The 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season: A Critical Turning Point

The past 20 years of experience and 2024's challenges highlight the urgent need to address climate change's impact on hurricanes.

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As the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season unfolds, it is rapidly shaping into one of the most active and intense in recent history. With the season’s peak approaching, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued a sobering update, predicting an above-normal level of hurricane activity. 

NOAA’s Updated 2024 Hurricane Outlook

In their mid-season update, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center has forecasted a highly active hurricane season. The latest outlook predicts:

  • Named Storms: 17 to 24 (with winds of 39 mph or greater)
  • Hurricanes: 8 to 13 (with winds of 74 mph or greater)
  • Major Hurricanes: 4 to 7 (with winds of 111 mph or greater)

Several key factors drive this forecast:

  • Warmer-than-Average Sea Surface Temperatures: These elevated temperatures, particularly in the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean, provide the energy needed for stronger and more frequent storms.
  • La Niña Potential: La Niña conditions may develop later in the season, which could further reduce wind shear in the Atlantic, encouraging storm formation.
  • Weaker Tropical Atlantic Trade Winds and an Enhanced West African Monsoon: These conditions are conducive to developing and intensifying tropical storms.

The Hurricane Season Ends November 30

With just under two months left in the hurricane season, North America has experienced devastating storms, claiming the lives of hundreds of people from Florida upward through Western Carolina and Tennessee.

  • Tropical Storm Alberto (June 19-20): A broad storm impacting Louisiana, Texas, and Mexico.
  • Hurricane Beryl (June 28-July 11): Hit Grenada and the Cayman Islands as a Category 5, then weakened before landfall in Texas as a Category 2, resulting in dozens of fatalities.
  • Tropical Storm Chris (June 30-July 1): Short-lived storm bringing heavy rain to Mexico.
  • Hurricane Debby (Aug. 3-14): Slow-moving Category 1, causing flooding and around ten deaths across several southeastern U.S. states.
  • Hurricane Ernesto (Aug. 12-20): This hurricane brought flooding to Puerto Rico and then hit Bermuda as a Category 2.
  • Hurricane Francine (Sept. 9-12): A Category 2 storm that weakened after landfall in Louisiana.
  • Tropical Storm Gordon (Sept. 11-17): Formed in the Atlantic but dissipated without landfall.
  • Hurricane Helene (Sept. 24-29): A massive Category 4 storm that devastated Florida’s Big Bend region, with over 230 fatalities across six states.
  • Tropical Storm Isaac (Sept. 26-30): Reached peak winds of 65 mph in the North Atlantic.
  • Tropical Storm Joyce (Sept. 27-Oct. 1): Developed over the central Atlantic and dissipated without significant impact.
  • Hurricane Kirk (Sept. 30): Became a Category 4 and is expected to hit Europe soon.
  • Hurricane Leslie (Oct. 2): Strengthened to Category 1 before weakening to a tropical storm.
  • Hurricane Milton (Oct. 5-10): Strengthened to a Category 5 before landfall on October 9.

Record-Breaking Seasons and Major Hurricanes

Two hurricane seasons, in particular, have etched themselves into the annals of meteorological history: 2005 and 2020. These years not only shattered records but highlighted the growing challenges of increasingly frequent and powerful storms.

The 2005 Hurricane Season

The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season remains one of the most active and devastating. This season produced 28 named storms, 15 hurricanes, and seven major hurricanes, far exceeding the average. Among these storms, Hurricane Katrina is one of the most catastrophic in U.S. history. Katrina landed in late August 2005, causing widespread destruction across the Gulf Coast, particularly in New Orleans, Louisiana. The storm surge overwhelmed levees, leading to severe flooding, massive loss of life, and unprecedented economic damage.

The 2005 season also saw Hurricane Wilma, the most intense hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic basin, with a central pressure of 882 millibars. The devastation wrought by the 2005 season prompted a reevaluation of hurricane preparedness and response strategies, leading to significant changes in monitoring and managing these storms.

The 2020 Hurricane Season: A New Benchmark

Fifteen years later, the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season set a new benchmark for activity and complexity. This season produced 30 named storms, 14 of which became hurricanes, and 7 of those reached major hurricane status. The season was so prolific that the World Meteorological Organization used the Greek alphabet to name storms after exhausting the regular list of names.

