. Its county seat is Bay St. Louis. Hancock County is part of the Gulfp ...
, suffered water damage due to a combination of heavy rainfall and storm surge. Claudette also spawned at least nine
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, four 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 ...
, three in Alabama, and one each in
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 North Carolina. One of the Alabama tornadoes, which was rated high-end EF2, remained on the ground for just over , causing major damage and injured 20 people between East Brewton and Castleberry. The system caused 14 fatalities in the United States, all in Alabama, with 10 of those deaths due to a multi-vehicular accident near Montgomery. Overall, damage from Claudette in the United States was estimated at $375 million.


Tropical Storm Danny

On June 22, an upper-level trough detached from the mid-latitude jet stream. The system transitioned into an upper-level low over the subtropical central Atlantic during the next few days while trekking southwestward. Warmer waters caused convective activity to increase on June 24 while a deep-layer ridge moved the system westward. By June 27, the trough developed a closed low-level circulation as it continued to track west-northwestward, and it is estimated that Tropical Depression Four formed by 18:00 UTC that day 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 ...
. Approximately 12 hours later, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Danny. The storm intensified slightly further a few hours later and peaked with maximum sustained winds of and a minimum pressure of . At 23:20 UTC on June 28, Danny made landfall just north of
Hilton Head Hilton Head Island, sometimes referred to as simply Hilton Head, is a Lowcountry resort town and barrier island in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. It is northeast of Savannah, Georgia, and southwest of Charleston. The island is ...
on Pritchards Island, South Carolina, with sustained winds of . The cyclone rapidly weakened while moving inland, falling to tropical depression intensity just 40 minutes later. Danny dissipated over eastern Georgia early on June 29, after satellite imagery revealed that its low-level circulation was no longer well defined. Danny became the first storm to make landfall in South Carolina in the month of June since
1867 Events January–March * January 1 – The Covington–Cincinnati Suspension Bridge opens between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Covington, Kentucky, in the United States, becoming the longest single-span bridge in the world. It was renamed a ...
. The storm produced rainfall totals of up to 3 in (76.2 mm) in parts of South Carolina in a matter of hours following its landfall, causing minor
flash flood A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice or snow flowing o ...
s in populated areas. Approximately 1,200 power outages occurred in southeastern South Carolina. Lightning damaged some structures, while windy conditions caused sporadic tree damage. Rip currents generated by the storm resulted in 10 water rescues in North Carolina. Farther inland, Danny produced heavy rainfall across portions of
Metro Atlanta 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 ...
as it tracked across Georgia in a westward direction. Overall, the storm caused only about $5,000 in damage.


Hurricane Elsa

On June 27, a tropical wave emerged into the Atlantic from the west coast of Africa. The wave initially produced disorganized convection while tracking quickly westward, though a marked increase in convection occurred on June 30. Later that day, satellite imagery and scatterometer data indicated that a tropical depression formed at 18:00 UTC, about east-southeast of
Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...
. Six hours later, the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Elsa. The storm continued westward due to a strong subtropical ridge to the north. After banding features became more defined and a small inner core developed, Elsa intensified into a hurricane on July 2. Passing near
Saint Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindian ...
and Saint Vincent shortly thereafter, the cyclone then reached the Caribbean and attained its peak intensity as a Category 1 hurricane with winds of 85 mph (140 km/h) and a minimum pressure of . However, the system weakened back to a tropical storm on July 3 due to its rapid forward motion at almost 30 mph (48 km/h). Elsa's forward motion significantly slowed down by the next day, as the storm's center relocated to the east under the region with the strongest convection while passing just north 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 His ...
. At 18:30 UTC on July 5, Elsa made landfall in
Ciénaga de Zapata Ciénaga de Zapata is one of 14 municipalities of the Matanzas Province, Cuba, and the municipal seat is located at Playa Larga, at the northern end of the Bahia de Cochinos ("Bay of Pigs"). A large part of the municipality is protected as the Za ...
in Matanzas Province,
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 ...
, with winds of 65 mph (100 km/h). The storm curved north-northwestward and weakened slightly before emerging into the
Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, 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 ...
early the following day. Thereafter, favorable conditions allowed Elsa to briefly re-attain hurricane status early on July 7, before wind shear and dry air
entrainment Entrainment may refer to: * Air entrainment, the intentional creation of tiny air bubbles in concrete * Brainwave entrainment, the practice of entraining one's brainwaves to a desired frequency * Entrainment (biomusicology), the synchronization o ...
weakened the system back to a tropical storm six hours later. At 14:30 UTC, the cyclone struck Taylor County, Florida, with winds of 65 mph (100 km/h). The storm weakened after landfall, but did not fall below minimal tropical storm strength. Instead, Elsa re-intensified due to baroclinic forcing while accelerating northeastward. Elsa became an extratropical cyclone at 18:00 UTC on July 9 over eastern
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 ...
, before the remnants dissipated over
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 ...
on the following day. While passing through the Windward Islands, Elsa produced sustained hurricane-force winds on Barbados, the first storm to do so since
Janet Janet may refer to: Names * Janet (given name) * Janet (French singer) (1939–2011) Surname * Charles Janet (1849–1932), French engineer, inventor and biologist, known for the Left Step periodic table * Jules Janet (1861–1945), French psych ...
in
1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...
. Winds downed many trees and left the entire island without electricity. The storm also damaged approximately 1,300 homes, with 62 of them completely destroyed. Additionally,
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines () is an island country in the Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea wh ...
reported damage to 43 homes and 3 police stations, while the island nation suffered significant banana crop losses. Strong winds on Saint Lucia downed a number of trees and power lines, leaving approximately 90% of electrical customers without power. Although
Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...
experienced mostly minor damage, one death occurred there. In the Dominican Republic, two fatalities occurred after strong winds caused the walls of a structure to collapse. Heavy rainfall in portions of Cuba led to flooding that inundated many streets in
Cienfuegos Province Cienfuegos () is one of the provinces of Cuba. The capital city of the province is also called Cienfuegos and was founded by French settlers in 1819. Overview Until 2011 Cienfuegos was the smallest province in Cuba (excluding the city of Hav ...
and isolated three towns. Elsa capsized a boat containing 22 people in the
Straits of Florida The Straits of Florida, Florida Straits, or Florida Strait ( es, Estrecho de Florida) is a strait located south-southeast of the North American mainland, generally accepted to be between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, and between th ...
, 9 of whom were never found and presumed to have drowned. In Florida, the cyclone flooded streets and downed a number of trees, especially 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 ...
and along the state's west coast. One death occurred in Florida. Farther inland, Elsa and its remnants produced 17  weak tornadoes between
North Florida North Florida is a region of the U.S. state of Florida comprising the northernmost part of the state. Along with South Florida and Central Florida, it is one of Florida's three most common "directional" regions. It includes Jacksonville and near ...
and South New Jersey. A few of them caused significant damage, including an EF1 tornado in St. Marys, Georgia, which also injured 17 people. Portions of the Northeastern United States reported wind damage and flooding, especially the
New York metropolitan area The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban area, urban landmass, at , and one of the list of most populous metropolitan areas, most populous urban agg ...
. Damage in the United States totaled approximately $1.2 billion. Winds and rains generated by Elsa in Atlantic Canada left about 50,000 households without electricity, many of them in New Brunswick.


