2018 Atlantic hurricane season (Jarrell)

The **2018 Atlantic hurricane season** was the second most active Atlantic hurricane season in recorded history, breaking numerous records. The impact of the season was widespread and catastrophic, with the storms of the season causing a confirmed total of at least 2,175 deaths and approximately $161.68 billion in damage, making it the third costliest season on record, surpassed only by the 2017 and 2005 seasons.

Of the storms that made landfall, six of the season's ten major hurricanes—Clarice, Faith, Hailey, Michaela, Sarah, and Violet—were responsible for the majority of the destruction. Dale was the most destructive storm that was not a major hurricane. Haiti, Cuba, the Mexican states of Quintana Roo and Yucatán and the U.S. states of Florida and Louisiana were each struck twice by major hurricanes; the Bahamas, and Belize were each struck once and brushed by at least one more. The United States saw a total of six landfalls from storms at hurricane strength, a feat last observed in 1985 and surpassed only in 1886.

The most notable effects of the season were felt on the United States Gulf Coast, where a 20-foot (6 m) storm surge from Hurricane Hailey caused severe flooding that destroyed most structures on the Mississippi coastline; subsequent levee breaches in New Orleans, Louisiana caused by the storm crippled portions of the city. In spite of the damages, the storm was seen as a testament to the improvements made to the area in the years after Hurricane Katrina. Furthermore, Hurricane Dale combined with an extratropical system to cause deadly mudslides across Central America, with Guatemala being hardest-hit.

The season officially began on June 1, 2018, and officially ended on November 30, 2018. However, there was tropical cyclone activity both before and after the official boundaries, the first occurrence since 2007. The season began nearly a month in advance with the formation of Subtropical Storm Adreanna on May 7, the first time a pre-season storm developed since 2016. Almost three weeks following the official end of the season on November 30, the last named storm, Delta, developed on December 21, and persisted as a hurricane until it transitioned to an extratropical cyclone on December 28. It was only the second year on record in which a major hurricane existed in every month from July through November in the North Atlantic, an occurrence previously observed only in the 2008 season.

Twenty-five tropical storms developed, making 2018 the second-most active season on record; of which a record-breaking seventeen became hurricanes. Of these, a record-breaking ten became major hurricanes, surpassing the record set in 1961 and later 2005 for the most Category 3 or higher hurricanes to form in a single season. Three of the major hurricanes would reach Category 5 strength. Additionally, it is only the second hurricane season, Atlantic or Pacific, to exhaust the list of names and resort to Greek letters for naming.

## **Seasonal forecasts**

Ahead of and during the season, several national meteorological services and scientific agencies forecast how many named storms, hurricanes and major (Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale) hurricanes will form during a season and/or how many tropical cyclones will affect a particular country. These agencies include the Tropical Storm Risk (TSR) Consortium of the University College London, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Colorado State University (CSU). The forecasts include weekly and monthly changes in significant factors that help determine the number of tropical storms, hurricanes, and major hurricanes within a particular year. Some of these forecasts also take into consideration what happened in previous seasons and an ongoing La Niña event that had recently formed in November 2017. On average, an Atlantic hurricane season between 1981 and 2010 contained twelve tropical storms, six hurricanes, and two major hurricanes, with an Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) index of between 66 and 103 units.

### **Preseason forecasts**

The first forecast for the year was released by TSR on December 7, 2017, predicting a slightly above-average season in 2018, with a total of 15 named storms, 7 hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes. On April 5, 2018, CSU released its forecast, predicting a slightly above-average season with 14 named storms, 7 hurricanes, and 3 major hurricanes. On the same day TSR released its second forecast, predicting a slightly-below average hurricane season, with 12 named storms, 6 hurricanes, and 2 major hurricanes, the reduction in both the number and size of storms compared to its first forecast being due to recent anomalous cooling in the far northern and tropical Atlantic. Several days later, on April 16, North Carolina State University released its predictions, forecasting an above-average season, with 14–18 named storms, 7–11 hurricanes, and 3–5 major hurricanes. On April 19, The Weather Company released its first forecasts, predicting 2018 to be a near-average season, with a total of 13 named storms, 7 hurricanes, and 2 major hurricanes. On May 24, NOAA released their first forecasts, calling for a near to above average season in 2018.

