Atlantic hurricane season - wikipedia Atlantic hurricane season For the active season, see 2017 Atlantic hurricane season. Tracks of all known Atlantic tropical cyclones from 1851 to 2012. A whiteboard at a FEMA tactical relief operation center in Louisiana notes the number of named storms and hurricanes and counts down the days remaining in the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season. Play media Hurricane tracks from 1980 through 2014. Green tracks did not make landfall in US ; yellow tracks made landfall but were not major hurricanes at the time ; red tracks made landfall and were major hurricanes. The Atlantic hurricane season is the period in a year when hurricanes usually form in the Atlantic Ocean. Tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic are called hurricanes, tropical storms, or tropical depressions. In addition, there have been several storms over the years that have not been fully tropical and are categorized as subtropical depressions and subtropical storms. Even though subtropical storms and subtropical depressions are not technically as strong as tropical cyclones, the damages can still be devastating. Worldwide, tropical cyclone activity peaks in late summer, when the difference between temperatures aloft and sea surface temperatures is the greatest. However, each particular basin has its own seasonal patterns. On a worldwide scale, May is the least active month, while September is the most active. In the Northern Atlantic Ocean, a distinct hurricane season occurs from June 1 to November 30, sharply peaking from late August through September ; the season 's climatological peak of activity occurs around September 10 each season. This is the norm, but in 1938, the Atlantic hurricane season started as early as January 3. Tropical disturbances that reach tropical storm intensity are named from a pre-determined list. On average, 10.1 named storms occur each season, with an average of 5.9 becoming hurricanes and 2.5 becoming major hurricanes ( Category 3 or greater ). The most active season was 2005, during which 28 tropical cyclones formed, of which a record 15 became hurricanes. The least active season was 1914, with only one known tropical cyclone developing during that year. The Atlantic hurricane season is a time when most tropical cyclones are expected to develop across the northern Atlantic Ocean. It is currently defined as the time frame from June 1 through November 30, though in the past the season was defined as a shorter time frame. During the season, regular tropical weather outlooks are issued by the National Hurricane Center, and coordination between the Weather Prediction Center and National Hurricane Center occurs for systems which have not formed yet, but could develop during the next three to seven days. Contents 1 Concept 2 Operations 3 HURDAT 3.1 Re-analysis project 4 1494 - 1850 ( pre-HURDAT era ) 5 1850 - 1899 ( 1851 - present HURDAT era ) 5.1 1850s 5.2 1860s 5.3 1870s 5.4 1880s 5.5 1890s 6 1900s 6.1 1900s 6.2 1910s 6.3 1920s 6.4 1930s 6.5 1940s 6.6 1950s 6.7 1960s 6.8 1970s 6.9 1980s 6.10 1990s 7 2000s 7.1 2000s 7.2 2010s 8 Number of tropical storms and hurricanes per season 9 See also 9.1 Parent topics 9.2 Atlantic hurricane topics 9.3 Other tropical cyclone basins 10 References Concept See also : History of Atlantic hurricane warnings The basic concept of a hurricane season began during 1935, when dedicated wire circuits known as hurricane circuits began to be set up along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, a process completed by 1955. It was originally the time frame when the tropics were monitored routinely for tropical cyclone activity, and was originally defined as from June 15 through October 31. Over the years, the beginning date was shifted back to June 1, while the end date was shifted to November 15, before settling at November 30 by 1965. This was when hurricane reconnaissance planes were sent out to fly across the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico