12 of 29 storms hit US as season broke records
A record-breaking 29 storms into this seemingly endless hurricane season, storm-battered residents in the U.S. and elsewhere are wondering when it will finally come to an end.
Twelve storms have made landfall on U.S. soil this season, breaking a century-old record. And for just the second time, meteorologists had to dip into the Greek alphabet to name storms.
And after all, the “official” end to the season is Nov. 30, and November is typically one of the quietest months for storms.
In the short term, unfortunately, after Hurricane Eta’s deadly rampage through Central America, Subtropical Storm Theta formed early Tuesday, breaking the record for most storms in a single season.
Theta, which transitioned to a “regular” tropical storm Tuesday afternoon, is far out in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. The storm, which was nearing hurricane strength, posed no immediate threat to any land areas, the National Hurricane Center said.
A developing storm – which would be called Iota – is closer to home in the Caribbean Sea. It probably won’t form until later this week at the earliest, if it forms at all, the Hurricane Center said.
But “there does appear to be some light at the end of the tunnel,” Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach said in an email to USA TODAY. He said the strong upper-level winds that tear developing storms and hurricanes apart will be increasing over the Caribbean Sea in a couple of weeks and could put an end to the tropical cyclone production, he said.
But what about in other parts of the Atlantic? Could the season actually stretch past its “official” end date?
“There is definitely concern that we could see activity into December,” AccuWeather senior meteorologist Randy Adkins told USA TODAY.
December tropical storms and hurricanes are exceedingly rare. “Only one season on record has had more than one named storm form in December, and that was all the way back in 1887,” Klotzbach said.