### **Mid-season outlooks**

On August 2, 2018, after an extraordinarily active early season, NOAA released an updated outlook on the remainder of the season. The outlook called for from 18 to a record-tying 21 tropical storms, 9 to 11 hurricanes, and 5 to 7 becoming major hurricanes. The ACE value of the overall season is expected to be roughly twice those of a normal season. While June and July had been unusually active, August and September were expected to contain the peak of seasonal activity as in most seasons. NOAA noted a higher than normal confidence in the forecast of above-normal activity.

## **Systems**

*See also: List of storms in the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season*

### **May, June and July**

On May 7, nearly a month prior to the official start of the season, Subtropical Storm Adreanna formed, becoming the first pre-season storm since 2016. The system developed and meandered off the Southeastern U.S. coast before it made landfall as a subtropical depression on May 9. Damage from Adreanna was moderate, although three people drowned when a boat capsized off the coast of South Carolina due to rough surf.

Tropical Storm Blake formed in the Gulf of Mexico to the north of the Yucatan Peninsula on June 14, and traveled in a generally northeastern direction until in made two landfalls in Louisiana on June 16. Several coastal areas experienced flooding due to the storm, and two people were killed.

Hurricane Clarice formed in the Caribbean on June 30. In a favorable environment, Clarice quickly intensified to a Category 4 storm. It eventually reached Category 5 intensity, breaking the records set by Hurricane Emily in 2005 for July intensity when its pressure reached 923 mbar (hPa) on July 7, as well as becoming the earliest such storm ever recorded in the Atlantic. Clarice further intensified before it made landfall on the Yucatán Peninsula at peak strength, and later struck Tamaulipas at Category 4 strength. Clarice killed at least 71 people over the course of its path. An estimated $3.89 billion (2018 USD) in damage was reported.

A weak tropical wave became embedded within a large convective area of showers and thunderstorms, developed into Tropical Depression Four prior to landfall on the Yucatan peninsula. The depression performed an unusual feat and strengthened into a tropical storm over land before emerging into the Bay of Campeche, receiving the name Dale upon doing so. Dale briefly reached hurricane strength before making landfall north of Veracruz, Veracruz, on July 15. Dale was a part of a large system of rainstorms, which dropped torrential rainfall that caused catastrophic flooding and mudslides over southern Mexico and Central America. Initial estimates placed a death toll of at least 1,000 fatalities due to the extensive flooding, but a final death toll of 967 was confirmed, of which 80–100 were directly attributed to Dale.

Tropical Storm Emma formed in the Gulf of Mexico on July 14. The storm tracked to the west-northwest, and ultimately reached a peak strength that was just below hurricane status by the time it made landfall near Port O'Connor, Texas on July 17. Emma dropped moderate rainfall that generally proved beneficial towards alleviating drought conditions, though localized flooding occurred; which in turn caused the storms's only fatalities through a traffic accident.

On July 16, Hurricane Faith formed in the eastern Caribbean; it crossed Jamaica before intensifying into a Category 4 hurricane, among the strongest observed in July with a pressure of 937 mbar (hPa). Faith struck Cuba, then later made a final landfall on the Florida Panhandle, both of which were at Category 4 intensity. The hurricane killed 63 people (mostly in the United States) and caused $32.6 billion (2018 USD) in damage in Cuba and the United States.

Hurricane Gavin formed just east of the Lesser Antilles on July 25, and became a Category 1 hurricane by July 27, just before it made landfall at Vieques, Puerto Rico. After crossing the nation, Gavin began to accelerate under the influence of a trough over the Eastern United States. Shortly after brushing by Bermuda, Gavin peaked as a Category 2 hurricane on July 30. Cooler waters then rapidly weakened the system, which became extratropical the following day.