on a routine basis to look for potential tropical cyclones, in the years before the continuous weather satellite era. Since regular satellite surveillance began, hurricane hunter aircraft fly only into storm areas which are first spotted by satellite imagery. Operations See also : National Hurricane Center and Weather Prediction Center During the hurricane season, the National Hurricane Center routinely issues their Tropical Weather Outlook product, which identifies areas of concern within the tropics which could develop into tropical cyclones. If systems occur outside the defined hurricane season, special Tropical Weather Outlooks will be issued. Routine coordination occurs at 1700 UTC each day between the Weather Prediction Center and National Hurricane Center to identify systems for the pressure maps three to seven days into the future within the tropics, and points for existing tropical cyclones six to seven days into the future. Possible tropical cyclones are depicted with a closed isobar, while systems with less certainty to develop are depicted as `` spot lows '' with no isobar surrounding them. HURDAT Main article : HURDAT The North Atlantic hurricane database, or HURDAT, is the database for all tropical storms and hurricanes for the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, including those that have made landfall in the United States. The original database of six - hourly positions and intensities were put together in the 1960s in support of the Apollo space program to help provide statistical track forecast guidance. In the intervening years, this database -- which is now freely and easily accessible on the Internet from the National Hurricane Center 's ( NHC ) webpage -- has been utilized for a wide variety of uses : climatic change studies, seasonal forecasting, risk assessment for county emergency managers, analysis of potential losses for insurance and business interests, intensity forecasting techniques and verification of official and various model predictions of track and intensity. HURDAT was not designed with all of these uses in mind when it was first put together and not all of them may be appropriate given its original motivation. HURDAT contains numerous systematic as well as some random errors in the database. Additionally, analysis techniques have changed over the years at NHC as their understanding of tropical cyclones has developed, leading to biases in the historical database. Another difficulty in applying the hurricane database to studies concerned with landfalling events is the lack of exact location, time and intensity at hurricane landfall. Re-analysis project Main article : Atlantic hurricane reanalysis HURDAT is regularly updated annually to reflect the previous season 's activity. The older portion of the database has been regularly revised since 2001. The first time in 2001 led to the addition of tropical cyclone tracks for the years 1851 to 1885. The second time was August 2002 when Hurricane Andrew was upgraded to a Category 5. Recent efforts into uncovering undocumented historical hurricanes in the late 19th and 20th centuries by various researchers have greatly increased our knowledge of these past events. Possible changes for the years 1951 onward are not yet incorporated into the HURDAT database. Because of all of these issues, a re-analysis of the Atlantic hurricane database is being attempted that will be completed in three years. In addition to the groundbreaking work by Partagas, additional analyses, digitization and quality control of the data was carried out by researchers at the NOAA Hurricane Research Division funded by the NOAA Office of Global Programs. This re-analysis will continue to progress through the remainder of the 20th century. The National Hurricane Center 's Best Track Change Committee has approved changes for a few recent cyclones, such as Hurricane Andrew. Official changes to the Atlantic hurricane database are approved by the National Hurricane Center Best Track Change Committee. Thus research conducted by Chris Landsea and colleagues as part of the Atlantic hurricane database reanalysis project are submitted through this review process. Not all Landsea 's recommendations are accepted by the Committee. 