Tropical Storm Fred

Three tropical waves emerged into the Atlantic from the west coast of Africa in late July and early August. The waves slowly consolidated and organized while moving generally west-northwestward across the Atlantic. The system passed through 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 ...
without a well-defined center on August 10. By 00:00 UTC the next day, however, the system developed into Tropical Storm Fred over the northeastern Caribbean just south of
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
. Fred then made landfall near
San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic San Cristóbal is a city in the southern region of Dominican Republic. It is the municipal (''municipio'') capital of the San Cristóbal province. The municipality is located in a valley at the foothills of the mountains belonging to the Cordiller ...
, with winds of 45 mph (75 km/h) at 17:00 UTC. The storm deteriorated to a tropical depression early on August 12, hours before emerging into the Atlantic off the north coast of
Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
. Fred briefly re-intensified into a tropical storm on August 13, but strong wind shear weakened it back to a tropical depression before striking
Cayo Romano Cayo Romano is an island on the northern coast of Cuba, in the province of Camagüey. It is the largest cay of the Jardines del Rey archipelago with . Overview Administratively is part of Nuevitas, but the closest municipality on Cuban Mainland ...
, Cuba, at 12:00 UTC. Land interaction then caused the system to degrade into an open trough early on August 14, but the storm began re-organizing after emerging into the Gulf of Mexico several hours later. Fred re-developed into a tropical storm over the eastern Gulf of Mexico around 12:00 UTC the next day as it headed generally northward. At 18:00 UTC on August 16, Fred peaked with winds of 65 mph (100 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 993 mbar (29.32 inHg), just over an hour before making landfall near Cape San Blas, Florida. Fred weakened to a tropical depression over
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 August 17, before weakening into a remnant low 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 ...
at 00:00 UTC on August 18. The remnant low became extratropical about 24 hours later over
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
. This system persisted until dissipating over
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 ...
on August 20. Several islands of the Lesser Antilles reported rainfall and gusty winds. Similar conditions in
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
resulted in over 13,000 customers losing electricity. In 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 ...
, Fred left approximately 500,000 people without electricity and 40,000 customers without power. Floods isolated 47 communities and damaged or demolished more than 800 homes, including about 100 in
Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 (Distrito Nacional) , websi ...
. The storm produced heavy rains over parts of Cuba, including a maximum total of of precipitation at Hatibonico in
Guantánamo Province Guantánamo is the easternmost province of Cuba. Its capital is also called Guantánamo. Other towns include Baracoa. The province has the only land border of the U.S. Navy base at Guantánamo Bay. Overview Guantánamo's architecture and cultu ...
. In Florida, storm surge caused minor coastal flooding in the
Forgotten Coast The Forgotten Coast refers to a largely untouched and uninhabited area of coastline in the panhandle of the US state of Florida. The term, also a trademark, was first used in 1992, but the Forgotten Coast's exact location is not agreed upon. De ...
region. About 40,000 customers lost electricity throughout northern Florida. One person died from a car accident due to hydroplaning in
Bay County Bay County is the name of three counties: * Bay County, Florida, United States * Bay County, Michigan, United States * Baicheng County Baicheng County () as the official romanized name, also transliterated from Uyghur as Bay County (pronounced l ...
. Fred and its remnants later spawned 31 tornadoes from Georgia to Massachusetts. The storm also caused flooding as it moved farther inland, especially over western North Carolina. At least 784 businesses and homes and 23 bridges in Buncombe and
Haywood Haywood may refer to: Places Canada * Haywood, Manitoba United Kingdom * Haywood, Herefordshire * Great Haywood, Staffordshire * Little Haywood, Staffordshire United States * Hayward, California, formerly Haywood * Haywood, Kentucky * Haywood, ...
counties combined were damaged or destroyed. The town of Cruso alone reported six fatalities and about $300 million in damage. Throughout the United States, Fred left seven deaths and approximately $1.3 billion in damage.


