10 weeks, 10 hurricanes, and a 124-year-old record is matched

With Tropical Storm Ophelia’s transition to Hurricane Ophelia on Wednesday, 2017 became the first year in more than a century — and only the fourth on record — in which 10 Atlantic storms in a row reached hurricane strength.

Franklin. Gert. Harvey. Irma. Jose. Katia. Lee. Maria. Nate. Ophelia.

Ophelia, far out in the Atlantic, does not pose a threat to the United States, though it may affect Ireland. But it puts this year in the history books by at least one measure.

The last time 10 consecutive Atlantic storms became hurricanes was in 1893 — and because tracking technology was far more primitive then, meteorologists say, some weak tropical storms or tropical depressions may have gone undetected within that streak.

There were also 10-hurricane runs in 1878 and 1886, said Bob Henson, a meteorologist for Weather Underground. But since modern records began in 1851, there has never been an 11-hurricane stretch.

But what really stands out is the intensity and duration of the storms, reflected in a measure known as accumulated cyclone energy, or ACE. By that index, 2017 ranks eighth since modern hurricane records began in 1851, and its position is likely to rise before the season is over.

The ACE measurement for the incomplete season is already more than twice the average for a full season, Henson said.