Early storms may mean a May hurricane season start

Because of a surge in May storms, meteorologists are considering moving the start date of the Atlantic hurricane season from June 1 to May 15.

The hurricane season has started on June 1 for more than five decades.

The discussion on changing the start date began in December at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) hurricane conference, which followed the most active hurricane season on record, when 30 named storms formed.

Storms have formed in May in each of the past six years, according to NOAA. In 2020, Tropical Storm Arthur came to life on May 16, followed by Tropical Storm Bertha on May 27.

Since the late 1960s, 19 named storms have formed before June 1, Colorado State University researcher Phil Klotzbach said.

Although the majority of the recent May storms have been rather benign, some have not: “At least 20 deaths have occurred from late May storms since 2012, with about $200 million in total damage, and one of these systems was a 60-knot (70 mph) tropical storm at landfall," according to the World Meteorological Organization.

The most recent confirmed hurricane during the month of May dates to May 20, 1970.

Klotzbach worries about moving the start date to May 15 since the most dangerous storms typically don’t occur until the height of the season from late August through mid-October.

“If you extend the season another 15 days, you could basically have three months with very little storm activity,” Klotzbach said.

The World Meteorological Organization and NOAA will have meetings this spring to discuss moving the date. The WMO has the final say.