Among the many storms, Hurricane Laura and Hurricane Iota were particularly devastating. Laura struck Louisiana in August as a Category 4 hurricane, causing extensive damage and loss of life. Iota, which formed later in the season, became the strongest storm of the year, making landfall in Nicaragua as a Category 5 hurricane just days after Hurricane Eta had struck the same region.

The back-to-back nature of these storms and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic stretched emergency response resources to their limits and underscored the growing complexity of managing multiple simultaneous crises.

The Role of Climate Change in Increasing Hurricane Activity

As global temperatures rise, so do sea surface temperatures, which provide the energy necessary for hurricane formation and intensification. Warmer oceans have been linked to more frequent and intense hurricanes, with higher wind speeds and greater rainfall. Additionally, climate change contributes to rising sea levels, exacerbating the impacts of storm surges and leading to more severe coastal flooding. Rapid intensification—where a storm’s wind speeds increase dramatically in a short period—has also become more common, a trend linked to warmer ocean waters.

In addition to these physical changes, there has been a noticeable shift in the geographical distribution of hurricanes. Historically, most hurricanes in the Atlantic basin impacted the Caribbean and the southeastern United States. However, recent years have seen increased storms affecting areas farther north, including the northeastern U.S. and parts of Europe, regions usually less vulnerable to such events. This shift poses new challenges for communities that may not be as prepared for hurricanes as those in traditionally affected areas.

The Impact of Helene

Hurricane Helene’s devastating impact can be attributed to a combination of natural hurricane dynamics and the effects of climate change, which amplified its strength and destructiveness.

Helene was a massive storm spanning 400 miles (640 km) in diameter. Its winds topped 130 mph (210 km/h), making it one of the season’s most powerful storms. As it moved inland, its intensity as a Category 4 hurricane caused widespread damage, affecting multiple states beyond its landfall in Florida.

The near-record storm surges, reaching up to 9 feet (2.7 meters) above normal levels, led to catastrophic flooding, particularly in Florida’s Big Bend region. Coastal infrastructure was devastated, and many homes were lost to the powerful floodwaters. Heavy rainfall caused flash floods in regions such as Western Carolina and Tennessee even after the storm weakened. The mountainous terrain in those areas exacerbated runoff, leading to river and creek overflows and severe flooding in communities ill-prepared for such a deluge.

Climate change played a key role in intensifying Hurricane Helene. Warmer ocean temperatures, a direct result of global warming, fueled the storm’s rapid intensification and helped maintain its strength. The elevated sea surface temperatures and increased atmospheric moisture led to heavier rainfall and worsened the flooding that devastated inland areas. Additionally, climate change is linked to slower-moving hurricanes, as Helene demonstrated, prolonging the storm’s damaging effects over impacted regions.

Helene's move inland brought relentless rainfall to Western Carolina and Tennessee. Flash flooding damaged homes, businesses, and infrastructure, and mudslides in mountainous regions cut off roads, delaying rescue efforts. While the storm’s wind speed decreased as it moved further inland, the sustained flooding proved just as deadly, with many fatalities caused by rapid water rise and collapsing structures.

As of October 10, Helene claimed over 230 lives across six states, marking it as the deadliest hurricane since Katrina. The fatalities were largely due to the flooding and infrastructure collapse, and the storm left a lasting mark on recovery efforts, particularly in the inland areas that struggled with flooding and infrastructure damage.

This combination of powerful natural forces and climate-driven intensification made Hurricane Helene a historic and deadly event, affecting coastal and inland regions with far-reaching consequences.

Challenges and Advancements in Forecasting

While advancements in hurricane forecasting over the past 20 years have led to more accurate predictions and better preparedness, new challenges have emerged. Hurricanes are moving more slowly over land, leading to prolonged heavy rainfall and increased flooding.

Additionally, a growing number of storms rapidly intensify, making it difficult for communities to prepare adequately. Hurricanes also affect regions farther north and south of the equator, impacting historically less vulnerable areas.

The 2024 hurricane season is not just another active season but a critical point in a two-decade trend of increasing hurricane intensity and frequency. The lessons learned from the past 20 years, combined with the challenges and advancements seen in 2024, underscore the urgency of addressing the impacts of climate change on hurricane activity.

Environment + Energy Leader