1494 - 1850 ( pre-HURDAT era ) Period Seasons Individual years Pre-19th century Pre-17th century ( pre 1600 ), 17th century ( 1600s ), 18th century ( 1700s ) 1780 1800 -- 1849 1800 -- 1809, 1810 -- 1819, 1820 -- 1829, 1830 -- 1839, 1840 -- 1849 1842 1850 - 1899 ( 1851 - present HURDAT era ) 1850s Year Number of tropical storms Number of hurricanes Number of major hurricanes Deaths Strongest storm Major landfall hurricanes Notes 1850 0 0 Not known One 1851 6 24 Four Great Middle Florida Hurricane of 1851 ( cat 3 ) 1852 5 5 100 + One Great Mobile Hurricane of 1852 ( cat 3 ) 1853 8 40 Three 1854 5 30 + Three Coastal Hurricane of 1854 ( cat 3 ) 1855 5 Not known Five Middle Gulf Shore Hurricane of 1855 ( cat 3 ) 1856 6 200 + One The Last Island Hurricane of 1856 ( cat 4 ) 1857 0 424 Two & Four 1858 6 6 0 None Three & Six 1859 8 7 Numerous Six 1860s Year Number of tropical storms Number of hurricanes Number of major hurricanes Deaths Strongest storm Major landfall hurricanes Notes 1860 7 6 60 + One 1861 6 0 22 + One and Three 1862 0 Two and Three 1863 5 0 90 One, Two, Three & Four 1864 0 None One, Three & Five 1865 0 326 Four & Seven 1866 7 6 383 Six Great Bahamas Hurricane of 1866 ( cat 4 ) 1867 6 811 ' San Narciso ' Hurricane San Narciso of 1867 ( cat 3 ) 1868 0 One, Two & Four 1869 6 38 Six New England Gale of 1869 ( cat 3 ) 1870s Year Number of tropical storms Number of hurricanes Number of major hurricanes Deaths Strongest storm Major landfall hurricanes Notes 1870 11 10 2,052 Four Hurricane of San Marcos of 1870 ( cat 3 ) 1871 8 6 30 Three and Four Central Florida Hurricane of 1871 ( cat 3 ) Hurricane Santa Juana of 1871 ( cat 3 ) 1872 5 0 Unknown Two 1873 5 626 Five Central Florida Hurricane of 1873 ( cat 3 ) 1874 7 0 Unknown Seven 1875 6 5 800 Three Great Indianola Hurricane of 1875 ( cat 3 ) 1876 5 19 `` San Felipe '' Hurricane San Felipe of 1876 ( cat 3 ) Cuba - South Florida Hurricane of 1876 ( cat 3 ) 1877 8 34 Four 1878 12 10 108 Seven 1879 8 6 47 Four Great Beaufort Carolina Hurricane of 1879 ( cat 3 ) Louisiana Hurricane of 1879 ( cat 3 ) 1880s Year Number of tropical storms Number of hurricanes Number of major hurricanes Deaths Strongest storm Major landfall hurricanes Notes 1880 11 9 133 Eight Brownsville Hurricane of 1880 ( cat 4 ) 1881 7 0 700 Five and Six Georgia Hurricane of 1881 ( cat 2 ) 700 + dead 1882 6 5 6 Six Pensacola Hurricane of 1882 ( cat 3 ) Cuba Hurricane of 1882 ( cat 4 ) 1883 236 Two and Three Bahamas - North Carolina Hurricane of 1883 ( cat 3 ) 1884 8 Two 1885 8 6 25 Two 1886 12 10 200 + `` Indianola '' Indianola Hurricane of 1886 ( cat 4 ) Cuba Hurricane of 1886 ( cat 3 ) Texas - Louisiana Hurricane of 1886 ( cat 3 ) Seven hurricanes struck the United States, the most during a single year. Indianola, Texas struck by two major hurricanes ( 1875 and 1886 ) which effectively closed down the town. 1887 19 11 Seven Tied for third most active season on record following very active 1886 season. Has the most storms forming outside the normal hurricane season One of only 4 seasons to have both a preseason and postseason storm 1888 9 6 924 Three and Four Louisiana Hurricane of 1888 ( cat 3 ) Hurricane San Gil of 1888 ( cat 3 ) 1889 9 6 0 40 Six 1890s Year Number of tropical storms Number of hurricanes Number of major hurricanes Deaths Strongest storm Major landfall hurricanes Notes 1890 9 Three 1891 10 7 700 + `` Martinique '' Martinique Hurricane of 1891 ( cat 3 ) 1892 9 5 0 16 Three, Five, and Seven 1893 12 10 5 4,028 `` Cheniere Caminada '' Hurricane San Roque of 1893 ( cat 3 ) New York Hurricane of 1893 ( cat 3 ) 1893 Sea Islands Hurricane ( cat 3 ) Great Charleston Hurricane ( cat 3 ) 1893 Cheniere Caminada hurricane ( cat 4 ) 5 major hurricanes made landfall this year. Two hurricanes caused more than 2,000 deaths in the United States. Four simultaneous hurricanes on August 22, one of two times on record. 