2010 Atlantic hurricane season
Encyclopedia
The 2010 Atlantic hurricane season was the third most active Atlantic hurricane season
on record, tying with the 1887 Atlantic hurricane season
, 1995 Atlantic hurricane season
and the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season
. It had the most number of named storms since the 2005 season
and also ties with the 1969 Atlantic hurricane season
for the second largest number of hurricanes. In addition, the activity in the north Atlantic in 2010 exceeded the activity in the northwest Pacific Typhoon season. The only other known time this event happened was in 2005.
The season began with Hurricane Alex, a Category 2 storm on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale, which struck the Yucatán Peninsula
as a tropical storm and northeastern Mexico
south of the Texas
border at peak intensity. Following Alex, a series of relatively weak systems occurred into the month of July and early August. In the latter part of August
and September, the season became much more active with the formation of eleven named storms in about 40 days, six of which were Cape Verde-type storms
. Four of those Cape Verde storms (Danielle
, Earl
, Igor and Julia
) each reached Category 4 intensity and a fifth in the Bay of Campeche (Karl) also became a major hurricane. Danielle and Earl were back-to-back major hurricanes
, followed by several weak tropical storms, and then another series of three consecutive major hurricanes. From August 21 to September 26, there was not a single full day without at least one tropical cyclone active for a total of 36 days, starting with the formation of Tropical Depression Six (which became Hurricane Danielle) and ending with the dissipation of Tropical Depression Lisa, the longest period since the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season
. In the month of September, eight named storms formed, which is the highest ever recorded, tying with the 2002
and 2007
seasons.
In addition, there were three occasions when three tropical cyclone
s were active simultaneously, with the first set being Danielle, Earl, and Fiona
co-existing on August 30 – August 31. The second occasion was when Earl, Fiona, and Gaston co-existed on September 1 – September 2. The third and most notable was when Igor, Julia, and Karl were active September 14 – September 18. During a brief period, on September 15, Igor and Julia were simultaneously Category 4 hurricanes, a very rare occurrence and the first such since 1926
. Both were still hurricanes when Karl was upgraded to a hurricane on September 16, the first time since the 1998 season
that there were at least three simultaneous hurricanes in the North Atlantic.
Philip J. Klotzbach's team at Colorado State University
(formerly led by William M. Gray
) defined the average number of storms per season (1950 to 2000) as 9.6 tropical storms, 5.9 hurricanes, 2.3 major hurricanes (storms reaching at least Category 3 strength in the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
) and an Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) index
of 96.1. NOAA
defines a season as above-normal, near-normal or below-normal by a combination of the number of named storms, the number reaching hurricane strength, the number reaching major hurricane strength and the ACE index.
and warming Atlantic sea surface temperatures as potential factors. North Carolina State University
professor Lian Xie and a team of colleagues and students predicted that 2010 would see 15 to 18 named storms, with 8–11 potentially becoming hurricanes. Xie’s team predicts that 3–6 storms will make landfall in the Gulf of Mexico, with one storm making landfall at hurricane status. However, no prediction was made for the number of major hurricanes.
On May 27, 2010, NOAA released their forecast for the season, predicting an "extremely active" season (14 to 23 named storms, eight to fourteen hurricanes, and three to seven major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher). NOAA based its forecast on weaker wind shear, warmer temperatures in the region and the continuance of the "high activity era" (i.e. Atlantic multidecadal oscillation
warm phase) which began in 1995. Gerry Bell, lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center
, added the main uncertainty in the outlook was how much above normal the 2010 season will be, and whether the high end of the predicted range is reached "depends partly on whether or not La Niña
develops this summer. At present we are in a neutral state, but conditions are becoming increasingly favorable for La Niña to develop."
of 156. On June 2, 2010, Klotzbach's team issued their second updated forecast for the 2010 season, predicting 18 named storms, 10 hurricanes, and 5 major hurricanes. The university said it now believes there will be more storms than they believed earlier. The university also said the chance of a major hurricane hitting the U.S. coast is 76 percent, compared to an average of 52 percent for the last 100 years. The chance of a major hurricane hitting the Florida peninsula and the U.S. east coast is 51 percent, compared to an average of 30 percent for the last 100 years. On June 17, the UK Met Office
(UKMO) issued a forecast of an above-average season. They predicted 20 tropical storms with a 70% chance that the number would be between 13 and 27. However, they do not issue forecasts on the number of hurricanes and major hurricanes. They also predicted an ACE Index
of 204 with a 70% chance that the index would be in the range 90 to 319.