### **August**

August began disastrously, with the formation of Hurricane Hailey on August 6. Forming well to the east of the Lesser Antilles, the storm quickly reached Category 2 strength before it impacted the island chain, with a landfall at Guadeloupe at that strength on August 9. Hailey underwent another bout of rapid strengthening in the Caribbean, and reached Category 3 intensity before it made landfall in the Dominican Republic two days later. Another landfall in Cuba occurred the following day after Hailey had become a severely weakened tropical storm. The storm then entered the Florida Straits and reached the Gulf of Mexico on August 13, which allowed for re-intensification. Crossing over the warm waters of the Loop Current, Hailey rapidly strengthened to a high-end Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 155 mph and a minimum pressure of 922 mbar (hpa). The storm retained this strength as it made landfall near Port Fourchon, Louisiana. A storm surge in excess of 20-ft (6m) caused catastrophic damage along the coastlines of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Within hours, levees separating Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans, Louisiana were partially topped by the surge, ultimately flooding limited sections of the city. Wind damage was reported well inland, impeding relief efforts. Hailey was responsible for $37.47 billion (2005 USD) in damage, making it the sixth-costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. 423 people were confirmed dead across six countries, 213 of which were in the United States.

Tropical Depression Nine formed northeast of the Lesser Antilles on August 9 but dissipated on the next day without having threatened land.

A non-tropical low developed into Tropical Storm Isaiah on August 16. The storm dropped some rain on Bermuda as it curved to the northeast; and in the midst of a hostile environment, transitioned to an extratropical cyclone on August 18, which impacted Newfoundland on August 20. 1 fatality and $117 million in damages occurred due to the system's passage through Canada.

An area of unsettled weather developed approximately 225 mi (362 km) east-southeast of Bermuda on August 20, and over the next few days convection increased in intensity and coverage. On August 22, the system had organized sufficiently enough to be declared a subtropical depression. The system moved east-northeast as it gradually gained tropical characteristics, and was named Subtropical Storm Jade on August 24. Jade became fully tropical the following day, and maintained this status before colder ocean temperatures and wind shear weakened it to a tropical depression by August 27. Extratropical transition ensued shortly thereafter in the increasingly hostile environment, and was completed on August 28. Jade never posed a threat to land.

Hurricane Kristen formed east of the Windward Islands on August 25, and turned northeast towards the Greater Antilles, intensifying to a Category 1 hurricane as it did so. It made landfall in Haiti on August 28. Emerging in the Atlantic the next day, the weakened system began to quickly strengthen, and became a major hurricane on August 31. Entering the cooler waters of the central Atlantic, Kristen once again weakened, and became extratropical on September 2. A total of 27 people were reported dead because of Hurricane Kristen, mostly in Haiti.

Another tropical wave behind that of which became Kristen quickly developed into Lucas in the eastern Caribbean on August 28. Upwelling from the former storm created an unusually favorable environment, which allowed for Lucas to rapidly intensify, becoming a Category 3 hurricane on August 31 just prior to landfall in Western Haiti. A series of consecutive landfalls in Cuba and the Bahamas ensued. After affecting these nations, Lucas once again reached Category 3 strength before paralleling the Southeastern U.S. coast while weakening. The storm became extratropical on September 7.

### **September**

The first storm to form in September was Hurricane Michaela, which developed well to the west of the Cape Verde islands on September 2. Traveling over the open Atlantic, the storm quickly intensified, becoming a major hurricane by September 4. After a slight period of weakening, the hurricane reached its peak strength as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 145 mph (230 km/h) before it made several landfalls in the northern Lesser Antilles and Bahamas. Retaining its status as a Category 4 storm, the hurricane made its final landfall around Cape Canaveral, Florida. Effects from the hurricane were felt far and wide: damages totaled over $30 billion across at least eight nations, as well as 56 confirmed fatalities across its long path.

Tropical Storm Noah formed southwest of Bermuda on September 6 and moved to the northeast. Noah became extratropical on September 9; the storm had prompted tropical storm watches in Bermuda, which were canceled after the storm began to move on a northeasterly course, yielding no effects on land.

Hurricane Olivia originated as a subtropical depression that developed from a cold-core low pressure area east of Florida on September 15. It became a subtropical storm that evening as it drifted north. Organization continued throughout September 16, and early the next day, Olivia was reclassified as a tropical storm. An approaching upper-level trough caused the storm to execute a prolonged counterclockwise loop, and Olivia made landfall at Wilmington, North Carolina on September 18. Olivia re-emerged over the Atlantic from Caswell Beach the following morning and tracked east-northeast. The storm executed a clockwise loop between September 21-22, and strengthened to a hurricane during this time. Moving northwest, Olivia attained its peak strength with 80 mph (130 km/h) winds. The storm subsequently made landfall near Cape Lookout, North Carolina before interacting with a cold front and dissipating. Total damage estimates were around $5 billion (2018 USD).

