2018 Hurricane Recap: Record-Shattering and Destructive

It came to a close on November 30 and the 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season will be remembered by the records shattered and damage cost for the U.S.

Forecasters were on the money when it came to projecting the number of tropical disturbances to happen during this season. An average of 15 storms were forecast with seven becoming hurricanes and three becoming major (Category 3+) hurricanes. Most forecasters predicted 10-15 named storms, 5-8 hurricanes and 2-4 major hurricanes.

This season, the Atlantic Hurricane Basin, which includes the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, produced 15 named storms with eight hurricanes and two major hurricanes. What’s more is a record number of seven storms became subtropical at some point in their lifetime this season. Subtropical meaning a system that has both tropical and extratropical characteristics. These storms included Alberto, Beryl, Debby, Ernesto, Joyce, Leslie and Oscar.

The Atlantic Hurricane Season normally starts on June 1 and ends on November 30, marking the favorable time of year for a tropical system formation. Although it is relatively uncommon, storms can still form earlier or later than those dates, just like this past May with Alberto. This was the fourth year in a row where storms have formed before the official season kickoff.

Tropical Storm Alberto formed on May 25 east of the Yucatan Peninsula and moved northward into the Florida Panhandle before dissipating in central Michigan. There was a long lull in activity before the next storm formed on the 4^th of July holiday, eventually becoming Hurricane Beryl. Tropical storms continued to form one after the other throughout July but by August, the hurricane machine was switched to “off.” Only Tropical Storms Debby and Ernesto formed and dissipated during the month of August without impact on the U.S.
Historically, September is the busiest month for tropical formation and this year followed suit. A total of six named storms and a tropical depression churned throughout September, making it a busy month for tropical forecasters. For the first time since 2008, four named storms existed at the same time in the Atlantic Basin, including Hurricane Florence, Tropical Storm Isaac, Hurricane Helene and Tropical Storm Joyce in September.

Hurricane Florence roared ashore on the North Carolina Coast on September 14. Florence stalled in North Carolina, dropping record-breaking rainfall of more than 30 inches in the small town of Swansboro, N.C., before moving up the East Coast and dissipating on September 19. When all was said and done, Florence caused 55 fatalities and more than $17 billion in damages, mostly from flooding and storm surge.

Although it was no threat to the U.S., Hurricane Leslie will go down in the history books as the first tropical cyclone to pass within 100 miles of Madeira, an island northwest of the African country of Morocco. The island has only been keeping records since 1851. As Leslie neared Madeira, a tropical storm warning was issued for the first time in the island’s history. Leslie eventually dissipated in the Bay of Biscay, southwest of France, on October 13.  

A system which would become the third-strongest landfalling hurricane (based on pressure) in the U.S., began organizing on October 2. By October 8, Hurricane Michael was born after rapid-intensification. By October 9, Michael had reached major hurricane status in the bath-like waters of the Gulf of Mexico and headed straight for the Florida Panhandle. On the afternoon of October 10, Michael made landfall as a Major Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 155 mph and a minimum central pressure of 919 millibars. Before dissipation, Michael was the cause of at least 45 deaths and damage estimates between $8 and 11 billion for the U.S.

Tropical Storms Nadine and Oscar came and went in the open Atlantic before dissipating on October 13^th and 31^st respectively.

All in all, this near- to above-normal season accounted for more than $33 billion in damages with 154 estimated fatalities. Two of these systems, Florence and Michael, reached major hurricane status and accounted for much of the damage and fatalities. These two hurricanes were very different in nature, however. Florence became stalled, much like Hurricane Harvey in 2017, producing record amounts of rainfall while Michael slammed the Florida Panhandle as the third strongest storm to make landfall in the U.S. It is common that the names for the most destructive and deadly storms are retired from future use. This will be announced by the World Meteorological Organization in the Spring of 2019.