1894 7 5 200 + Six The Florida Pan Handle Hurricane of 1894 ( cat 3 ) 1895 6 0 56 Two 1896 7 6 130 Four Hurricane San Ramon of 1896 ( cat 3 ) Cedar Keys Hurricane of 1896 ( cat 3 ) 1897 6 0 None One 1898 11 5 562 `` Georgia '' Georgia Hurricane of 1898 ( cat 4 ) Major hurricane last struck Georgia in 1881 1899 9 5 3,439 `` San Ciriaco '' Hurricane San Ciriaco of 1899 ( cat 4 ) The San Ciriaco hurricane was the longest lasting Atlantic hurricane on record 1900s NOTE : In the following tables, all estimates of damage costs are expressed in contemporaneous US dollars ( USD ). 1900s Year Number of tropical storms Number of hurricanes Number of major hurricanes Deaths Damage USD Strongest storm Major landfall hurricanes Notes 1900 7 8,000 + $60 million `` Galveston '' Great Galveston Hurricane of 1900 ( cat 4 ) The Galveston hurricane was the deadliest disaster in the United States. 1901 12 5 10 $1 million Seven 1902 5 0 None Unknown Four 1903 10 7 228 $1.15 million Two Jamaica Hurricane of 1903 ( cat 3 ) 1904 5 0 87 $1 million Two 1905 5 Unknown Four 1906 11 6 367 $2.48 million Four Mississippi Hurricane of 1906 ( cat 3 ) Florida Keys Hurricane of 1906 ( cat 3 ) 1907 5 0 0 None Unknown One One of two seasons with no recorded hurricanes 1908 10 6 None Unknown Six Includes the only known March tropical cyclone in the basin 1909 11 6 4,614 $75 million `` Grand Isle '' 1909 Velasco hurricane ( cat 3 ) 1909 Monterrey hurricane ( cat 3 ) 1909 Grand Isle hurricane ( cat 3 ) 3 major hurricanes made landfall this year 1910s Year Number of tropical storms Number of hurricanes Number of major hurricanes Deaths Damage USD Strongest storm Major landfall hurricanes Notes 1910 5 100 $1.25 million `` Cuba '' The Great Cuba Hurricane of 1910 ( cat 4 ) 1911 6 0 27 $3 million Three 1912 7 116 $67,000 Seven The Jamaica Hurricane of 1912 ( cat 3 ) 1913 6 0 5 $4 million Four 1914 0 0 0 Unknown One Least active season on record. One of two seasons with no recorded hurricanes. 1915 6 5 675 $63 million `` New Orleans '' Great Galveston Hurricane of 1915 ( cat 4 ) New Orleans Hurricanes of 1915 ( cat 4 ) Two cat 4 hurricanes made landfall in US in same year. Galveston last struck with major hurricane in 1900. 1916 15 10 5 31 $5.9 million `` Texas '' Gulf Coast Hurricane of 1916 ( cat 3 ) Charleston Hurricane of 1916 ( cat 3 ) Great Texas Hurricane of 1916 ( cat 4 ) 3 major hurricanes made landfall this year following a very active 1915 season. 1917 5 $170,000 `` Nueva Gerona '' Nueva Gerona Hurricane of 1917 ( cat 4 ) 1918 6 34 $5 + million One Louisiana Hurricane of 1918 ( cat 3 ) 1919 5 ~ 900 $22 million `` Florida Keys '' Great Florida Keys Hurricane of 1919 ( cat 4 ) 1920s Year Number of tropical storms Number of hurricanes Number of major hurricanes Deaths Damage USD Strongest storm Major landfall hurricanes Notes 1920 5 0 $15.75 million One 1921 7 5 6 $36.5 million `` Tampa Bay '' Hurricane San Pedro of 1921 ( cat 3 ) Great Tampa Bay Hurricane of 1921 ( cat 4 ) 1922 5 Unknown Unknown Two 1923 9 0 Unknown Five 1924 11 5 150 + Unknown `` Cuba '' Great Cuba Hurricane of 1924 ( cat 5 ) The earliest officially classified Category 5 Atlantic hurricane on the Saffir -- Simpson Scale 1925 0 59 + $19.9 million One 1926 11 8 6 1,315 + $1.4 + billion `` Miami '' The Nassau Hurricane of 1926 ( cat 4 ) Nova Scotia Hurricane of 1926 ( cat 3 ) Louisiana hurricane of 1926 ( cat 3 ) Great Miami Hurricane of 1926 ( cat 4 ) Great Havana - Bermuda Hurricane of 1926 ( cat 4 ) 6 major hurricanes this year, 5 major landfalls 1927 8 184 Unknown `` Nova Scotia '' Nova Scotia Hurricane of 1927 ( cat 3 ) 1928 6 4,000 + $952.5 + million `` Okeechobee '' Great Okeechobee Hurricane of 1928 ( cat 5 ) The Okeechobee hurricane is the only known hurricane to strike Puerto Rico at Category 5 strength. 