A tropical wave developed into Tropical Depression Seventeen northwest of Cape Verde on September 20. Upon developing, the depression had a small area of convection but remained otherwise ill-defined. In an environment with cool ocean temperatures, the depression eventually degenerated to a tropical wave on September 24.

Hurricane Paige developed on September 23, roughly between Cape Verde and the Lesser Antilles. Traveling through the open Atlantic as a tropical storm, Paige eventually became a minimal hurricane while in the vicinity of the Lesser Antilles. Passing between Martinique and St. Lucia late on September 26, Paige weakened a tropical storm as it entered a very hostile environment in the eastern Caribbean Sea. During the afternoon of September 28, the system degenerated into a open tropical wave. The storm's large size resulted in widespread but rather minimal impacts across the Lesser Antilles, which totaled in about $2 million in damages and 2 fatalities.

The longest-lived storm of the year, Hurricane Ricky developed to the west of Cape Verde on September 25 and traveled to the west-northwest. After a long period of gradual intensification, Ricky reached its peak strength as a Category 3 hurricane on October 3 while it passed through areas that had been devastated by Hurricane Michaela just two weeks earlier. The eyewall collapsed somewhat, and Ricky weakened slightly to a Category 2 hurricane, where it leveled off for about four days due to a lengthy eyewall replacement cycle and an elongated cloud pattern. Turning to the northeast, Ricky weakened further as wind shear increased and ocean temperatures dropped. The hurricane transitioned into a extratropical cyclone on October 12, and its remnant persisted until it passed north of the Azores, where it was absorbed by a larger system on October 16. The worst damage associated with Ricky was through exacerbation of the aftermath of Michaela, which totaled to $6.07 million in damages and 13 fatalities.

Hurricane Sarah formed as a tropical storm over the Bahamas on September 28. The storm reached Category 2 intensity as it moved south of the Florida Keys on October 2. Rapid intensification ensued as Sarah moved into the Gulf of Mexico, and it became a Category 5 hurricane on October 3, becoming the tenth (now eleventh) most intense hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic Basin. Sarah made landfall near Morgan City, Louisiana on October 5. Major flooding was reported in the Moragn City area, while Cameron, Vermilion, Iberia, and St. Mary parishes in Louisiana were devastated. Offshore oil platforms throughout Sarah's path also suffered significant damage. Thirty-seven people were killed by Sarah's direct effects, and total damage from the storm was estimated at about $20.9 billion (2018 USD).

### **October**

Hurricane Tyler was the first October storm when its precursor depression developed in the Main Development Region of the Atlantic on October 9. Wind shear initially hampered further development, and the system degenerated into a disturbance early on October 11. By October 13, the remnant began to consolidate in a environment of relatively low wind shear, and was once again designated as a tropical depression when satellite imagery suggested the presence of a new circulation. The following day, the depression was determined to have attained tropical storm strength, and was named Tyler. In relatively favorable conditions, Tyler gradually gained strength until briefly reaching its peak intensity as a Category 2 hurricane on October 17. Entering cooler waters, the storm's intensity leveled off as it began to lose tropical characteristics. Tyler eventually completed its extratropical transition on October 20. The storm never threatened land during its existence.

Hurricane Violet formed on October 12 in the western Caribbean east of Nicaragua and organized at a considerable rate, becoming a tropical storm by October 14. After making landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula near Cancun as a Category 1 hurricane, Violet was rebounded to the southeast by a strong ridge in the Gulf of Mexico and struck the peninsula a second time as a Category 2 storm. After emerging into the Caribbean once again, Violet underwent rapid intensification from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane with winds of 185 (295 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 890 mbar in just 24 hours. An eyewall replacement cycle substantially weakened the storm to a high-end Category 4 hurricane prior to landfall in Cuba's Guantanamo Province on October 21. Violet entered the Atlantic Ocean and weakened as its forward motion slowed due to a stalled frontal boundary, eventually dissipating early on October 25. Its remnant interacted with that of the nearby Subtropical Depression Twenty-three, both of which eventually merged with a frontal system that spawned Hurricane William. Violet is directly credited with 232 deaths; total damage is estimated at around $9.1 billion (2018 USD).