On August 5, NOAA released its mid-season forecast. It was revised slightly downwards, to 14–20 named storms, 8–12 hurricanes, and 4–6 major hurricanes. The agency noted that the new estimate was revised downwards from the initial estimate since the latter included the possibility of even more early season activity. However, NOAA indicated that a La Niña event had in fact developed, and that the conditions for an active season remained in place.
Most of the damage in the season occurred in Mexico
. The first hurricane, Hurricane Alex, was the wettest tropical cyclone in the state of Nuevo León
, producing 35.04 in (890 mm) on the mountains in the outskirts of Monterrey. Heavy damage was reported in the state, totaling $16.9 billion (2010 MXN; 1.35 billion USD). In Tamaulipas
where it made landfall, Alex and its ensuing floods damaged at least 6,000 homes, 202 schools, and 500 businesses, leaving damage of around $1.084 billion (2010 MXN; 83.8 million USD). There were at least 12 deaths in the country.
Due to the prevailing atmospheric steering currents and the placement of the jet stream
, most hurricanes remained away from the United States
. No hurricanes struck the country, compared to the average of two, although several storms affected the country. In late June, Tropical Storm Alex moved through the area affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
, causing tarball
s as large as apples to wash onshore portions of the Gulf Coast
from high storm tide
s created by the storm. Later it produced heavy rainfall in south Texas, causing flooding along the Rio Grande
and $10 million in damage (2010 USD). About a week after Alex, Tropical Depression Two
struck southern Texas, producing additional rainfall in the region. Tropical Storm Bonnie
was one of two named storms to hit the country, striking south Florida in July and causing light rainfall and winds. A few weeks later, Tropical Depression Five
developed in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, causing two indirect deaths off the west of Florida due to heavy surf. Along the east coast of the United States, Tropical Storm Colin
caused one drowning death in early August, followed by Hurricane Danielle
causing two deaths from rip currents later in the month.
Overall, the season's activity was reflected with a high accumulated cyclone energy
(ACE) rating of 166, the highest since 2005. ACE is, broadly speaking, a measure of the power of the hurricane multiplied by the length of time it existed, so storms that last a long time, as well as particularly strong hurricanes, have high ACEs. ACE is only calculated for full advisories on tropical systems at or exceeding 34 knots (39 mph, 63 km/h) or tropical storm strength. Subtropical cyclone
s are excluded from the total.
emerged off Western Africa, and eventually traveled along the Intertropical Convergence Zone
. It was first noted by the National Hurricane Center
(NHC) on June 20, while it was crossing the Windward Islands
. The next day, it organized itself, and the NHC assessed a 50% chance of development into a tropical depression within next two days. It became less organized the next day; however, conditions were still favorable for development. On June 24, it moved south of Jamaica
as a poorly organized system. Later that day, shower activity increased, and pressures began to fall. Hurricane Hunters
flew inside it the next day and found a well-defined circulation, and based on that data, the NHC began issuing advisories on Tropical Depression One, the first tropical depression of the season.
Early on June 26, the NHC upgraded the depression to a tropical storm and named it Alex. Alex moved west and strengthened before making landfall in Belize
with 65 mph (105 km/h) winds on June 26. On June 27, Alex emerged into the Bay of Campeche
and began to strengthen again. On June 29, after continuous drops in pressure, the Hurricane Hunters found that Alex had strong enough winds to be upgraded to hurricane status. Accordingly, late that night, Alex was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane. This made the storm the first hurricane of the season, and the first June hurricane in the Atlantic since 1995's Hurricane Allison
.
Continuing to strengthen, Alex later went on to make landfall at peak intensity as a strong Category 2 hurricane in Soto la Marina with an unusually low barometric pressure reading of 946 millibars (27.96 inHg) due to its large size, typical of a Category 3 or 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
.
was producing two areas of convection across the western Caribbean Sea
. The next day, the system began showing signs of organization
concurrently with decreasing pressures across the region. After crossing the Yucatán Peninsula
and entering the Gulf of Mexico
, however, the system became disorganized, although its upper-level environment was forecast to become more favorable. On July 7, the convection became more concentrated, and by July 8 the system organized enough for the National Hurricane Center to initiate advisories on Tropical Depression Two, about 245 miles (495 km) east of La Pesca, Tamaulipas
.
Upon developing, the depression was located in an area of warm water temperatures, with relatively low amounts of wind shear. Initially, its inner core of convection was diminishing, coinciding with an increase in outer banding features. With the cyclone forecast to remain over waters for about 24 hours before moving ashore, intensification to tropical storm status was forecast. Tropical storm warnings were immediately put up for the coast of northeastern Mexico
and South Texas
, the same area impacted heavily by Alex. However, that afternoon, the depression made landfall on South Padre Island, Texas
with winds of 35 mph (55 km/h), never having reached tropical storm strength.