Hurricane Grace

On August 9, a tropical wave entered the Atlantic from the west coast of Africa. Although satellite imagery noted a mid-level circulation, scatterometer data indicated that the system did not have a surface circulation. Tracking quickly westward, the system acquired sufficient convective organization and a surface circulation, and thus, it became a tropical depression at 06:00 UTC on August 13, approximately east of the Leeward Islands. Moving westward due to a subtropical ridge to the north, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Grace on August 14 following a significant increase in deep convection. However, dry air and the storm's quick motion caused Grace to weaken back to a tropical depression early the next day as it approached the Leeward Islands. Grace soon entered the Caribbean and initially remained weak, but the cyclone reintensified into a tropical storm on August 16. Around 16:30 UTC, the system made landfall near
Oviedo, Dominican Republic Oviedo is a city and municipality in the Pedernales province 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 C ...
, with winds of 40 mph (65 km/h), and subsequently brushed
Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
's
Tiburon Peninsula The Tiburon Peninsula (french: Péninsule de Tiburon), or The Xaragua Peninsula, simply "the Tiburon" (''le Tiburon''), is a region of Haiti encompassing most of Haiti's southern coast. It starts roughly at the southernmost point of the Haiti-D ...
. Thereafter, Grace intensified further due to low wind shear and warm sea surface temperatures. Around 14:00 UTC on August 17, the cyclone struck near Black Hill, Jamaica, with winds of 60 mph (95 km/h). Grace soon re-emerged into the Caribbean and intensified into a hurricane on the following day. At 09:45 UTC on August 19, the storm made landfall near
Tulum Tulum (, yua, Tulu'um) is the site of a pre-Columbian Mayan walled city which served as a major port for Coba, in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. The ruins are situated on cliffs along the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula on the Caribb ...
,
Quintana Roo Quintana Roo ( , ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo), is one of the 31 states which, with Mexico City, constitute the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 11 mu ...
, with winds of 85 mph (140 km/h). Grace subsequently weakened to a tropical storm before emerging into the Bay of Campeche several hours later. However, the cyclone then quickly strengthened, re-attaining hurricane status at 12:00 UTC on August 20 and becoming a major hurricane about 12 hours thereafter. Around 00:00 UTC on August 21, Grace peaked as a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of and a minimum central pressure of . The system made landfall near
Tecolutla Tecolutla is a town and municipality located on the Tecolutla River on the eastern coast of the state of Veracruz in Mexico. It has the closest beaches to Mexico City, and much of its economy is based on tourism, as it is only a four- or five-hour ...
,
Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...
, at 05:30 UTC. It then rapidly weakened over the mountains of central Mexico and dissipated by 18:00 UTC. However, the remnants of Grace traveled across Mexico, and contributed to the development of Tropical Storm Marty in the Eastern Pacific. Because Grace weakened to a tropical depression before reaching the Leeward Islands, only light winds and rainfall occurred there. In the Dominican Republic, flooding damaged about 500 homes and displaced over 2,400 people. Grace also brought flooding to Haiti – especially the Sud-Est
department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
– just days after the country experienced a devastating earthquake, which killed more than 2,200 people. Grace caused at least four fatalities occurred in Haiti, although the death toll may be higher given the short time elapsed between the storm and the earthquake. Jamaica observed sustained tropical storm-force winds, causing about 100,000 electrical customers to lose power and damaging some structures. Additionally, up to of rain fell at Bois Content, inundating more than of banana and plantain crops and collapsing a bridge. 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 ...
, tropical storm-force sustained winds and hurricane-force gusts damaged several buildings and residences and left more than 27,000 electrical customers without power on
Grand Cayman Grand Cayman is the largest of the three Cayman Islands and the location of the territory's capital, George Town. In relation to the other two Cayman Islands, it is approximately 75 miles (121 km) southwest of Little Cayman and 90 miles ( ...
alone. Grace's passage across the Yucatán Peninsula caused nearly 700,000 customers to lose electricity. High winds also downed many trees and power lines while causing minor damage to 20 schools and some other structures. The storm's second landfall in Mexico left significant impact in
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 ...
,
Puebla Puebla ( en, colony, settlement), officially Free and Sovereign State of Puebla ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its cap ...
, and
Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...
, with 110,000 homes damaged in the three states combined due to flooding, mudslides, and strong winds. Puebla and Veracruz also sustained extensive crop losses, with the latter reporting damage to about of bananas, beans, citrus, and corn. Additionally, the hurricane damaged approximately 3,000 schools in Veracruz. Thirteen fatalities occurred in Mexico. Overall, Grace was responsible for 17 deaths and $513 million in damage.


Hurricane Henri

Between August 11 and August 12, a mid-level disturbance and its associated convection moved offshore the Mid-Atlantic. The system spawned a weak surface trough on August 14, which became a surface low-pressure area early the following day. After deep convection organized further, a tropical depression formed at 18:00 UTC on August 15 about north-northeast of Bermuda. Tracking southward due to a nearby mid-level high-pressure area, the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Henri about 24 hours later. Due to persistent wind shear, the center was consistently near the western edge of its convection. Late on August 18, however, Henri intensified into a high-end tropical storm as the convection organized and wrapped around the mid-level circulation center. For the next three days, Henri remained as a strong tropical storm whilst curving northwards as it rounded the western edge of 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 ...
. At 12:00 UTC on August 21, Henri strengthened to a hurricane as wind shear relaxed, allowing the low-level and the mid-level circulation centers to align. Henri weakened to a tropical storm on August 22, shortly before making two landfalls in
Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
, first on
Block Island Block Island is an island in the U.S. state of Rhode Island located in Block Island Sound approximately south of the mainland and east of Montauk Point, Long Island, New York, named after Dutch explorer Adriaen Block. It is part of Washingt ...
and later near Westerly with winds of 65 mph (100 km/h). After landfall, Henri rapidly weakened to a tropical depression as it made a small loop. Late on August 23, Henri degenerated into a remnant low over southeastern New York. The remnant low moved eastward and dissipated in the Atlantic east of New England on the next day. In the Northeastern United States, the system produced tides that left water up to above-ground in coastal Connecticut and the north side of Long Island in New York. Several locations in the region reported tropical-storm force winds, with a gust up to in
Point Judith, Rhode Island Point Judith is a village and a small Cape (geography), cape, on the coast of Narragansett, Rhode Island, on the western side of Narragansett Bay where it opens out onto Rhode Island Sound. It is the location for the year-round ferry service that ...
. Consequently, wind damage was mainly limited to uprooted trees. Parts of the Northeastern United States, especially Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York, reported heavy rainfall, including a peak total of of precipitation in
Greenwood Lake, New York Greenwood Lake is a village in Orange County, New York, United States, in the southern part of the town of Warwick. As of the United States 2010 Census, the village population was 3,154. It is part of the Poughkeepsie– Newburgh– Middl ...
. The subsequent floods in New Jersey forced the evacuation of about 200 people in
Helmetta Helmetta is a borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The borough is nestled within the heart of the Raritan Valley region, with Manalapan Brook (a Raritan River tributary) flowing through the center of the community. As of the ...
and the rescuing of almost 100 other people in
Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...
. In New York, heavy precipitation left waist-deep water in
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
. Henri also spawned three tornadoes in Massachusetts, although each were small, weak, and short-lived, leaving minimal damage. Over 140,000 households across Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island lost electricity as a result of Henri. Altogether, the system caused an estimated $700 million in damage in the United States.


