With the 2023 season wrapping up, the National Hurricane Center stated that the Atlantic hurricane season ties for the fourth-busiest on average. This year there were 19 named storms with the average being 14 storms. Seven of those 20 storms became hurricanes, with three becoming major, including Category 5 Hurricane Lee.
We’ve entered the last week of the 2023 hurricane season, and right on cue, the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific basins are both void of any tropical activity after Tropical Storm Ramon fizzled this past Sunday morning.
Top 2023 Storms
The most impactful storm of the 2023 season was Hurricane Idalia, which made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane in the Big Bend of Florida.
- Total fatalities: 10
- Highest wind speed: 134 mph
- Damage: $2.5 billion
Hurricane Lee was the strongest storm of the season, with maximum winds of 165 mph. That storm did not make landfall in the US. The storm impacted Bermuda, the Northeastern United States, and Eastern Canada later on during its path. The storm cost $50 million in damages and unfortunately led to 3 fatalities.
Looking Ahead
December and even into the winter months of 2024, there may be a higher-than-normal likelihood for subtropical or tropical development. The main reason is that the Atlantic remains extremely warm. The Central American Gyre and West African Monsoon season will be in hibernation to limit forcing for storm development this winter, but tropical transitions could occur in the wide-open Central Atlantic. Luckily for the US, it likely will not be impacted.
Source: NHC