. On July 17, it started to show signs of development while located northeast of the Lesser Antilles. It slowly increased in organization for a few days, moving west-northwestward, until it showed signs of a closed surface circulation and on July 22, it was officially classified by the NHC as Tropical Depression Three while located over the Southeastern Bahamas. That afternoon, the NHC upgraded the tropical depression to a tropical storm and named it "Bonnie". The same day, governor Bobby Jindal
issued a state of emergency
for Louisiana in preparation for the newly formed storm.
Bonnie crossed over the Bahamas as a minimal tropical storm, and further went on to make landfall on the southeastern coast of Florida
on the morning of July 23. Downgraded to a tropical depression, Bonnie moved into the Gulf of Mexico
on July 23. Bonnie was expected to strengthen in the Gulf, bringing it close to hurricane intensity. However, on July 24, the National Hurricane Center stated that Bonnie dissipated over the northern Gulf of Mexico. The remnants of the storm moved ashore in southeastern Louisiana
and southwest Mississippi
early on the morning of July 25, prompting severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings in the area.
began monitoring a Tropical Wave located in the Eastern Atlantic. After organizing considerably, this wave was upgraded to the fourth tropical depression of the season, while located in the Central Atlantic. Early the next day, the depression strengthened further into a tropical storm and was named "Colin". Tracking rapidly westward, the system experienced little strengthening as the unusually small storm, estimated to have gale-force winds covering an area 70 mi (110 km) in diameter, moved through a region of strong wind shear. It degenerated into an remnant low on the afternoon of August 3, however it was mentioned that regeneration into a tropical cyclone was possible.
After almost two days had passed, on August 4, the low reorganized with tropical storm-force winds and strong convection northeast of the Lesser Antilles
but no well-defined closed circulation. The circulation closed off once again on the afternoon of August 5 south of Bermuda, and Colin was once again declared a tropical storm. Tropical Storm Colin was downgraded to a tropical depression late morning on August 8, and by 2100 UTC had dissipated 60 mi (100 km) northwest of Bermuda.
. However, it gradually became better organized, and 24 hours later the National Hurricane Center
gave it a 50% chance of developing within the next two days. After additional development, the low became a tropical depression late on August 10. It was forecast to become a minimal tropical storm; however, it dissipated the next day as it moved into the southeastern United States. In preparation for the depression, BP suspended operations on a drill for a relief well in the Gulf of Mexico
to help plug the oil leak
for good.
The remnants then tracked Southward, and moved back into the Gulf of Mexico
. NHC stated there was an 80% chance of redevelopment. Although conditions were at first favorable for redevelopment into a tropical depression, the lingering remnant low did not reorganize itself significantly, and eventually moved onshore into Louisiana
and dissipated on August 17 over southern Mississippi.
Islands on August 21, the first of the series of Cape Verde-type storms. On August 22 the system attained tropical storm status, thus earning the name "Danielle". The next day it attained hurricane status, becoming the second of the season and strengthened further to a Category 2 hurricane. On August 24, Danielle suddenly weakened from a Category 2 hurricane to a Category 1 due to unexpected dry air intrusions and westerly shear. Later that day, Danielle briefly weakened to a tropical storm, before restrengthening into a Category 1 hurricane several hours later. Hours later, Danielle restrengthened into a Category 2 and developed an eye in the morning hours of August 26.
On August 27, Danielle strengthened to a Category 3 hurricane, becoming the first major hurricane of the season, and further strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane shortly after. Danielle later weakened to a Category 3, then Category 2 hurricane, and later became a Category 1 Hurricane due to an eyewall replacement cycle
, while avoiding land areas. As the storm was moving in a northerly manner, it was not expected to strengthen any more as it would be experiencing increasing wind shear
and colder surface waters. It became extratropical late on August 30 southeast of Newfoundland
without having directly impacted land. It was fully absorbed by a larger extratropical low on September 3 south of Iceland.
