Atlantic Hurricane Season Featured Record Breaking Ramp Up After Lull

In a statement posted on its website this week, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said this year’s Atlantic hurricane season “showcased above-average activity, with a record-breaking ramp up following a peak-season lull”. 

The Atlantic basin saw 18 named storms in 2024, the statement highlighted, noting that 11 of those were hurricanes and that five intensified to major hurricanes. Five hurricanes made landfall in the continental U.S., with two storms making landfall as major hurricanes, the statement pointed out. Twelve named storms formed after the climatological peak of the season in early September, NOAA said in the statement, adding that seven hurricanes formed in the Atlantic since September 25, “the most on record for this period”.

NOAA, which highlighted that the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season officially ends on Saturday, said Atlantic seasonal activity fell within the predicted ranges for named storms and hurricanes issued by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center in the 2024 August Hurricane Season Outlook. An average season produces 14 named storms, seven hurricanes, and three major hurricanes, NOAA noted in the statement.

Hurricane Beryl was the earliest Atlantic basin Category-5 hurricane on record, NOAA said in the statement, adding that it caused significant storm surge flooding across parts of Texas and Louisiana after making landfall near Matagorda, Texas, as a Category-1 storm. 

NOAA noted in the statement that preliminary data indicates that Helene was the deadliest hurricane to affect the continental U.S. since Katrina in 2005. Helene made landfall as a Category-4 storm on the Florida Gulf Coast on September 26, NOAA highlighted. The storm caused catastrophic flooding across the southern Appalachians, widespread wind damage from the Gulf Coast to the North Carolina mountains, and storm surge flooding along portions of western Florida, it added.

Hurricane Helene marked the first time ever that NOAA’s National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecasted a system to become a major hurricane before it became a tropical depression or tropical storm, NOAA pointed out.

NOAA also highlighted Hurricane Milton in the statement, which it noted made landfall as a Category-3 near Siesta Key, Florida, on October 9 and resulted in a tornado outbreak that produced 46 tornadoes and caused torrential rainfall and localized flooding with total rainfall amounts of 10-15 inches and higher.

“As hurricanes and tropical cyclones continue to unleash deadly and destructive forces, it’s clear that NOAA’s critical science and services are needed more than ever by communities, decision makers, and emergency planners,” NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said in the statement.

“I could not be more proud of the contributions of our scientists, forecasters, surveyors, hurricane hunter pilots, and their crews for the vital role they play in helping to safeguard lives and property,” he added.

Matthew Rosencrans, lead hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, said in the statement, “the impactful and deadly 2024 hurricane season started off intensely, then relaxed a bit before roaring back”.

“Several possible factors contributed to the peak season lull in the Atlantic region. The particularly intense winds and rains over Western Africa created an environment that was less hospitable for storm development,” he added.

Atlantic weather systems have severely affected oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico in the past. For example, at its peak, Hurricane Ida shut in 95.65 percent of Gulf of Mexico oil production on August 29, 2021, and 94.47 percent of Gulf of Mexico gas production on August 31, 2021, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) figures show.

This year, the BSEE activated its hurricane response team for several storms, according to the organization’s website. The BSEE activated this team on September 10 for tropical storm Francine, on September 24 for tropical storm Helene, and on November 6 for Hurricane Rafael, the BSEE site shows.

Of Francine, Helene, and Rafael, Francine saw the highest total shut in percentage of Gulf of Mexico oil production in a single day, at 41.85 percent on September 13, according to the BSEE’s site.

A statement posted on NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Laboratory website last week warned that new NOAA research predicts an increase in active Atlantic hurricane seasons.

Since its establishment in 2011, BSEE has been the lead federal agency charged with improving safety and ensuring environmental protection related to the offshore energy industry, primarily oil and natural gas, on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), the BSEE site states.

NOAA’s products and services support economic vitality and affect more than one-third of America’s gross domestic product, NOAA’s site states. The organization is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. 

To contact the author, email andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com