Subtropical Depression Twenty-three formed northeast of the Lesser Antilles from a stalled frontal boundary on October 25. The system dissipated late on the 26th. Its remnant interacted with that of Violet, and both eventually merged with another system that eventually contributed to the formation of Hurricane William.

Hurricane William initially formed over unfavorably cold water in the East Atlantic near the Canary Islands on November 3 as a tropical depression and degenerated into a tropical wave before reforming November 5. Shortly thereafter, it briefly strengthened into a hurricane. Rapid weakening ensued, and William became extratropical on November 8. The remnant system passed through the Canaries with light impact.

### **November and December**

Tropical activity moderately declined as the season wound down. Hurricane Alpha formed in the southern Caribbean on November 8 and strengthened into a Category 3 hurricane before making landfall in Belize on November 12. The storm was responsible for twenty-seven fatalities and more than $360 million in damage across four countries.

Tropical Storm Beta formed on November 17 from a strong non-tropical low near the Azores that slowly drifted eastward and attained tropical characteristics while entering marginally warmer waters. The storm led a brief existence before making landfall at the Iberian Peninsula on November 20, causing widespread but minor damage and three fatalities. This was the first tropical system to make landfall in Spain since Hurricane Vince in 2005.

Tropical Storm Gamma formed in the eastern Atlantic on November 19 and moved along an erratic track in the open Atlantic, before curving westward and later northeastward. Gamma briefly threatened Bermuda before it transitioned to an extratropical system on December 1.

Hurricane Delta became the final storm of the season when it formed on December 21, in the midst of hostile environment in the middle of the Atlantic. Delta defied forecasts of a short existence repeatedly by persisting for a week, during which it reached hurricane strength, before dissipating on December 28.

## **Impact**

The storms of the season were extraordinarily damaging and were responsible for significant loss of life. Total damage is estimated to be about $161.68 billion (2018 USD), and a total of 2,175 people were reported dead. However, due to uncertainties in the death toll caused by Dale and Hailey, the death toll from the season could be as high as 2,500 people.

The hardest-hit area was the United States Gulf Coast from eastern Texas to the Florida Panhandle. First to strike the area was Hurricane Faith, which caused $32.6 billion in damage along the Florida Panhandle. Hurricane Hailey caused catastrophic damage to the Gulf Coast, devastating a long stretch of coast along Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama with a 20-foot (6 m) storm surge. Wind damage was reported well inland, slowing down recovery efforts. Storm surge also topped levees in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, flooding about 10% of the city. Total damage has been estimated at $37 billion and at least 427 people were killed by the storm; Hailey is the seventh costliest hurricane in U.S. history, and the deadliest hurricane in the U.S. since Heidi from the previous year. While the damage was significant, it was looked at by many as a substantial improvement to the city's hurricane preparedness in the years after Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Sarah struck near the same area two months later, exacerbating the effects of the earlier storm, and caused extensive damage along the coastlines of Louisiana and Texas; total damage is estimated at about $20.9 billion. Tropical Storms Blake and Emma also struck the Gulf Coast but caused much lighter damage.

In Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula was heavily hit, suffering billions of dollars in damage when Hurricane Clarice made landfall near Cozumel. The Tropical Depression that would become Hurricane Dale followed days later and triggered deadly flooding across the area. Later in the season, Hurricane Sarah brushed the northern portion of the peninsula, while also making landfall at the uninhabited Scorpion Reef at Category 5 strength. Hurricane Violet was the final storm of the season to strike the area, making two separate landfalls while at hurricane strength at both the east and west side of the Yucatan. Significant flooding from Violet's prolonged presence caused an additional billions in damage. Clarice's final landfall at Tamaulipas in far northern Mexico also caused significant damage, which would be struck again by another Category 4 hurricane the following year.