Hurricane Ida

Multiple systems, including a westward-moving tropical wave and a broad low-pressure area, began interacting in the Caribbean near the ABC islands on August 24. Convection associated with the disturbance increased and concentrated further over the next few days, resulting in the formation of a tropical depression around 12:00 UTC on August 26 just southwest 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 His ...
. Six hours later, the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Ida, based on reconnaissance flight data. Moving northwestward, Ida strengthened quicker after passing 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 ...
, reaching hurricane status late on August 27. At 18:00 UTC, the cyclone struck
Isla de la Juventud Isla de la Juventud (; en, Isle of Youth) is the second-largest Cuban island (after Cuba's mainland) and the seventh-largest island in the West Indies (after mainland Cuba itself, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, and Andros Islan ...
,
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 ...
, with winds of 80 mph (120 km/h) and then the mainland at 23:25 UTC near Playa Dayaniguas,
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 ...
. After crossing Cuba and entering the
Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, 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 ...
, Ida entered a region of light wind shear and water temperatures exceeding , resulting in rapid intensification, with the storm strengthening to a Category 2 hurricane early on August 29 and to a Category 3 hurricane within six hours as the system cleared out a warm eye. Thereafter, Ida became a Category 4 hurricane at 12:00 UTC as it neared the
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 borde ...
coast. Simultaneously, the hurricane reached its peak intensity with maximum sustained wind speeds of and a minimum barometric pressure of . At 16:55 UTC on August 29, Ida made landfall near
Port Fourchon, Louisiana Port Fourchon is Louisiana’s southernmost port, located on the southern tip of Lafourche Parish, on the Gulf of Mexico. It is a seaport, with significant petroleum industry traffic from offshore Gulf oil platforms and drilling rigs as well as th ...
, with sustained winds of and a central pressure of 931 mbar (27.46 inHg), tying the
1856 Last Island hurricane The 1856 Last Island hurricane (also known as the Great Storm of 1856) was a deadly and destructive tropical cyclone that is tied with Hurricane Laura and Hurricane Ida as the strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in the U.S. state of Lou ...
and
Hurricane Laura Hurricane Laura was a deadly and destructive Category 4 hurricane that is tied with the 1856 Last Island hurricane and 2021's Hurricane Ida as the strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in the U.S. state of Louisiana, as measur ...
as the strongest landfalling hurricane on record in Louisiana, as measured by
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 ...
, and trailing only
Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
, as measured by central pressure at landfall. Afterward, Ida weakened slowly at first, remaining a major hurricane until early the next day. As the storm moved further inland, Ida began to rapidly weaken, falling below hurricane strength around 12:00 UTC on August 30 while turning northeastward 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 ...
, before weakening to a depression at 00:00 UTC on August 31. Ida transitioned into an extratropical cyclone over
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 Bur ...
on September 1. Thereafter, the extratropical low briefly emerged into the Atlantic, continued northeastward into
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 ...
, and then stalled over the
Gulf of St. Lawrence The Gulf of St. Lawrence () is the outlet of the North American Great Lakes via the St. Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean. The gulf is a semi-enclosed sea, covering an area of about and containing about of water, at an average depth of . ...
before being absorbed by another low developing to its east on September 4. As Ida's precursor tropical wave passed near the westernmost Leeward Antilles, it began to interact with a broad area of low pressure located along the northern coast of South America, triggering damaging floods and landslides across
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 ...
, leading to 20 deaths. In Cuba, Ida destroyed several homes in Pinar del Río Province, contributing to the country's $250 million damage estimate. The storm caused widespread significant damage throughout coastal southeast Louisiana; parts of the
New Orleans metropolitan area The New Orleans metropolitan area, designated the New Orleans–Metairie metropolitan statistical area by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, or simply Greater New Orleans (french: Grande Nouvelle-Orléans, es, Gran Nueva Orleans), is a me ...
were left without power for several weeks. Thousands of structures suffered damage, with nearly all buildings and homes in
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 ...
and
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 ...
parishes sustaining some degree of impact. Damage in Louisiana alone totaled about $55 billion. Significant wind damage extended northward into southwestern Mississippi, while approximately half of
Amite County Amite County is a county located in the state of Mississippi on its southern border with Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,720. Its county seat is Liberty. The county is named after the Amite River, which runs through the ...
lost electricity. Ida also triggered a
tornado outbreak __NOTOC__ A tornado outbreak is the occurrence of multiple tornadoes spawned by the same synoptic scale weather system. The number of tornadoes required to qualify as an outbreak typically are at least six to ten, with at least two rotational l ...
that began with numerous weak tornadoes in Mississippi, Louisiana, and
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 ...
. The remnants of Ida subsequently spawned several destructive tornadoes in the Northeastern United States. An EF2 tornado caused considerable damage in
Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...
, while a low-end EF2 tornado caused significant damage in
Oxford, Pennsylvania Oxford is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. Oxford is the closest town to Lincoln University. The population was 5,733 at the 2020 census. History The borough was once called Oxford Crossing and Oxford Village during the ...
. Another EF2 tornado caused a fatality in
Upper Dublin Township, Pennsylvania Upper Dublin Township is a township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 25,569 at the 2010 census. Until the 1950s, Upper Dublin was mostly farmland and open space, but transitioned to a residential suburb durin ...
, before a destructive EF3 tornado heavily damaged or destroyed multiple homes in
Mullica Hill, New Jersey Mullica Hill is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in Harrison Township in Gloucester County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, the CDP's population was 3,982.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 ...
, New York, and
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, including the shut down of most of the transportation systems in New York City. Ida's winds, rains, storm surges, and tornadoes resulted in at least $75 billion in damages and 87 deaths throughout the United States. Of the deaths in the United States, 55 deaths were direct and 32 were indirect, while a majority of those fatalities occurred in Louisiana, New Jersey, and New York.


