Mankind is often called the masters of the planet, collectively altering the planet to fit their needs, for better or worse. However, one force that they cannot hope to have any control over in the near future is the weather.
On November 10th, the formation of subtropical storm Theta officially declared the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season the busiest on record. “After the historic Atlantic hurricane season of 2005, it's remarkable to have another season during my career that would reach this extreme level of activity,” says Louis W. Uccellini, director of NOAA’s National Weather Service.
It is the second season to switch to the Greek alphabet after exhausting the predetermined 21 names. The first season to do so was the infamously destructive 2005 season -- a season often used in comparison to 2020 -- boasting such names as Katrina, Wilma, and Rita, which shattered numerous hurricane records. In any case, 2020’s hectic season fits snuggly in with this already extreme year; even now, the NOAA is monitoring two areas of interest that could become tropical cyclones.
First, what is a tropical cyclone?
The NOAA defines this as a low pressure system which develops over tropical or subtropical waters, with organized deep convection and a closed wind circulation, as well as having a well-defined center. These are the systems that develop into tropical storms, and later into hurricanes, typhoons, or cyclones, depending on the part of the world.
Hurricanes are defined as tropical cyclones with sustained winds of 74 mph. Since these systems develop over warmer temperatures, some look at global warming as the culprit for this hyperactive hurricane season. As temperatures rise, oceans soak up excess heat, resulting in the prime conditions for a powerful storm. As Jan Wesner Childs writes, warmer oceans allow storms to keep some of their moisture after they cross land, resulting in more intense landfalls. Melting ice caps also means higher sea levels, elevating the risk posed by storm surge on low-level communities such as New Orleans.
However, climate change cannot be proven as the direct cause for this season’s plentiful storms, and other factors such as the ongoing La Niña should be accounted for as well. All these ingredients churned into a year that Florida International University hurricane researcher Hugh Willoughby calls “a perfect storm for the perfect storms”.
Now, let’s talk facts.
31 tropical depressions, of which 30 became tropical storms, thirteen became hurricanes, and six of those were major hurricanes formed during the season. Twelve systems made landfall in the United States, breaking the record of nine set in 1995.
Ten systems rapidly intensified, which is when maximum sustained winds increase by 35 mph in a 24-hour time frame.
“I think that’s the standout climate change signal with this season,” Bob Henson, a meteorologist and climate writer, remarked. Three storms, Delta, Eta, and Iota, managed to rapidly intensify by 100 mph in 36 hours. According to Sam Lillo, this event had only happened eight times before this year since reliable records began 169 years ago.
May saw the formation of the season’s first and second tropical cyclones, tropical storms Arthur and Bertha. Arthur caused some damage in Florida, while Bertha made landfall twenty miles off of Charleston, South Carolina.
June also had two tropical storms, Cristobal and Dolly. Cristobal meandered near the Mexican coastline before impacting the area, then moved north to southeastern Louisiana, the first of many unfortunate impacts for the state.
In July, activity was ramped up with five systems forming -- becoming the busiest July on record, tied with none other than 2005 -- and tropical depression ten: tropical storms Edouard, Fay, Gonzalo, and hurricanes Hanna and Isaias. Every storm named after Edouard formed at an earlier date than any storm in recorded history. While Edouard and Gonzalo had minimal impacts, Hanna became the season’s first hurricane and struck South Texas. Fay and Isaias made impacts in the mid-Atlantic states, with Isaias striking North Carolina as a hurricane, ultimately causing over $4 billion in damage, knocking out power and uprooting trees. 39 tornadoes touched down as a result of this hurricane.
August had tropical storms Josephine and Kyle, as well as hurricanes Marco and Laura for a total of four storms. Josephine and Kyle had marginal effects on the surrounding land, while a landfall of twin cyclones became a possible threat for Louisiana. Luckily, Marco fizzled out from a Category 1 hurricane before landfall. On the other hand, tropical storm Laura caused at least nine deaths in the Carribean, according to CNN. As it entered the gulf of Mexico, it gained renewed strength and rapidly intensified into a Cat. 4, the first of many major hurricanes. With winds up to 150 mph, it became the strongest storm on record to hit Louisiana, tied with the 1856 Last Island Hurricane. Lake Charles, Louisiana was particularly hard hit. In total, at least 77 deaths were blamed on Laura.
September witnessed an unprecedented ten storms forming, officially becoming the most active September on record. Tropical storm Omar formed from a designated tropical depression in October and was no hazard to land, but Cat. 1 hurricane Nana destroyed hundreds of acres of banana and plantation crops in Belize. Hurricane Paulette struck Bermuda, the first to do so since 2014, and gave way to an island-wide power outage. It briefly strengthened into a Cat. 2 before dissipating, reforming again near the Azores as a tropical storm, and finally weakening into a post-tropical storm for the second time. The same day Paulette formed on Sept. 7, tropical storm Rene organized and hit the Cabo Verde islands the following day -- although no serious damage was reported. On Sept. 12, a tropical depression that had crossed Florida was declared tropical storm Sally; this crossed the U.S. gulf coast as a slow-moving Cat. 2 and dumped over a foot of rain in some areas before degenerating into a remnant low. On Sept. 16, Hurricane Teddy organized, and the following day reached Cat. 4 status. While Bermuda dodged an impact, Teddy dwindled into a large Cat. 1 and affected Nova Scotia, Canada. Tropical storm Vicky followed on the same day, subsequently diminishing and having no lasting impacts on land due to heavy wind shear.