1929 5 51 $9.0 million `` Florida '' Great Bahamas Hurricane of 1929 ( cat 4 ) 1930s Year Number of tropical storms Number of hurricanes Number of major hurricanes Deaths Damage USD Strongest storm Major landfall hurricanes Notes 1930 8,000 $50 million `` Dominican Republic '' Dominican Republic Hurricane of 1930 ( cat 4 ) The fifth deadliest hurricane on record 1931 13 2,502 $7.5 million `` Belize '' Belize Hurricane of 1931 ( cat 4 ) 1932 15 6 3,315 $37 million `` Cuba '' Freeport Texas Hurricane of 1932 ( cat 4 ) Great Bahamas Hurricane of 1932 ( cat 5 ) Hurricane San Ciprián of 1932 ( cat 4 ) Great Cuba Hurricane of 1932 ( cat 5 ) Two Category 5 hurricanes ; one in November ( the latest such on record ) ; four major hurricanes made landfall 1933 20 11 6 651 $86.6 million `` Tampico '' Chesapeake -- Potomac Hurricane of 1933 ( cat 4 ) Great Cuba - Brownsville Hurricane of 1933 ( cat 5 ) Treasure Coast Hurricane of 1933 ( cat 4 ) Outer Banks Hurricane of 1933 ( cat 4 ) Tampico Yucatán Hurricane of 1933 ( cat 5 ) Second most active season on record following very active 1932 season. Two Category 5 hurricanes. Five major hurricanes made landfall 1934 13 7 2,017 $4.26 million Thirteen 1935 8 5 2,604 $12.5 million `` Labor Day '' Great Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 ( cat 5 ) Cuba Hurricane of 1935 ( cat 4 ) The Labor Day hurricane is most intense landfalling tropical cyclone in the Atlantic known to date 1936 17 7 5 $1.23 million Thirteen Very active season with no major landfalling hurricanes 1937 11 0 Unknown Six 1938 9 ~ 700 $290.3 million `` New England '' Long Island Express Hurricane ( cat 5 ) Earliest starting season on record ( January 3 ). Long Island express made landfall as a fast moving category 3. 1939 6 5 Unknown Five 1940s Year Number of tropical storms Number of hurricanes Number of major hurricanes Deaths Damage USD Strongest storm Major landfall hurricanes Notes 1940 9 6 0 101 $4.7 million Four 1941 6 63 $10 million `` Florida '' Texas Hurricane of 1941 ( cat 3 ) Nicaraqua Hurricane of 1941 ( cat 4 ) Florida Hurricane of 1941 ( cat 3 ) 3 major hurricanes made landfall this year 1942 11 17 $30.6 million Three Matagorda Texas Hurricane of 1942 ( cat 3 ) 1943 10 5 19 $17.2 million Three First year of Hurricane Hunters 1944 14 8 1,153 $202 million `` Great Atlantic '' Great Atlantic Hurricane of 1944 ( cat 4 ) Cuba - Florida Hurricane of 1944 ( cat 4 ) Atlantic hurricane only category 2 at landfall 1945 11 5 80 $80 million `` Southeast Florida '' Texas Hurricane of 1945 ( cat 3 ) Homestead Florida Hurricane of 1945 ( cat 4 ) 1946 7 0 5 $5.2 million Four 1947 10 5 94 $145.3 million `` Fort Lauderdale '' Fort Lauderdale Hurricane of 1947 ( George ) ( cat 4 ) First year of Atlantic tropical cyclone naming. 1948 10 6 94 $30.9 million `` Florida '' Florida Hurricane of 1948 ( Easy ) ( cat 4 ) Miami Hurricane of 1948 ( Fox ) ( cat 3 ) 1949 16 7 $58.2 million `` Florida '' Florida Hurricane of 1949 ( cat 4 ) 1950s Year Number of tropical storms Number of hurricanes Number of major hurricanes Deaths Damage USD Strongest storm Retired names Notes 1950 16 11 6 20 $37 million Dog None Record 8 tropical storms in October 1951 12 8 257 $80 million Easy None 1952 11 5 47 $3.75 million Fox None Includes the only known February tropical cyclone in the basin 1953 14 7 $6 million Carol None First year of female names for storms. One of only 4 seasons to have both a preseason and postseason storm. 1954 16 7 1,069 $752 million Hazel Carol, Edna, Hazel Includes Alice, one of only two storms in the basin to span two calendar years, tying for the latest storm in a season 1955 13 9 1,518 $1.2 billion Janet Connie, Diane, Ione, Janet 1956 12 76 $67.8 million Betsy None 1957 8 513 $152.5 million Carrie Audrey 1958 12 7 41 $12 million Helene None 1959 14 7 59 $23.3 million Gracie Gracie ? Status of Gracie 's retirement is unclear 1960s Year Number of tropical storms Number of hurricanes Number of major hurricanes Deaths Damage USD Strongest storm Retired names Notes 1960 8 385 $410 million Donna Donna Current extent of the