Tropical Storm Kate

On August 22, a tropical wave exited the west coast of Africa and entered the Atlantic. The wave, accompanied by a broad area of low pressure, moved quickly to the west and west-northward, passing well south of the Cabo Verde Islands. After decelerating and curving northwestward due to a weakness in the subtropical ridge, the system organized into a tropical depression at 06:00 UTC on August 28 while situated approximately east 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 ...
. The depression moved generally northward and remained weak due to strong wind shear generated by a broad mid-to-upper-level trough. A temporary burst in convection allowed the depression to intensify into Tropical Storm Kate early on August 30 and soon peaked with winds of 45 mph (75 km/h) and a minimum pressure of . However, strong wind shear and very dry mid-level air caused Kate to weaken to a tropical depression on August 31. By 18:00 UTC on September 1, Kate degenerated into a trough about northeast of the Leeward Islands. The remnants continued north-northwestward until dissipating a few days later.


Tropical Storm Julian

A tropical wave emerged into the Atlantic from the west coast of Africa on August 20. After the wave split between August 23 and August 24, its northern portion tracked northwestward toward a subtropical ridge and later northward around the ridge's western periphery. Favorable conditions such as warm sea surface temperatures and low wind shear allowed the disturbance to acquire deep convection and a low-level circulation. Consequently, the system became a tropical depression at 18:00 UTC on August 28 approximately east of Bermuda. Early the next day, the depression attained wind speeds of a tropical storm and was named ''Julian''. Although wind shear left convection displaced to the northeast of Julian's center, seas remained warm, allowing some intensification as the storm headed rapidly northeastward due to an approaching cold front. Late on August 29, Julian peaked with winds of 60 mph (95 km/h) and a minimum pressure of . However, the storm soon began interacting with the cold front and transitioned into an extratropical cyclone around 12:00 UTC on August 30 about east-southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland. The remnants of Julian turned northward on August 31 and merged with a large extratropical system over the far north Atlantic later that day.


Hurricane Larry

On August 30, a strong tropical wave and an accompanying broad area of low pressure emerged off the west coast of Africa. Deep convection quickly began to increase around the eastern portion of the circulation as it moved over the far eastern tropical Atlantic. The system organized into a tropical depression at 18:00 UTC on August 31 while located about south-southeast of the Cabo Verde Islands. The depression intensified into Tropical Storm Larry six hours later. Located within favorable atmospheric and oceanic conditions, the cyclone steadily strengthened while moving generally westward across the Atlantic to the south of a strong mid-level ridge. A small inner-core developed late on September 1, and, by 06:00 UTC on September 2, a well-defined low- to midlevel eye feature became apparent, indicating that Larry had attained hurricane status. The storm intensified to Category 2 strength late on September 3. Then, after battling against some shear and an intrusion of dry mid-level air during 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 ...
, Larry became a Category 3 major hurricane by 00:00 UTC on September 4. While maintaining Category 3 status for multiple days, Larry gained
annular Annulus (or anulus) or annular indicates a ring- or donut-shaped area or structure. It may refer to: Human anatomy * ''Anulus fibrosus disci intervertebralis'', spinal structure * Annulus of Zinn, a.k.a. annular tendon or ''anulus tendineus com ...
characteristics and completed two eyewall replacement cycles. Around 12:00 UTC on September 5, the hurricane attained its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph (205 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of . However, by September 7, the eyewall became less defined as the convection decreased. Early the next day, Larry weakened to a Category 2 hurricane as it began encountering decreasing sea surface temperatures. On September 9, the system weakened to a Category 1 hurricane while located roughly southeast of Bermuda. At 03:30 UTC on September 11, Larry made landfall in
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 ...
along 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 ensus ...
. While crossing the
Labrador Sea The Labrador Sea (French: ''mer du Labrador'', Danish: ''Labradorhavet'') is an arm of the North Atlantic Ocean between the Labrador Peninsula and Greenland. The sea is flanked by continental shelf, continental shelves to the southwest, northwest, ...
later that day, the storm transitioned into a post-tropical cyclone, which was subsequently absorbed by a larger extratropical system by early on September 12 about halfway between Newfoundland and
Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...
. Rough surf and rip currents generated by Larry's large wind field led to five drownings, one each in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Florida, and
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 ar ...
. In Newfoundland, high winds uprooted many trees, knocked down power lines, and damaged some roofs. Almost 61,000 customers lost electricity, with most along the
Avalon Peninsula The Avalon Peninsula (french: Péninsule d'Avalon) is a large peninsula that makes up the southeast portion of the island of Newfoundland. It is in size. The peninsula is home to 270,348 people, about 52% of Newfoundland's population, according ...
. Damages assessed on Newfoundland were estimated at $80 million. The remnants of the cyclone produced snowfall totals up to and hurricane-force winds in Greenland.


Tropical Storm Mindy

On August 22, a tropical wave and its associated broad low-pressure area exited the west coast of Africa and emerged into the Atlantic. The wave moved westward across the Atlantic for nearly a week, while a portion of it split-off and became Tropical Storm Kate on August 28. Thereafter, the system crossed the Caribbean and reached Central America by September 2. Part of the wave then detached again and contributed to the development of Hurricane Olaf in the
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 continen ...
. The remainder of the wave moved slowly northwestward and reached the Gulf of Mexico on September 5. A burst in deep convection late on September 8 resulted in the formation of Tropical Storm Mindy over the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Moderate wind shear and warm water temperatures allowed Mindy to peak with winds of 60 mph (95 km/h) and a minimum pressure of before it made landfall on St. Vincent Island, Florida, at 01:15 UTC on the following day. Heading east-northeastward, the storm weakened to a tropical depression over southeast Georgia around 12:00 UTC and degenerated into a remnant low late on September 9 after emerging into the Atlantic. The remnant circulation merged with a baroclinic zone area on September 11. The system which later became Mindy produced heavy rainfall in Mexico from September 2 to September 7, especially in Hidalgo,
Jalisco Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal En ...
,
Mexico state The State of Mexico ( es, Estado de México; ), officially just Mexico ( es, México), is one of the administrative divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of the United Mexican States. Commonly known as Edomex (from ) to distinguish it from th ...
,
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
, and
Morelos Morelos (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Morelos ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Morelos), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 36 municipalities and its capital city is Cuer ...
. Subsequent floods damaged approximately 31,000 homes and caused at least 23 deaths across Mexico. In Hidalgo, the Rosas and Tula rivers overflowed their banks. A total of 17 fatalities occurred in
Atotonilco de Tula Atotonilco de Tula is one of the 84 municipalities of Hidalgo. It is located in the central-southeastern part of the state of Hidalgo in Mexico. The municipal seat is Atotonilco de Tula. The municipality is located at a southern pass leading out ...
, where more than 1,000 people evacuated, including 41 people from a flooded hospital. Damage in Mexico totaled approximately $75 million. In Florida, Mindy spawned an EF0 tornado, although it only caused minor tree damage in
Wakulla County Wakulla County is a County (United States), county located in the Big Bend (Florida), Big Bend region in the North Florida, northern portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 33, ...
. Winds generated by the storm mainly resulted in power outages, with about 10,000 in the Florida Panhandle and a few thousand in southeast Georgia, although falling trees damaged two homes and destroyed a mobile home in
Leon County, Florida Leon County is a county in the Panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. It was named after the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León. As of the 2020 census, the population was 292,198. The county seat is Tallahassee, which is also the state cap ...
. Additionally, downed trees blocked several roads in the
Tallahassee metropolitan area The Tallahassee Metropolitan Statistical area is the metropolitan area centered on Tallahassee, Florida. The Tallahassee Metropolitan Statistical Area is a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) designated by the Office of Management and Budget and ...
. Throughout the United States, Mindy caused about $123,000 in damage.