in early August. After strengthening to a tropical storm, Earl maintained a minimum pressure of 1003 mb and winds of 45 mph (75 km/h) for nearly two days until it deepened slightly. Its winds increased to 60 mph (100 km/h), and remained that way for 12 hours. By August 29, Earl strengthened into a hurricane. Earl then rapidly intensified into a Category 4 as it approached to Puerto Rico and U.S.Virgin Islands; the island of Puerto Rico was battered with maintained tropical storm winds with higher gusts. On September 1, the hurricane weakened to a Category 3 hurricane after an eyewall replacement cycle
before becoming a Category 4 again. Earl then weakened back to a Category 3 and further into a Category 2 hurricane. On September 2, Earl brushed past Cape Hatteras
, with conditions being slightly less severe than expected. However, Earl still brought very heavy rain, winds gusting up to hurricane force, and very large waves. Due to strict design requirements of buildings along Cape Hatteras, damage was minimal, with no structural damage reported along the North Carolina coast. By the following day, the storm had weakened even further to a Category 1 and curved northeastward along the New England coastline.
Areas such as the states of New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Southern New York experienced only minimal impact. It weakened further to a tropical storm on September 3 as it passed to the south-southeast of the New England coastline. Again, conditions were much less severe than expected near Cape Cod
, with only minor flooding, beach erosion, and winds gusting up to tropical storm force. Earl made landfall in Nova Scotia
as a restrengthened Category 1 hurricane before passing over Prince Edward Island
(PEI) as a strong tropical storm. The city of Halifax and regions of the province, as well as eastern PEI, experienced many uprooted trees and power outages reminiscent of Hurricane Juan
in 2003, although overall damage was considerably less. Throughout the Caribbean, Hurricane Earl wrought up to $150 million in damage. Two deaths were directly attributable to the storm, one in Nova Scotia, one in the Leeward Islands.
. It struggled to develop until August 30, when gale-force winds and better organization resulted in the development of Tropical Storm Fiona, skipping tropical depression status. It struggled to develop further, however, as it was hindered by high wind shear from the outflow of the much larger and stronger Earl. It managed to briefly strengthen into a 65 mph tropical storm, before slowly weakening into a minimal tropical storm. Almost no convection
appeared on radar, but still maintained its tropical storm force winds. It degraded into a tropical wave just south of Bermuda
early on September 4, bringing about an inch of rain. The remnants of Fiona drifted northeastwards across the open Atlantic Ocean and was absorbed by a stationary front on September 6. Fiona followed an extremely similar path to Tropical Storm Colin
, with much of their paths overlapping.
emerged from the west coast of Africa
on August 28. Post-analysis data indicated that the ninth tropical depression of the season had developed at 0600 UTC September 1, although the National Hurricane Center did not operationally initiated advisories until 1500 UTC that day. Nine hours thereafter, the National Hurricane Center had upgraded Tropical Depression Nine to Tropical Storm Gaston, but post-analysis revealed that the system had been a tropical storm for twelve hours. In the Tropical Cyclone Report, the NHC noted that Gaston may not have attained tropical storm status, as ASCAT scatterometer
data only supported an intensity around 35 mph (55 km/h). The tropical storm force winds for Gaston's peak were derived mainly from Dvorak
intensity estimates.
In contrast to predictions, no further intensification occurred, and dry air began to impact Tropical Storm Gaston, causing deep convection to start diminishing. Gaston quickly weakened from dry air, and was no longer a tropical storm by midnight (UTC) on September 2, however it was initially reported that the system deteriorated into a tropical depression fifteen hours later. Gaston further deteriorated from the effects of dry air, and dissipated back into a tropical wave on September 2. The system associated with the remnants of Gaston nearly re-developed as it tracked generally westward, and eventually dissipated in the vicinity of the Lesser Antilles on September 8. Gaston had no effects on land as a tropical cyclone; however, the remnant system brought light rainfall to Puerto Rico
, peaking at 3.03 in (77 mm) in Naguabo
.
's Tropical Depression Eleven-E in the Bay of Campeche
. Organization continued and by the very early morning hours on September 6, a tropical depression formed. Later, during the morning hours, the system achieved enough organization to be classified as the eighth tropical storm of the season, and was named Hermine. Significant strengthening took place later that morning, then slow strengthening continued in the afternoon and evening. Before landfall, Hermine had an eye-like feature. Hermine made landfall that evening in northeastern Mexico, south of Matamoros, Tamaulipas
, as a strong tropical storm with 70 mph (110 km/h) winds. After landfall, Hermine maintained an eye-like feature until shortly after weakening into a depression.
