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The Atlantic hurricane season was the most active Atlantic hurricane season in history, until the record was broken 15 years later in The season broke numerous records at the time, with 28 [1] tropical or subtropical storms recorded. The United States National Hurricane Center [nb 1] named 27 storms, exhausting the annual pre-designated list and resulting in the usage of six Greek letter names, and also identified an additional unnamed storm during a post-season re-analysis.
Four storms of this season became Category 5 hurricanes , the highest ranking on the scale. The four Category 5 hurricanes that developed during the season were: Emily , Katrina , Rita , and Wilma. In July, Emily reached peak intensity in the Caribbean Sea , becoming the first Category 5 hurricane of the season, later weakening and striking Mexico twice.
In August, Katrina reached peak winds in the Gulf of Mexico but weakened by the time it struck the U. The most devastating effects of the season were felt on the Gulf Coast of the United States , where Katrina's storm surge crippled New Orleans, Louisiana , for weeks and devastated the Mississippi coastline.
Katrina became the costliest U. Rita followed in September, reaching peak intensity in the Gulf of Mexico before weakening and hitting near the border of Texas and Louisiana. The season's strongest hurricane, Wilma, became the most intense Atlantic hurricane on record, as measured by barometric pressure. The season's impact was widespread and catastrophic. It was the costliest season on record at the time, until its record was surpassed 12 years later.
It also produced the second-highest accumulated cyclone energy ACE in the Atlantic basin, surpassed only by the season. The season officially began on June 1, , and the first storm — Arlene — developed on June 8. Hurricane Dennis in July inflicted heavy damage to Cuba. The final storm — Zeta — formed in late December and lasted until January 6, Some forecasts predicted how many tropical cyclones would affect a particular country or territory.
The first of these forecasts was issued by CSU, which predicted on December 5, that the season would be above average and feature 11 named storms, 6 hurricanes and 3 intense hurricanes.
During January , TSR increased its forecast to In their July forecast update, TSR anticipated that the season would be exceptionally active and well above average; the group increased their forecast to Within their final update for the year, CSU predicted that October would feature three named storms, two hurricanes and one major hurricane. With 28 storms 27 named storms and one unnamed , the Atlantic hurricane season set a new single-year record for most storms, surpassing the total of 20 from The fourth named storm developed at a then-record early date, surpassed in The fifth though eleventh and the thirteenth and onward named storms developed at then-record early dates that were later surpassed in The season featured 15 hurricanes, surpassing the previous record of 12, set in Of the 15 hurricanes, 5 formed in September, with the season becoming only the sixth to feature 5 in that month.
The four Category 5 hurricanes were also a record. The extremely active hurricane season was a continuation of an extended sequence of active years for tropical activity in the Atlantic. This was associated with an active phase of the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation AMO , with a similar period of elevated tropical activity occurring between and The anomalously frequent formation of tropical storms and hurricanes reflected the emergence of unusually warm sea surface temperatures across the tropical Atlantic.
Chylek and Lesins determined that the likelihood of a season generating as much tropical activity as was less than 1 percent. The consecutive occurrence of hurricane seasons as active as and in the Atlantic was unprecedented. The CPC determined that this environmental enhancement was primarily driven by four factors: the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation, the reduction of atmospheric convection in the tropical Pacific, record-high sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean, and conducive wind and pressure patterns across the western Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.
The multidecadal oscillation increased the potency of conducive environmental factors for tropical development, including the increased strength of subtropical ridges in the northern and southern Atlantic and the eastern Pacific. This amplified the African easterly jet and enhanced upper-level easterlies , attenuating wind shear detrimental to tropical cyclogenesis across the central tropical Atlantic and the Caribbean.
Frequent lulls in convection over the tropical Pacific also contributed to the strength of these ridges, focusing hurricane activity in the Atlantic. Most of the tropical storms and all major hurricanes in the Atlantic in formed when a lack of convection was present near the International Dateline , while a brief uptick in storms near the International Dateline led to a lull in tropical cyclogenesis in the Atlantic for the first half of August.
The Gulf of Mexico saw record levels of tropical activity in , with 11 named storms entering the basin. The unusual activity was attributed to a persistent high pressure area over the Southeastern United States , the northeastward displacement and amplification of the Intertropical Convergence Zone ITCZ over the eastern Pacific, and above average sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico.
These factors reduced vertical wind shear and favored cyclonic flow, creating an environment highly supportive of tropical development. The high pressure area also steered incoming storms into the Gulf of Mexico. East Coast — propagated northward, reaching its most poleward point in advance of Hurricane Katrina. This protrusion detached into a warm core ring, or a small region of warm waters to an abnormally deep depth, and began to drift southwest as Hurricane Rita traversed the region.