reanalysis project as of July 2016 1961 11 8 7 345 $392 million Hattie Carla, Hattie Two Category 5 Hurricanes Tied for most major hurricanes 1962 5 $10 million Ella None 1963 9 7 7,225 $589 million Flora Flora The sixth deadliest hurricane on record 1964 12 6 6 261 $605 million Hilda Cleo, Dora, Hilda 1965 6 76 $1.45 billion Betsy Betsy 1966 11 7 1,094 $410 million Inez Inez One named storm de-classified in post-analysis 1967 8 6 64 $217 million Beulah Beulah 1968 8 0 10 $10 million Gladys None The name `` Edna '' was retired due to the storm in 1954, ; also includes one subtropical storm. No major hurricanes. 1969 18 12 5 364 $1.7 billion Camille Camille Fourth most active season on record. Tied for second most hurricanes in a season on record. Includes one subtropical storm. 1970s Year Number of tropical storms Number of hurricanes Number of major hurricanes Deaths Damage USD Strongest storm Retired names Notes 1970 10 5 71 $454 million Celia Celia 1971 13 6 45 $213 million Edith None Includes first documented Hurricane to cross Central America, Irene 1972 7 0 122 $2.1 billion Betty Agnes Includes three subtropical storms No major hurricanes 1973 8 15 $18 million Ellen None Includes one subtropical storm 11 8,260 + $1.97 billion Carmen Carmen, Fifi Includes four subtropical storms Fifi was the fourth deadliest hurricane on record 9 6 80 $100 million Gladys Eloise Includes one subtropical storm 1976 10 6 72 $100 million Belle None Includes two subtropical storms 1977 6 5 10 $10 million Anita Anita 1978 12 5 37 $45 million Greta Greta Includes the January subtropical storm in the Atlantic 1979 9 5 2,118 $4.3 billion David David, Frederic First year for alternating male / female names. Includes one subtropical storm. 1980s Year Number of tropical cyclones Number of tropical storms Number of hurricanes Number of major hurricanes Deaths Damage USD Strongest storm Retired names Notes 1980 15 11 9 256 $1 billion Allen Allen 1981 18 12 7 10 $45 million Harvey None 1982 9 6 141 $100 million Debby None Includes one subtropical storm 7 22 $2.6 billion Alicia Alicia Least active hurricane season in the satellite era 1984 17 13 5 35 $66 million Diana None Includes one subtropical storm 1985 13 11 7 241 $4.5 billion Gloria Elena, Gloria Hurricane Kate struck Florida on November 21, the latest United States hurricane landfall 1986 10 6 0 70 $57 million Earl None No major hurricanes 14 7 10 $90 million Emily None 19 12 5 550 $7 billion Gilbert Gilbert, Joan Included strongest hurricane on record until 2005 ; first hurricane since 1978 to cross Central America 15 11 7 112 $10.7 billion Hugo Hugo 1990s Year Number of tropical cyclones Number of tropical storms Number of hurricanes Number of major hurricanes Deaths Damage USD Strongest storm Retired names Notes 16 14 8 116 $150 million Gustav Diana, Klaus No tropical storms or hurricanes made landfall in the United States 1991 12 8 30 $2.5 billion Claudette Bob 9 7 66 $26 billion Andrew Andrew Hurricane Andrew was the costliest U.S. hurricane until 2005. Includes one subtropical storm. 10 8 274 $271 million Emily None 12 7 0 1,184 $1.56 billion Florence None No major hurricanes 1995 21 19 11 5 115 $9.3 billion Opal Luis, Marilyn, Opal, Roxanne Tied for third most active season on record 13 13 9 6 179 $3.8 billion Edouard Cesar, Fran, Hortense Cesar was renamed Douglas after it crossed Central America. 9 8 11 $110 million Erika None Includes one subtropical storm 1998 14 14 10 12,000 + $12.2 billion Mitch Georges, Mitch Four simultaneous hurricanes on September 26, the first time since 1893. Hurricane Mitch was the deadliest hurricane in over 200 years. 1999 16 12 8 5 465 $5.9 billion Floyd Floyd, Lenny Most Category 4 hurricanes on record 2000s NOTE : In the following tables, all estimates of damage costs are expressed in contemporaneous US dollars ( USD ). 