page_title: 2015 Atlantic hurricane season
section_title: Seasonal summary
hierarchical_section_title: 2015 Atlantic hurricane season / Seasonal summary
caption_attribution_description: English: Hurricane Joaquin as seen by NOAA's GOES-13 satellite at 19:00 UTC on October 1, 2015. At the time of this image, Joaquin was a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 km/h).
context_page_description: The 2015 Atlantic hurricane season was the last of three consecutive below average Atlantic hurricane seasons. It produced twelve tropical cyclones, eleven named storms, four hurricanes, and two major hurricanes. The Accumulated Cyclone Energy for the season was 68% of the long-term median value. The hurricane season officially began on June 1, 2015, and ended on November 30, 2015. These dates historically describe the period each year when most tropical cyclones form in the North Atlantic basin. However, the first named storm, Ana, developed on May 8, nearly a month before the official start of the season, the first pre-season cyclone since Beryl in 2012 and the earliest since Ana in 2003. The formation of Ana marked the first in a series of six consecutive seasons with pre-season activity, spanning from 2015-2020. The season concluded with Kate transitioning into an extratropical cyclone on November 11, almost three weeks before the official end.
  Although most of the storms impacted land, overall effects were minimal. Ana caused minor flooding and wind damage in the Carolinas and left two dead in North Carolina.
context_section_description: The Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 2015. It was a slightly below average season in which twelve tropical cyclones formed. Eleven of the twelve designated cyclones attained tropical storm status. Of the eight tropical storms, four reached at least Category 1 hurricane intensity. The 2015 season extended the period without major hurricane landfalls in the United States to ten years, with the last such system being Hurricane Wilma in 2005. The lack of activity was primarily attributed to an atmospheric circulation that favored dry, sinking air over low latitudes to the west of 40°W and westerly wind shear enhanced by El Niño. A few notable events occurred during the season. Ana was the first tropical cyclone to form in the off-season since 2012. Erika became only the second storm in the satellite era to be retired without reaching hurricane strength (Tropical Storm Allison was the first) and only the third to be retired without having made landfall (Hurricanes Klaus and Fabian were the first and second, respectively). Fred was one of the easternmost tropical storms recorded and made landfall in Cape Verde as a Category 1 hurricane, becoming the first hurricane to strike that country since 1892. Joaquin was the most intense storm of non-tropical origin in the satellite era and the strongest to affect the Bahamas in October since 1866. The tropical cyclones of this season caused 89 deaths and at least $731.8 million in damage.
  The Atlantic hurricane season officially ended on November 30, 2015.
  Tropical cyclogenesis began early, with Ana developing on May 8, over three weeks prior to the official beginning of the season and far ahead of the long-term climatological average of July 9. The month of June featured one tropical cyclone, Bill, which formed on June 16. Claudette, the only system in the month of July, developed on July 13. The rate of tropical cyclogenesis increased in August, though no storms developed in the first half of the month. Danny, the season's first major hurricane, formed on August 16, followed by Erika on August 24, and Fred on August 30. September, which is the climatological peak of hurricane season, featured five additional tropical cyclones – Grace, Henri, Tropical Depression Nine, Ida, and Joaquin. The most intense storm of the season was Joaquin, which peaked as a strong Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph (250 km/h), just short of Category 5 on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. Joaquin lasted into October, though no other systems developed that month. The season's final cyclone, Kate, developed on November 8 and became extratropical on November 11.
  The season's activity was reflected with an Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) rating of 63, which was well below the 1981–2010 median of 92. Broadly speaking, ACE is a measure of the power of a tropical or subtropical storm multiplied by the length of time it existed. Therefore, a storm with a longer duration or stronger intensity, such as Joaquin, will have high values of ACE. It is only calculated for full advisories on specific tropical and subtropical systems reaching or exceeding wind speeds of 39 mph (63 km/h). Accordingly, tropical depressions are not included here. After the storm has dissipated, typically after the end of the season, the NHC reexamines the data, and produces a final report on each storm. These revisions can lead to a revised ACE total either upward or downward compared to the operational value.
caption: Hurricane Joaquin over the Bahamas on October 1
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