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| Tropical cyclones in 2020 | |
|---|---|
 Year summary map | |
| Year boundaries | |
| First system | Blake |
| Formed | January 4, 2020 |
| Last system | Danilo |
| Dissipated | January 12, 2021 |
| Strongest system | |
| Name | Goni |
| Lowest pressure | 905 mbar (hPa); 26.72 inHg |
| Longest lasting system | |
| Name | Paulette |
| Duration | 21 days |
| Year statistics | |
| Total systems | 142 |
| Named systems | 104 (record high) |
| Total fatalities | 1,265 total |
| Total damage | > $77.451 billion (2020 USD) |
2020 was regarded as the most active tropical cyclone year on record, documenting 104 named tropical systems. During the year, 142 tropical cyclones formed in bodies of water known as tropical cyclone basins. Of these, a record-high of 104, including three subtropical cyclones in the South Atlantic Ocean and three tropical-like cyclones in the Mediterranean, were named by various weather agencies when they attained maximum sustained winds of 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph) (though one storm was a crossover storm that received two names). The strongest storm of the year was Typhoon Goni, peaking with a pressure of 905 hPa (26.72 inHg). The deadliest storm of the year was Hurricane Eta which caused 175 fatalities and another 100+ to be missing in Central America and the US, while the costliest storm of the year was Hurricane Laura, with a damage cost around $19.1 billion in the Greater Antilles, The Bahamas, and the Gulf Coast of the United States.
2020 featured a very high amount of tropical cyclones forming in the year. It was dominated by a strong La Niña, that led to significant ramifications in tropical cyclone formations across the world. For instance, the most active basin of the year was the North Atlantic, which documented a record 30 named storms, the most storms ever recorded in the basin. This was only one of four known years where the North Atlantic was more active than the West Pacific, the others being 2005, 2010, and 2023. The West Pacific, in fact, had a below average season, with only 23 named storms forming. The Eastern Pacific similarly was below average, with 17 named storms, and the lowest hurricane count seen since 2010. The North Indian basin featured relatively average season, with 5 named storms, but became the costliest season in the basin’s history, due to the onslaught of Cyclone Amphan in early May. The Southern Hemisphere overall had relatively average activity throughout much of the year. The Australian region remained below average in activity because of positive IOD,[1] while the South-West Indian Ocean had average activity. The South Pacific basin featured a slightly above-average season, and had Cyclones Harold and Yasa both attaining Category 5 intensity, and affecting a large swathe of the South Pacific. Two other Category 5 tropical cyclones formed globally, totaling to four which formed during 2020. The twenty four major tropical cyclones which formed throughout the year constituted an average amount. The accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) index for the 2020 (seven basins combined), as calculated by Colorado State University (CSU) was 599.1 units, which was below the 1981–2010 mean of 770.2 units.[2][3][4]
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- ^ "Indian Ocean Dipole: What is it and why is it linked to floods and bushfires?". BBC News. December 7, 2019. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
- ^ "Noaa global summary 2020".
- ^ "Global Metrics of Tropical Cyclones".
- ^ "jtwc atcr 2020" (PDF).