2000s Year Number of tropical cyclones Number of tropical storms Number of hurricanes Number of major hurricanes Deaths Damage USD Strongest storm Retired names Notes 2000 19 15 8 79 $1.2 billion Keith Keith Includes one subtropical storm 17 15 9 105 $7.1 billion Michelle Allison, Iris, Michelle 2002 14 12 53 $2.6 billion Isidore Isidore, Lili Record - tying 8 named storms formed in September 2003 21 16 7 92 $4.4 billion Isabel Fabian, Isabel, Juan 3 off - season storms 17 15 9 6 3,100 + $50 billion Ivan Charley, Frances, Ivan, Jeanne Includes one subtropical storm Record - tying 8 named storms forming in August 2005 31 28 15 7 2,280 + $159 billion Wilma Dennis, Katrina, Rita, Stan, Wilma Second costliest hurricane season on record Season holds most activity records, including cyclones, storms, hurricanes, major hurricanes and Category 5 's ( 4 ) Most retired names Only year to use the Greek alphabet. Includes 1 Subtropical storm and 1 Subtropical depression. 2006 10 10 5 14 $500 million Gordon and Helene None 2007 17 15 6 423 $3 billion Dean Dean, Felix, Noel Includes one subtropical storm Two Category 5 Hurricanes that made landfall 2008 17 16 8 5 1,047 $42 billion Ike Gustav, Ike, Paloma Tied for fifth most active season on record Only year on record in which a major hurricane existed in every month from July through November 2009 11 9 6 $77 million Bill None 2010s Year Number of tropical cyclones Number of tropical storms Number of hurricanes Number of major hurricanes Deaths Damage USD Strongest storm Retired names Notes 21 19 12 5 314 $4.53 billion Igor Igor, Tomas Tied for third most active season on record Tied for second most hurricanes in a season on record Record tying 8 named storms forming in September 2011 20 19 7 114 $18.59 billion Ophelia Irene Tied for third most active season on record 2012 19 19 10 354 $77.97 billion Sandy Sandy Tied for third most active season Tied ( with 2016 ) for most active season before July Record tying 8 named storms forming in August 2013 15 14 0 47 $1.51 billion Humberto Ingrid Includes one subtropical storm No major hurricanes Tied ( with 1982 ) for fewest hurricanes since 1930 2014 9 8 6 17 $232 million Gonzalo None 2015 12 11 89 ≥ $730.4 million Joaquin Erika, Joaquin 2016 16 15 7 744 ≥ $16.1 billion Matthew Matthew, Otto Earliest start since 1938 Record for earliest formation of 3rd and 4th storm Tied ( with 2012 ) for most active season before July Includes southernmost Category 5 on record, and the first since 2007. First hurricane in 20 years to cross Central America into the Eastern Pacific Basin. 2017 18 17 10 6 433 ≥ $316.51 billion Maria TBD Costliest hurricane season on record. First April system since 2003 ( Arlene ). Earliest Main Development Region named storm on record ( Bret ). First U.S. major hurricane landfall since Wilma in 2005, ( Harvey ). First Category 4 U.S. hurricane landfall since Charley in 2004. ( Harvey ) Highest rainfall produced by a tropical cyclone in the United States and its territories ( Harvey ). First - ever three Category 4 U.S. hurricane landfalls in a single season. ( Harvey, Irma, and Maria ) Second season to feature two Category 5 landfalls after 2007. Only one of four seasons to produce ten hurricanes in a row. ( 1878, 1886, 1893 and 2017 ) Only season on record with three hurricanes with an ACE value over 40. ( Irma, Jose, and Maria ) Most ACE produced in a single month in Atlantic basin ( September ). Fastest moving tropical cyclone ever recorded in Gulf of Mexico. ( Nate ) Easternmost forming major hurricane ( Ophelia, 26.6 ° W longitude ). Number of tropical storms and hurricanes per season See also : Tropical cyclones and climate change This bar chart shows the number of named storms and hurricanes per year from 1851 - 2017. A 2011 study analyzing one of the main sources of hurricanes - the African easterly wave ( AEW ) - found that the change in AEWs is closely linked to increased activity of intense hurricanes in the North Atlantic. The synoptic concurrence of AEWs in driving the dynamics of the Sahel greening also appears to increase tropical cyclogenesis over the North Atlantic. See also Tropical cyclones portal