Eastern North Carolina suffered widespread damage from the slow-moving Hurricane Olivia; damages from that storm were finalized at $5.6 billion. The remainder of the U.S. Atlantic coast escaped the major storms, although some regions were affected by the remnants of several storms (including Adreanna, Blake, Hailey, and Lucas).

Central America suffered heavy flooding and mudslides from Hurricane Dale and nearby nontropical rains. Over 900 people were confirmed dead in total, with some towns being completely wiped out. Belize was struck directly by Hurricane Alpha, which caused $275 million (2018 USD) in damage across the country.

The island of Hispaniola was struck repeatedly. Hurricane Hailey made landfall in the Dominican Republic as a major hurricane, killing at least 300 people. Hurricanes Kristen and Lucas made landfall in Haiti within days of each other, killing over 200 people between the two systems (most of these coming from Lucas). The outer bands of Hurricane Michaela produced moderate rainfall in the northern portions of the island.

The Lesser Antilles saw repeated strikes from the storms at the height of the season. The Leeward Islands were battered by Hurricanes Hailey, Michaela and Ricky, and the Windward Islands were struck by Hurricane Paige, as well as Hurricanes Gavin and Lucas (while tropical depressions).

Cuba was struck by Hurricane Faith at its first intensity maxima, causing $1.1 billion in damage; it was the worst hurricane to hit Cuba in over a decade. Later in the year, Hurricane Violet made landfall in the Guantanamo Province while just under Category 5 strength, causing an additional billions of dollars in damage. Some areas of Cuba also suffered heavy damage from Hurricanes Hailey Lucas, and Sarah.

Unusual impacts were felt in Europe and nearby islands from four storms. Most notably, Tropical Storm Beta made landfall as a tropical depression in Spain's Iberian Peninsula, the first occurrence since Hurricane Vince in 2005. Tropical Storm Isaiah intensified and affected northern Europe as a vicious extratropical storm, while Hurricane William struck the Canary Islands just after becoming extratropical. Hurricane Delta moved across the northern Azores islands as a weakened tropical storm. The Azores had also been struck by Hurricane Ricky's remanat in October. In January 2019, after the end of the calendar year, the extratropical remnant of Delta affected similar areas that Isiah had previously struck.

Energy production in the Gulf of Mexico declined in the wake of Hailey and Sarah by approximately 21% — the output dropped to 378,633 barrels per day from the original 1.75 million barrels of oil produced each day. The Eagle Ford Rock Formation (shale oil and gas) in southern Texas reduced production by 100,000 to 700,000 bpd, according to the Texas Railroad Commission. Many energy-related ports and terminals closed, delaying about fourteen crude oil tankers. About 2.25 million bpd of refining capacity was offline for several days; that is about 12% of total US capacity, with refineries affected at Port Arthur and Beaumont, Texas as well as Lake Charles and New Orleans, Louisiana.

Due to the shutdown in refineries, gas prices did see an increase nationwide. However, the increase was not as extensive as Hurricane Katrina due to the development of more fuel-efficient vehicles as well as fracking technology having been refined since Katrina to allow oil drilling in shale areas such as the Marcellus Formation. Nonetheless, the spike brought the highest gas prices in two years.

Agriculture in multiple countries was hard hit by extremely heavy rains from severe storms during the season. Early in the season, Hurricane Faith caused significant damage to various citrus and vegetable crops in Cuba, though the damage was not crippling. In Central America, Hurricanes Clarice and Dale (and the latter's associated nontropical storms) dropped upwards of 20 inches (500 mm) of rain, causing, in addition to severe flash floods and mud slides, heavy damage to crops, especially to the banana and coffee crops, which destroyed much of the growing population well before harvest. This caused significant economic disruption in Guatemala and surrounding nations, as the rural economies are highly dependent on the coffee and banana crops. When Hurricane Alpha struck Belize later in the season, it also caused heavy damage to the banana crop in the nation and surrounding countries; but the harvests had already ended, mitigating economic disruption.

## **Records and notable events**

The 2018 season broke numerous records for tropical cyclone activity, though these were reflected more in storm intensities rather than the overall cyclone count.

**Storm formation during the 2018 season**

During the season, 25 storms were named, the second-highest amount in any previously recorded Atlantic season.