Hurricane Nicholas

A tropical wave exited the west coast of Africa and emerged into the Atlantic on August 28. For several days, convection remained disorganized while the system trekked westward across the Atlantic and Caribbean. Although the wave struck Central America on September 9, a surface trough remained in the western Caribbean. The trough reached the Gulf of Mexico on September 11 and quickly developed a circulation and additional convection by the next day. With
reconnaissance aircraft A reconnaissance aircraft (colloquially, a spy plane) is a military aircraft designed or adapted to perform aerial reconnaissance with roles including collection of imagery intelligence (including using photography), signals intelligence, as ...
flights observing tropical storm-force winds, the system became Tropical Storm Nicholas around 12:00 UTC on September 12 over the
Bay of Campeche The Bay of Campeche ( es, Bahía de Campeche), or Campeche Sound, is a bight (geography), 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 Mexico, Mexic ...
. Despite warm seas and unstable atmospheric conditions, Nicholas only strengthened gradually due to moderate wind shear as it headed north-northwestward around a subtropical ridge. On September 13, a weakness in the ridge caused the cyclone to curve north-northeastward. Based on a weather station at
Matagorda Bay Matagorda Bay () is a large Gulf of Mexico bay on the Texas coast, lying in Calhoun and Matagorda counties and located approximately northeast of Corpus Christi, east-southeast of San Antonio, south-southwest of Houston, and south-southeast ...
reporting sustained hurricane-force winds, Nicholas intensified into a hurricane around 00:00 UTC on September 14. Shortly thereafter, at 05:30 UTC, Nicholas made landfall near Sargent Beach, Texas, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 km/h). The system quickly weakened inland to tropical storm strength as it moved east-northeastward towards
Galveston Bay Galveston Bay ( ) is a bay in the western Gulf of Mexico along the upper coast of Texas. It is the seventh-largest estuary in the United States, and the largest of seven major estuaries along the Texas Gulf Coast. It is connected to the Gulf of ...
. Around 00:00 UTC on September 15, the storm weakened to a tropical depression, approximately 18 hours prior to degenerating into a remnant low over southwestern Louisiana. The remnant low meandered over Louisiana and briefly re-emerged into the Gulf of Mexico before being absorbed by a mid-latitude trough on September 20. Nicholas produced tropical-storm force wind gusts in portions of northeastern Mexico, including a gust of in
Bagdad, Tamaulipas Bagdad was a town established in 1848 on the south bank of the mouth of the Rio Grande, in Mexico. Because the town was inside the municipality of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, it was also known as the Port of Bagdad or the Port of Matamoros. It was off ...
. In Texas, strong winds, storm surge, and abnormally high tides impacted the coast, especially in Brazoria and Matagorda counties. There, the storm downed many trees, damaged or destroyed many piers and roofs, and caused severe erosion, while wave action resulted in water entering some homes.
Fort Bend Fort Bend was a blockhouse built in a large bend of the Brazos River in what is now Fort Bend County, Texas, to provide protection against Indian raids. It was erected in November 1822 by several members of Stephen F. Austin's Old Three Hundred, ...
,
Galveston Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...
, and
Harris Harris may refer to: Places Canada * Harris, Ontario * Northland Pyrite Mine (also known as Harris Mine) * Harris, Saskatchewan * Rural Municipality of Harris No. 316, Saskatchewan Scotland * Harris, Outer Hebrides (sometimes called the Isle o ...
counties experienced similar impacts but to a lesser extent. Additionally, several counties in
Southeast Texas Southeast Texas is a cultural and geographic region in the U.S. state of Texas, bordering Southwest Louisiana and its greater Acadiana region to the east. Being a part of East Texas, the region is geographically centered on the Greater Houston ...
reported localized and flash flooding. At least 500,000 structures in Texas lost electricity during the storm. Nicholas and its remnants also produced heavy rainfall and flooding across 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 war ...
, especially in Louisiana, where up to of precipitation fell in
Tangipahoa Parish Tangipahoa Parish (; French: ''Paroisse de Tangipahoa'') is a parish located in the southeast corner of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 121,097. The parish seat is Amite City, while the largest city is ...
. Numerous road closures occurred, many of them in parts of eastern Louisiana, while water entered some homes in
St. Charles Parish St. Charles Parish (french: Paroisse de Saint-Charles) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 census, its population was 52,549. The parish seat is Hahnville and the most populous community is Luling. The parish was ...
. Further, nearly 120,000 customers lost electricity in the state. Freshwater flooding caused two deaths in Alabama. Additional fatalities occurred in Florida when rip currents swept away two people at
Panama City Beach Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...
. Throughout the United States, Nicholas caused approximately $1 billion in damage.


