| 2024 Atlantic hurricane season | |
|---|---|
 Season summary map | |
| Seasonal boundaries | |
| First system formed | June 19, 2024 |
| Last system dissipated | Season ongoing |
| Strongest storm | |
| Name | Milton |
| • Maximum winds | 180 mph (285 km/h) (1-minute sustained) |
| • Lowest pressure | 897 mbar (hPa; 26.49 inHg) |
| Seasonal statistics | |
| Total depressions | 18 |
| Total storms | 18 |
| Hurricanes | 11 |
| Major hurricanes (Cat. 3+) | 5 |
| Total fatalities | 396 total |
| Total damage | > $191.128 billion (2024 USD) (Second-costliest tropical cyclone season on record[1]) |
| Related articles | |
The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is the ongoing Atlantic hurricane season in the Northern Hemisphere. Of the 18 named storms that have formed so far, 11 have developed into hurricanes and 5 into major hurricanes. Additionally, this season is the first since 2019 to have multiple Category 5 hurricanes form in the same season. The season officially began on June 1, and will end on November 30. These dates, adopted by convention, have historically described the period in each year when most subtropical or tropical cyclogenesis occurs in the Atlantic Ocean. The first system, Tropical Storm Alberto, developed on June 19, making it the latest first named storm since 2014.
Two storms formed in quick succession at the end of June, with the first, Hurricane Beryl, being a rare June major hurricane, the earliest Category 5 Atlantic hurricane on record, and only the second recorded in July. Next came Tropical Storm Chris, which formed on the last day of June and quickly made landfall in Veracruz. Activity then quieted down across the basin for most of July after Beryl dissipated, with no new tropical cyclones forming due to the presence of the Saharan air layer (SAL) across much of the Atlantic. In early August, Hurricane Debby developed in the Gulf of Mexico before making landfall in Florida and South Carolina. Shortly thereafter came Hurricane Ernesto, which impacted the Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, and Bermuda in mid-August. After an unusual lull in activity in late August and early September, Hurricane Francine formed in the Gulf, then made landfall in Louisiana.
Activity dramatically increased in late September with several strong storms developing. Hurricane Helene developing over the western Caribbean before moving toward the Big Bend region of Florida and making landfall there on September 26 at Category 4 strength, causing catastrophic damage over central Appalachia. Hurricane Kirk formed soon after and rapidly intensified into a Category 4 hurricane in the Eastern Atlantic before striking Europe as a post-tropical cyclone. October was also very active, with four named storms developing during the month, of which all but one were hurricanes. The strongest, Hurricane Milton, formed in the Gulf of Mexico and explosively intensified into the second Category 5 hurricane of the season; it was also the strongest tropical cyclone worldwide in 2024.[2] Milton later made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida, on October 9, as a Category 3 hurricane. In mid-October, Tropical Storm Nadine and Hurricane Oscar formed in quick succession, with the former quickly making landfall in Belize while the latter rapidly intensified into a Category 1 hurricane, and possessed the smallest hurricane-force wind field on record in the Atlantic. It made landfall in Inagua and Cuba. In early November, Hurricane Rafael made landfall in western Cuba at Category 3 strength, and later tied 1985's Hurricane Kate as the strongest November hurricane on record in the Gulf of Mexico.[3] In mid-November, Tropical Storm Sara moved very slowly along the coast of Honduras, before making landfall in Belize, while producing extensive heavy rainfall throughout northern Central America.
As of November 14, the storms of this season have collectively caused at least 396 fatalities and over $190 billion in damage. Most of the fatalities are due to Beryl, Helene, and Milton, while most of the damage is due to Helene and Milton.
- ^ Paciorek, Elijah; Sartori, Nico; Schaaf, Bailey; Sweeney, Kaylee; Zinnbauer, James. "2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season". Scalia Laboratory for Atmospheric Analysis. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
- ^ Masters, Jeff; Henson, Bob (November 16, 2024). "Category 5 Super Typhoon Man-yi hits the Philippines". New Haven, Connecticut: Yale Climate Connection. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
- ^ Patrick Smith (November 8, 2024). "Hurricane Rafael moves across Gulf of Mexico as a rare major November storm while Cuba recovers". NBC News. Retrieved November 8, 2024.