Hurricanes Clarice, Sarah and Violet attained Category 5 intensity, and Hurricanes Sarah and Violet became the tenth (at the time) and third-most intense recorded Atlantic storms, respectively. The 2018 season is the only season on record with three Category 5 storms on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale; though the highest number of storms of this intensity occurred in 2005, with 4 attaining this status during that year. In addition, Hurricanes Faith, Hailey and Michaela reached Category 4 status, bringing the total number of Category 4+ storms to six, breaking the record set by the 1999 and 2005 seasons of the highest amount of storms of that strength.

It has been argued that several storms in the year may have been underestimated in intensity: Emma, Hailey, and Ricky. Hailey's finalized intensity of 155 mph winds was highly controversial, and many have argued that Category 5 winds may have occurred while it was in the central Gulf of Mexico. The JMC maintains that as its peak intensity was assessed, the eye had undergone a slight replacement, which disrupted higher winds from occurring. This was based a 90% reduction of an observation by the Hurricane Hunters, which recorded flight-level winds of 171 mph (276 km/h). Its appearance on satellite imagery showed a ragged eye during the storm's height, atypical of Category 5 hurricanes that tend to display a much more "rounded" or "stadium" eye. All of these points were made in support of the JMC's decision to keep Hailey at Category 4 strength. In the case of Emma, the storm's well-defined organization and satellite presentation prior to its Texas landfall have left some to argue that it was in fact a Category 1 hurricane. Similarly, Hurricane Ricky's very well-defined appearance at its closest approach of the Lesser Antilles led some to speculate it may have briefly reached Category 4 strength.

## **Storm names**

The following list of names was used for named storms that formed in the North Atlantic in 2018. The names not retired from this list will be used again in the 2024 season. It was the first (and only, in the cases of Clarice, Dale, Hailey, Michaela, Sarah and Violet) use for all of these names since the post-2016 naming change, except for Faith, which was used in 1966.

* Blake
* Clarice
* Dale
* Emma
* Faith
* Gavin
* Isaiah
* Jade
* Kristen
* Lucas
* Michaela
* Noah
* Paige
* Ricky
* Sarah
* Tyler
* Violet
* William

**Greek Names**

* Beta
* Gamma
* Delta
* Epsilon *(unused)*
* Zeta *(unused)*
* Eta *(unused)*
* Theta *(unused)*
* Kappa *(unused)*
* Lambda *(unused)*
* Mu *(unused)*
* Nu *(unused)*
* Xi *(unused)*
* Omicron *(unused)*
* Pi *(unused)*
* Sigma *(unused)*
* Tau *(unused)*
* Upsilon *(unused)*
* Phi *(unused)*
* Chi *(unused)*
* Psi *(unused)*
* Omega *(unused)*

### **Retirement**

On March 20, 2019, at the 41st session of the RA IV hurricane committee, the World Meteorological Organization retired seven names: Clarice, Dale Faith, Hailey, Michaela, Sarah, and Violet from its rotating naming lists due to the number of deaths and amount of damage they caused, and they will not be used again for another Atlantic hurricane. They will be replaced with Candice, Douglas, Frieda, Harmony, Morgan, Sabrina, and Virgo, respectively, for the 2024 season. This surpassed the previous record for the number of hurricane names retired after a single season, five, held by the 2005 and 2017 seasons. Furthermore, the name Olivia was initially moved to the list of names for the 2022 season to avoid confusion with the Eastern Pacific storm naming, as 'Olivia' was used in both the Eastern Pacific and Atlantic during 2018, despite not being the same system (it was decided at the 22nd hurricane committee in 2000 that tropical cyclones that moved from the Atlantic to the Eastern Pacific basin and vice versa would no longer be renamed). However, the name was changed to Octavia prior to the start of the 2022 season; quietly retiring the name altogether.

## **Season effects**

This is a table of all the storms that have formed in the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season. It includes their duration, names, landfall(s), denoted in parentheses, damages, and death totals. Deaths in parentheses are additional and indirect (an example of an indirect death would be a traffic accident), but were still related to that storm. Damage and deaths include totals while the storm was extratropical, a wave, or a low, and all the damage figures are in 2018 USD.