On Sept. 18 in a six-hour time period, subtropical storm Alpha and tropical storms Wilfred and Beta were named. Alpha made landfall in Portugal, the first ever to do so, while Beta battered Texas by causing extensive flooding.
October observed the formations of five storms, well above the monthly average. Tropical storm Gamma marked the first signs of activity after two weeks of inactivity and impacted the Yucatán Peninsula. On October 5th, tropical storm Delta formed and strengthened into a hurricane on the same day. The following day saw a breakneck rate of intensification into a robust Cat. 4 hurricane, and the system weakened into a high-end Cat. 2 before striking the Yucatán Peninsula once again. The hurricane traversed the gulf of Mexico into Louisiana, and its citizens awoke to a cruel sense of Deja Vu, as the New Star calls the scene; Delta had hit in virtually the same areas that were decimated by Laura just six weeks prior.
14 days of inactivity later, tropical storm Epsilon consolidated in the Atlantic ocean and rapidly intensified into a major Cat. 3 just two days later. On October 25, tropical storm Zeta formed and struck Tulum. The storm rapidly intensified a Cat. 2 -- despite previous estimates of a high-end tropical storm at max -- and struck Louisiana yet again for a record 5th time this season. Winter Storm Billy eventually merged with Hurricane Zeta, creating a widespread heavy weather event for much of the U.S.
So far, November bears witness to three storms: Eta, Theta, and Iota. Tropical storm Eta, which had formed in the previous month, strengthened into a catastrophic Category 4 hurricane, resulting in the deaths of at least 100 people as it pummeled Central America. After moving out of the area and weakening into a tropical depression, the storm moved erratically near the Florida Keys and briefly attained hurricane status as it made a final impact on Florida. Subtropical storm Theta was less of a menace.
Iota was a different story.
Forming on November 13, tropical storm Iota became a Cat. 2 two days later, and explosively intensified into a Cat. 5 -- the strongest storm of the season -- only a day after. After weakening slightly, Cat. 4 Iota made landfall and ravaged approximately the same place Eta did two weeks prior near the Northeastern coast of Nicaragua. The hurricane was the latest Cat. 5 to form on record; it’s classification also made 2020 the only year to have two major hurricanes form in November. While the devastated area was still crippled by mudslides and flooding, Iota packed a punch while it was still down: extreme flash flooding, high storm surge, mudslides, power outages, $743 million in losses, and at least 54 deaths were attributed to the hurricane. Luckily, the IDB said that they would provide at least $1.2 billion in relief efforts to get the afflicted countries back on their feet, said its president Mauricio Claver-Carone.
While the hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, tropical systems can develop at any time, as shown by Arthur and Bertha.
Well, then, is November 30 really the end?
It’s hard to say for sure. Perhaps, though, like much of 2020, it is better to expect the unexpected and be prepared for any disasters, should they come.
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Written by volunteer Jaden He
Date Published: 12/09/2020
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SOURCES:
Childs, Jan Wesner. “Can We Blame 2020's Record Hurricane Season on Climate Change? It's Complicated.: The Weather Channel - Articles from The Weather Channel.” The Weather Channel, 24 Nov. 2020, weather.com/news/climate/news/2020-11-15-record-hurricane-season-2020-climate-change-global-warming.
“2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season Fast Facts.” CNN Editorial Research, Nov. 23 2020, https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/11/us/2020-atlantic-hurricane-season-fast-facts/index.html.
“2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season takes infamous top spot for busiest on record.” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 10 Nov. 2020, https://www.noaa.gov/news/2020-atlantic-hurricane-season-takes-infamous-top-spot-for-busiest-on-record.
Imster, Eleanor. “2020 Atlantic hurricane season busiest on record.” Earth, 11 Nov. 2020, https://earthsky.org/earth/2020-atlantic-hurricane-season-busiest-on-record.
Esposito et al. “Hurricanes Eta, Iota hit Nicaragua with $743 million in economic losses.” Yahoo News, 24 Nov. 2020, https://news.yahoo.com/hurricanes-eta-iota-hit-nicaragua-204412204.html.
Fiallo, Josh. “Hurricane season may not end on time. That’s not the only problem.” Tampa Bay Times, 25 Nov. 2020, https://www.tampabay.com/hurricane/2020/11/25/hurricane-season-may-not-end-on-time-thats-not-the-only-problem/.
Hilburn, Greg. “Hurricane Zeta is 5th cyclone to strike Louisiana in 2020 nightmare; here are the others.” Monroe News Star, 28 Oct. 2020, https://www.thenewsstar.com/story/weather/hurricanes/2020/10/28/hurricane-zeta-path-update-louisiana-record/3755095001/.
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