Tropical Storm Odette

On September 11, the NHC began monitoring an area of disturbed weather over the southeastern Bahamas. As the system moved northwestward to north-northwestward, a low-pressure area formed well east of northeast Florida early on September 16. Despite the low having a relatively well-defined circulation, convection was disorganized and displaced from the center due to wind shear. By 18:00 UTC on September 17, the system organized into Tropical Storm Odette about east of the North Carolina–Virginia state line. Early on the following day, however, the cyclone was already beginning to lose tropical characteristics due to colder and drier air. During this process, its deep convection was consistently displaced well to the east of a poorly-defined center due to strong westerly wind shear. The system's circulation was elongated from southwest to northeast and contained multiple low-cloud swirls. Odette completed an extratropical transition by 12:00 UTC on September 18, about east-southeast of
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.
. The remnants of Odette retained gale-force winds and continued moving out into the central Atlantic, curving northeastward, before turning southward, making a slow counterclockwise curve. Thereafter, a strengthening ridge situated over the northwestern Atlantic caused the remnants of Odette to turn south-southeastward and later to the south-southwest. The extratropical low degenerated into a trough on September 27. During this time, the NHC monitored Odette's remnants for the potential to redevelop into a
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 cyclone.


Tropical Storm Peter

On September 8, the NHC began monitoring a tropical wave over west Africa. The wave emerged into the Atlantic between September 13 and September 14, producing a large burst of convection but lacking a closed circulation. Moving westward, convection became more concentrated over the next few days, and by late on September 18, the system acquired a closed circulation according to a NOAA buoy and satellite imagery. As a result, a tropical depression developed by 00:00 UTC on September 19 about east of the Leeward Islands. Six hours later, the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Peter. Relatively light wind shear and warm seas allowed Peter to reach a peak intensity with winds of 50 mph (85 km/h) and a minimum pressure of late on September 19. However, as the storm approached the northern Leeward Islands on September 20, it encountered nearly of southwesterly wind shear from a nearby upper low. As a result, Peter's low-level center was displaced west of its showers and thunderstorms. Later on September 21, the system weakened to a tropical depression and degenerated into a trough about north of Puerto Rico around 00:00 UTC on September 23. Although the NHC monitored the remnants due to the potential for redevelopment, the system dissipated well south of Newfoundland on September 29. The system brought heavy rain showers to the northern Leeward Islands,
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 ...
, and Puerto Rico on September 21, as it tracked to their north. In Puerto Rico, the towns of
Lares Lares ( , ; archaic , singular ''Lar'') were guardian deities in ancient Roman religion. Their origin is uncertain; they may have been hero-ancestors, guardians of the hearth, fields, boundaries, or fruitfulness, or an amalgam of these. Lares ...
and
Morovis Morovis (, ) is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the central region of the island, north of Orocovis, south of Manatí, Vega Baja and Vega Alta; east of Ciales, and west of Corozal. Morovis is spread over 13 barrios and Mor ...
both observed up to of precipitation, although parts of the former may have experienced rainfall totals up to . This caused a few mudslides and minor flooding in some areas, including in Carolina, Corozal,
Utuado Utuado () is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the central mountainous region of the island known as the '' Cordillera Central''. It is located north of Adjuntas and Ponce; south of Hatillo and Arecibo; east of Lares; and west ...
, and
Vega Baja Vega Baja (, ) is a town and municipality located on the coast of north central Puerto Rico. It is north of Morovis, east of Manatí, and west of Vega Alta. Vega Baja is spread over 13 barrios. The population of the municipality was 54,414 at t ...
. Damage on Puerto Rico totaled about $12,000.


Tropical Storm Rose

The National Hurricane Center began monitoring a tropical wave approaching the Atlantic coast of Africa on September 14. After moving into the far eastern tropical Atlantic early on September 16, the wave acquired a low-pressure center, though it remained disorganized. By 00:00 UTC on September 19, the disturbance had acquired a well-defined circulation and enough organized deep convection for it to be designated a tropical depression around south-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. Despite wind shear and dry air impacting the depression's eastern quadrants, satellite images showed that the deep convection increased within the cyclone and that its overall structure continued to improve, with the system becoming Tropical Storm Rose late on September 19. Around 00:00 UTC on September 21, Rose peaked with winds of 60 mph (95 km/h) and a minimum pressure of . However, a sharp increase in wind shear weakened the cyclone to a minimal tropical storm several hours later and to a tropical depression early the next day. By 12:00 UTC on September 22, Rose degenerated into a remnant low while situated roughly west-northwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. The low moved northwestward until curving northward on the following day. Early on September 24, the low became an open trough.


Hurricane Sam

On September 19, a tropical wave moved off the west coast of Africa and into the Atlantic. The wave consisted of fairly concentrated convective activity as it moved westward to the south of the Capo Verde Islands on the following day. By 18:00 UTC on September 22, the wave organized enough to become a tropical depression approximately west-southwest of Cabo Verde's southernmost islands. The depression intensified into Tropical Storm Sam around 06:00 UTC on September 23. Thereafter, very low wind shear and warm waters allowed Sam to reach hurricane status about 24 hours later as it tracked westward to west-northward along the eastern periphery of a mid-tropospheric anticyclone. Intensification then briefly ceased, but by 12:00 UTC on September 25, Sam reached Category 3 hurricane status. Satellite images showed a well-defined eye embedded in a developing central dense overcast, and following an increase in Dvorak intensity estimates, Sam became a Category 4 hurricane late on September 25. The NHC estimated that the cyclone reached its peak intensity around 18:00 UTC on September 26, with the storm likely attaining maximum sustained winds of and a minimum barometric pressure of , making Sam a high-end Category 4 hurricane. However, Sam then briefly weakened to a Category 3 hurricane due to an eyewall replacement cycle and a slight increase in wind shear, before re-strengthening back to a Category 4 hurricane at 06:00 UTC on September 28. Moving northwestward over warm waters near , Sam reached its secondary peak on October 1 with sustained winds of . After a mid-level ridge to the storm's northeast moved eastward, Sam accelerated north-northeastward and then northward, passing east of Bermuda on October 2. Around this time, the cyclone gradually began to weaken as it tracked over cooler sea surface temperatures and fell below major hurricane intensity on the following day. Consequently, the hurricane's cloud pattern degraded on October 4 and Sam weakened to Category 1 strength around 18:00 UTC that day. Early on October 5, Sam transitioned into an extratropical cyclone well east of Newfoundland after its convective activity became asymmetrical and elongated. The extratropical low briefly executed a cyclonic loop before continuing northeastward. Early on October 7, another extratropical low absorbed the remnants of Sam to the 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 brought dangerous swells to the Lesser Antilles and the
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 ...
, even though it remained more than offshore the latter. Despite passing well east of Bermuda, Sam produced tropical-storm force winds on the island, although each recording site was elevated above-ground. The
National Museum of Bermuda The National Museum of Bermuda, previously the Bermuda Maritime Museum from its opening in 1974 until 2009 (legislatively formalised in 2013), explores the maritime and island history of Bermuda. The maritime museum is located within the grounds ...
observed a wind gust of , with the anemometer above sea level.