Weather portal Parent topics Tropical cyclone List of environment topics List of tropical cyclones Lists of tropical cyclone names List of previous tropical cyclone names Atlantic hurricane topics Atlantic hurricane Accumulated cyclone energy List of Atlantic hurricane records Other tropical cyclone basins Pacific hurricane season Pacific typhoon season North Indian Ocean tropical cyclone season South - West Indian Ocean tropical cyclone season Australian region tropical cyclone season South Pacific tropical cyclone season South Atlantic tropical cyclone References ^ Jump up to : Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, Hurricane Research Division. `` Frequently Asked Questions : When is hurricane season ? ''. NOAA. Archived from the original on July 18, 2006. Retrieved July 25, 2006. Jump up ^ McAdie, Colin ( May 10, 2007 ). `` Tropical Cyclone Climatology ''. National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on May 28, 2007. Retrieved June 9, 2007. Jump up ^ `` Atlantic hurricane best track ( HURDAT version 2 ) ''. Hurricane Research Division ( Database ). Miami, FL : National Hurricane Center. April 11, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2017. Jump up ^ Associated Press ( June 15, 1941 ). `` Hurricane Bureau Begins Season 's Vigil Tonight ''. St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved July 9, 2011. ^ Jump up to : Associated Press ( June 15, 1959 ). `` 1959 Hurricane Season Opens Officially Today ''. Meridian Record. Retrieved July 9, 2011. Jump up ^ Associated Press ( June 15, 1955 ). `` Hurricane Season Opens ; New England Joins Circuit ''. The Robesonian. Retrieved July 9, 2011. ^ Jump up to : Associated Press ( June 15, 1960 ). `` 1960 Hurricane Season Open As Planes Prowl ''. The Evening Independent. Retrieved July 9, 2011. Jump up ^ Neal Dorst ( January 21, 2010 ). `` Subject : G1 ) When is hurricane season ? ''. National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2011. Jump up ^ Brownsville Herald ( June 1, 1965 ). Hurricane Season Officially Opened. Jump up ^ United Press International ( May 30, 1966 ). `` Hurricane Season Opens This Week ''. The News and Courier. Retrieved July 9, 2011. Jump up ^ National Hurricane Center ( 2011 ). `` Atlantic Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook ''. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on June 23, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2011. Jump up ^ United States Department of Commerce ( 2006 ). Assessment : Hurricane Katrina, August 23 -- 31, 2005. Retrieved on 2008 - 09 - 03. Jump up ^ ( 1 ) ( 2 ) Jump up ^ Hurricane Research Division ( 2008 ). `` Chronological List of All Hurricanes which Affected the Continental United States : 1851 - 2007 ''. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 21, 2008. Jump up ^ Indianola, Texas Jump up ^ Dorst, Neal ( October 23, 2012 ). `` They Called the Wind Mahina : The History of Naming Cyclones '' ( PPTX ). Hurricane Research Division, Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. p. Slides 49 -- 51. Jump up ^ Wang and Gillies ( 2011 ). `` Observed Change in Sahel Rainfall, Circulations, African Easterly Waves, and Atlantic Hurricanes Since 1979 ''. doi : 10.1155 / 2011 / 259529. CS1 maint : Uses authors parameter ( link ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Atlantic_hurricane_season&oldid=809953289 '' Categories : Atlantic hurricane seasons Hidden categories : CS1 maint : Uses authors parameter Use mdy dates from June 2012 Wikipedia articles needing context from October 2017 All articles lacking reliable references Articles lacking reliable references from November 2017 Articles which contain graphical timelines Articles containing video clips Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Nederlands Русский Українська 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 12 November 2017, at 15 : 22. 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Question: what is the busiest hurricane season on record
Answer: 2005