2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season Summary
Welcome back to Rowan's Meteo Corner and the third Annual Atlantic Hurricane Season Summary! If you see this post somewhere else that's because this is the first year that I'm cross posting this to Threads and technically Instagram as well. I won't plug, but if you see it, it's probably me.
Disclamers: This is posted the DAY AFTER THE END OF HURRICANE SEASON and off season storms do exist, so a storm could possibly form before the end of the year and be counted as a 2024 Atlantic Storm. Also, this are unofficial cost estimates coming from early surveys, so things may change.
With that, have some delicious data!
ACE (Accumulated Cyclone Energy) Score: ~161.6 units (Extremely Active)
This is the highest ACE score since 2020, which had an ACE score of ~180.4,
This is also the 4th year in the 2020's with an above average ACE score (2021 and 2023 were considered "above normal" and as previously stated 2020 was considered "extremely active").
For those who don't know ACE is calculated by adding or summing together the squares of the maximum sustained velocity of all storms that are at least tropical storm strength at the recorded six hour intervals, then divide that by 10,000 to make it less complicated (definition from the National Hurricane Center butchered by your local dingus).
Major Hurricanes (anything with 1 minute sustained winds of over 111 mph or 178 km/h: 5 (Beryl, Helene, Kirk, Milton, Rafael)
We'll get more into the nitty gritty of some of these storms in my record/history section!
Hurricanes (anything with 1 minute sustained winds of over 74 mph or 119 km/h): 11
One tropical disturbance was given the title of Potential Tropical Cyclone 8 in mid-September, but never formed into a storm or depression. It dissapated off the East Coast and will forever be known as PTC 8, rest in wind sheer little guy.
This was the latest starting Atlantic Hurricane Season since 2014, with the first storm, Tropical Storm Alberto, forming on June 19th.
This is also the first storm to feature two Catagory 5 Hurricanes since 2019 with Hurricanes Dorian and Lorenzo.
Current (December 1st, 2024) damage estimates: > $222 billion USD (2024)
If these estimates hold true, that would place this as the second costliest Atlantic Hurricane Season, overtaking the legendary 2005 season coming in at $172.3 Billion.
Strongest Storm (Barometric Pressure): Hurricane Milton (897 mbar)
Strongest Storm (Wind Speed): Hurricane Milton (180 mph/285 km/h 1 minute sustained)
Longest Lasting Storm: Hurricane Beryl (10.5 days)
Number of Storms Your Local Weather Dingus Weathered: One (Hurricane Francine)
Hurricane Beryl became the earliest forming Catagory 5 storm in the Basin, gaining that status on July 2nd and beating out 2005's Hurricane Emily which gained Catagory 5 status on July 16th.
Hurricane Milton attained the lowest recorded pressure in the Atlantic Basin in almost 20 years, becoming the 2nd most intense Hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico behind Hurricane Rita (895 mbar) and the 5th most intense in the Basin behind Rite, Labor Day 1935 (892 mbar), Gilbert (888 mbar), and my beloved Wilma (882 mbar).
Hurricane Milton allowed the Atlantic to snag the storm with the lowest pressure in the world for 2024, for the first time since 2017 with Hurricane Maria. Is this important, no, but it's still a very interesting fact to me.
Hurricane Helene dropped record amounts of rain in North Carolina, Georgia, and is currently estimated to have caused ~$120 Billion in damages. If these estimates hold true, that puts Helene as the 3rd costliest Atlantic Hurricane behind Harvey and Katrina (both are tied for first, so is Helene technically 2nd?) at $125 Billion.
CW: Discussions of death tolls, nothing specific, but still I wanted to put a warning.
I'm not doing death toll facts both out of respect for the dead (I'm still on the fence about some of my jokes, but jokes are the Gen Z way) and for the fact that they're always changing. This was one of the deadliest seasons in recent history and every person lost, counted or not, will be gravely missed
RAAA, you hear that lord, I did it! Now I can finally lay down and die! (Trail to Oregon reference)
Please take this time to see if you can afford to donate to relef efforts in North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. If you have money, time, food, or supplies that you're able to spare, please see if it can be donated, especially as it starts getting colder.
Next Year's naming list starts June 1st with the name Andrea.
Goodnight Atlantic, rest well and please give us a break, I beg, we cannot take this anymore.