This evolution provided enhanced ocean heat content to both hurricanes and was partially responsible for the extreme intensities attained by those cyclones. In addition to the unusually high amount of tropical activity, the season also featured an abnormally high amount of storms in the typically inactive early and latter parts of the season. This allowed the persistence of the anomalously warm sea surface temperatures that had contributed to the active hurricane season; this warmth remained until November In the wake of the season, questions arose regarding the potential impact of global warming on Atlantic hurricane activity.
Hurricane experts noted that establishing a conclusive relationship would be difficult given the significant role that natural variability plays on hurricane formation and significantly improved tropical cyclone detection methods compared to decades past. A series of international workshops were established after After five years of analysis, researchers were unable to confirm whether the recent increase in tropical cyclone activity could be attributed more to climate change than natural variability.
Models developed within the workshops projected that the number of tropical cyclones under Category 3 intensity would fall over the 21st century, while the number of intense Category 4—5 hurricanes would increase significantly.
One potential hypothesis for these findings was a projected increase in vertical wind shear contradicted by warmer ocean temperatures for hurricanes to utilize. The team also concluded that the amount of precipitation produced by tropical cyclones would increase over the next century.
The research not only reaffirmed a trend toward stronger, wetter tropical cyclones, but it also identified a trend toward increased rapid intensification events and a general slowing of tropical cyclones' forward motion near land. The storms of the season were extraordinarily damaging and were responsible for significant loss of life.
Wind damage was reported well inland, slowing down recovery efforts. At least 1, people were killed by the storm, making it the deadliest hurricane in the U.
The hurricane contributed to 30 deaths, five of whom were killed directly by the storm. Three hurricanes struck Mexico — Emily, Stan, and Wilma. In the Caribbean, Cuba suffered the effects of Dennis and Wilma. Unusual impacts were felt in Europe and nearby islands. The remnants of Maria caused a landslide in Norway that killed three people. The season's first tropical depression developed north of Honduras on June 8 from the interaction of the ITCZ and a series of tropical waves.
A day later it intensified into Tropical Storm Arlene while taking a northward track. On June 10, Arlene struck western Cuba. Later that day, the storm moved ashore just west of Pensacola, Florida. Over the next two days, Arlene continued northward through the United States, dissipating over southeastern Canada on June Storm surge damaged coastal roads in the Florida Panhandle and Alabama. In Miami Beach, Florida , a student died when she was caught in a rip current.
Between June 24 and June 27, a tropical wave and weak low-pressure area moved in tandem across Central America and eastern Mexico. The system then reached the Bay of Campeche early on June 28 and quickly organized into a tropical depression that day around UTC. Bret brought heavy rainfall across Mexico, reaching at least A tropical depression formed on July 3 in the western Caribbean Sea from a tropical wave that moved off Africa nine days prior.
The hurricane struck southeastern Louisiana and later southern Mississippi. Cindy continued across the southeastern United States and transitioned into an extratropical cyclone on July 7 over The Carolinas ; it eventually dissipated over the Gulf of St. Lawrence on July A tropical wave led to the development of Tropical Depression Four in the southeastern Caribbean late on July 4 and further strengthened into Tropical Storm Dennis early the next day.
The storm moved west-northwestward, strengthening into a hurricane on July 6 to the south of Hispaniola. On the next day, Dennis rapidly intensified into a Category 4 hurricane while moving between Jamaica and Haiti. Early on July 8, the hurricane briefly moved over Granma Province in southeastern Cuba.
The hurricane crossed Cuba entered the Gulf of Mexico on July 9 as a weakened hurricane. Dennis weakened and moved through the southeastern United States, the Ohio Valley , and eventually dissipating on July 18 over Ontario. On July 11, a tropical wave spawned a tropical depression east of the Lesser Antilles which quickly intensified into Tropical Storm Emily.
Moving westward, Emily strengthened into a minimal hurricane and struck Grenada at that intensity on July A day later, Emily dissipated over land. The hurricane's large circulation also damaged houses in other nearby islands. Heavy rainfall from Emily affected Haiti, killing five people. A man in Playa del Carmen was electrocuted to death while preparing for the hurricane. Tropical Depression Six formed northeast of the Bahamas on July 21, originating from a tropical wave that exited the coast of Africa on July The depression quickly intensified into Tropical Storm Franklin, but wind shear disrupted the storm's initial development.
Three days later the storm passed west of Bermuda. An approaching trough turned Franklin to the northwest and weakened Franklin to a minimal tropical storm. Franklin restrengthened slightly as it accelerated northeastward. On July 30, the storm transitioned into an extratropical cyclone south of Nova Scotia, and a day later it was absorbed by a larger extratropical storm near Newfoundland.
Franklin held the record for the earliest sixth named storm until it was broken by Tropical Storm Fay in It tracked west-northwest into the Bay of Campeche on July 23, where it contributed to the development of a tropical depression later that day. As convection increased near the center, the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Gert early on July It continued inland, affecting the same areas impacted by Hurricane Emily just days prior, and quickly dissipated over high terrain at the end of that day.
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