Subtropical Storm Teresa

A weak cold front first began pushing into the western Atlantic on September 19. As this front interacted with an upper-level low moving in from the west, it generated an area of disturbed weather, with increasing convection located near a developing surface center. That disturbance, nestled underneath the upper-level low, developed into a subtropical depression around 06:00 UTC on September 24 while located about east-southeast of Bermuda. Over the next 12 hours, the depression intensified into Subtropical Storm Teresa and reached peak winds of 45 mph (75 km/h). As the cyclone moved northwest but then veered northeast, it encountered dry air and wind shear promptly causing it to weaken. Teresa degenerated to a remnant low around 18:00 UTC on September 25. The low weakened to a trough the next day, and that trough was absorbed by a frontal system on September 27.


Tropical Storm Victor

A vigorous tropical wave moved off Africa on September 27 and swiftly organized into a tropical depression around 12:00 UTC on September 29. At that time, the system was located about south of Cabo Verde. The newly formed cyclone moved west-northwest on the south side of a ridge. While ocean temperatures and wind shear values were conducive, the storm was surrounded by some dry air that intermittently became entrained into its circulation. The depression intensified into Tropical Storm Victor at 18:00 UTC on September 29 and reached peak winds of 65 mph (100 km/h) about two days later. As Victor turned northwest, it encountered starkly higher wind shear which resulted in its weakening. Its convection became displaced and its low-level circulation elongated, which led to its degeneration to a trough around 12:00 UTC on October 4. The remnants turned west and dissipated over the open Atlantic the next day.


Tropical Storm Wanda

On October 24, the NHC began monitoring a non-tropical disturbance just off the East Coast of the United States, anticipating that it would shortly develop into a strong low-pressure system, a
nor'easter A nor'easter (also northeaster; see below), or an East Coast low is a synoptic-scale extratropical cyclone in the western North Atlantic Ocean. The name derives from the direction of the winds that blow from the northeast. The original use o ...
, as it moved northward up the coast, and then possibly develop tropical or subtropical characteristics afterward while moving away from the coast. After bringing heavy rainfall, damaging winds, and coastal flooding to areas in the Northeastern United States between October 25 and October 27, the storm acquired subtropical characteristics early on October 31, while located roughly off Cape Race, Newfoundland, and was given the name ''Wanda''. That same day, Wanda peaked with winds of 60 mph (95 km/h) and a minimum pressure of . By 12:00 UTC on November 1, the system transitioned into a tropical storm. After meandering well west of the
Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...
for several days, Wanda turned southward on November 5 due to a narrow, strengthening ridge to the northwest, before accelerating northeastward late on November 6 as it interacted with a mid-level trough over the northern Atlantic. By November 7, Wanda had lost its deep convection and became a post-tropical low at 12:00 UTC about west-northwest of the westernmost islands of the Azores, several hours before merging with a frontal system. The precursor to Wanda caused over $200 million in damages across the Northeastern United States, and two storm-related deaths were reported. Strong winds caused more than 600,000 customers to lose electricity in New England. In coastal Massachusetts, which observed hurricane-force wind gusts, numerous trees fell, damaging homes and vehicles and obstructing many roadways. Flash flooding and localized flooding also impacted several states in the region. Abnormally high tides damaged boats, necessitated water rescues, and caused coastal flooding, especially in Massachusetts and New Jersey.


Storm names

The following list of names was used for named storms that formed in the North Atlantic in 2021. This was the same list used in the 2015 season, with the exceptions of ''Elsa'' and ''Julian'', which replaced '' Erika'' and '' Joaquin'', respectively. The names ''Elsa'', ''Julian'', ''Rose'', ''Sam'', ''Teresa'', ''Victor'', and ''Wanda'' were used for the first time this year.


Retirement

On April 27, 2022, during the 44th Session of the RA IV Hurricane Committee, the
World Meteorological Organization The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for promoting international cooperation on atmospheric science, climatology, hydrology and geophysics. The WMO originated from the Internati ...
retired the name ''Ida'' from its rotating name lists due to the catastrophic damages it caused, and it will never be used again for another Atlantic hurricane. It will be replaced with ''Imani'' for the 2027 season.


Season effects

This is a table of all of the storms that formed in the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season. It includes their duration, names, intensities, areas affected, damages, 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, and all of the damage figures are in 2021 USD.


See also

*
Weather of 2021 The following is a list of weather events that occurred in 2021. The year began with La Niña conditions. There were several natural disasters around the world from various types of weather, including blizzards, cold waves, droughts, heat wave ...
*
Tropical cyclones in 2021 During 2021, tropical cyclones formed in seven major bodies of water, commonly known as tropical cyclone basins. Tropical cyclones will be assigned names by various weather agencies if they attain maximum sustained winds of . During the year, one ...
* 2021 Pacific hurricane season *
2021 Pacific typhoon season The 2021 Pacific typhoon season was the second consecutive to have below-average tropical cyclone activity, with twenty-two named storms, and was the least active since 2011. Nine became typhoons, and five of those intensified into super typho ...
* 2021 North Indian Ocean cyclone season * South-West Indian Ocean cyclone seasons:
2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
, 2021–22 * Australian region cyclone seasons:
2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
, 2021–22 * South Pacific cyclone seasons:
2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
, 2021–22


Notes


References


External links


National Hurricane Center Website

National Hurricane Center's Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlook



Saildrone footage from inside Hurricane Sam
{{Tropical cyclone season, 2021 Atlantic hurricane seasons Articles which contain graphical timelines Tropical cyclones in 2021