Damage was reported in the Rio Grande Valley
region, primarily due to downed trees and power lines and scattered to widespread power outages. A woman drowned in a rip current related to Hermine in Jamaica Beach, Texas
. On the evening of September 7, 2010, multiple Tornado Warning
s were issued in Austin, Texas
, with two confirmed touchdowns east of the city and one in the city. By 10:00 PM (CDT) the NHC issued its final advisory on Hermine as it weakened to a tropical depression. Hermine slowly weakened some more as it continued farther inland, and then it became extratropical over Oklahoma
early on September 9. Hermine's remnants continued to produce heavy rain and tornadoes as it continued inland, with the circulation dissipating on September 10 over Kansas
.
, a large and strong area of low pressure associated with broad tropical disturbance wave emerged off Western Africa on September 6. It quickly organized and became a tropical depression during the very early morning hours of September 8 and soon became the ninth tropical storm of the season, Tropical Storm Igor. It formed farther to the east than the previous tropical cyclones in 2010, being named while southeast of the Cape Verde
islands.
Interaction with another vigorous tropical low and eastern wind shear
weakened the storm on September 9. The interaction and weak steering currents brought the storm almost to a halt, meandering around the Cape Verde islands before weakening to a tropical depression as it absorbed the secondary low. The storm regained tropical storm status on September 10, and began to organize again. It rapidly deepened and briefly developed an eye-like feature early on September 11, which persisted for two hours. As Igor absorbed dry air, a process called entrainment, convection
decreased, and much of the convection was displaced south of Igor. The storm strengthened into a hurricane, though, late on September 11.
After some slight strengthening, the storm rapidly strengthened early on September 12, and became a Category 4 hurricane that afternoon. Further intensification continued although at a somewhat slower rate in the evening before leveling out in intensity the next morning as a strong Category 4 storm. As Igor entered an eyewall replacement cycle
, its winds decreased a little, but still maintained Category 4 status. However, almost a day later, the eye
became better defined, and Igor continued its strengthening streak again, nearly reaching Category 5 intensity early on September 15. However, several hours later, Igor entered another larger eyewall replacement cycle
, this time much more obvious, and weakened down to a lower-end Category 4 hurricane.
On September 16, Igor reached a diameter of 505 miles (813 km). As it headed toward Bermuda, the storm fluctuated between a moderate to strong Category 2 Hurricane. On September 19, the weakened storm battered Bermuda as a Category 1 hurricane. On September 20, the storm grew further to a size of 660 miles (1,062 km). Prior to becoming fully extratropical the storm grew further to 865 miles (1,392 km). During the day on September 21, Hurricane Igor made landfall in extreme southeastern Newfoundland, bringing tropical storm and hurricane force winds, as well as extreme flooding across the island. The storms impacts on Newfoundland were devastating, with damage stated to be the worst ever seen in areas, with at least one person missing (suspected drowning – confirmed 4 days later with recovery of the body of an 80-year-old resident). Igor became extratropical east of Newfoundland on September 21. Hurricane Igor's extratropical remnants were completely absorbed by a larger extratropical storm in Baffin Bay
on September 26, and the extratropical storm moved into the Greenland glacier at southern Davis Bay, and eventually crossed the Atlantic Ocean to impact Europe.
Warnings of storm tide
s up to 14 feet (4.3 m) were issued by the Haitian Red Cross on September 17, for parts of Northern Haiti
as Igor passed to the north.
n Coast. It strengthened into Tropical Storm Julia early on September 13. That day Tropical Storm Julia hit the Cape Verde Islands with strong winds to the where forecasters expect the storm to drop 2 to 4 inches (50 to 100 mm) of rain in the south of the islands. It was the second storm to directly impact the Cape Verde
islands in less than a week. During the night of September 14, an eye-like feature developed, and Julia intensified into a hurricane. Contrary to all of the anticipated forecasts and computer models, rapid intensification commenced early on September 15, and Julia strengthened into a Category 4 storm early that morning, with a peak intensity of 140 mph (220 km/h).
Upon reaching peak intensity at 31.8°W, Julia became the easternmost Category 4 hurricane on record in the Atlantic basin in the satellite era. However, Julia only maintained Category 4 status briefly, and a few hours later, the eye became ill-defined and the storm weakened to a Category 3. Slow weakening continued, and it weakened to a tropical storm on September 18. On September 20, Julia became an extratropical cyclone
, which dropped south and then westward over succeeding days, occasionally developing a few thunderstorms near its center until dissipating on September 25.
coast on September 11. It moved northward and then westward, bringing squally weather to Hispaniola
and Jamaica
. Convection
fluctuated throughout these days. On September 14, the circulation became very well defined and NHC declared the disturbance Tropical Storm Karl, 315 mi (515 km) east of the Yucatan Peninsula
. It made landfall as a strong tropical storm on the morning of September 15. As it moved inland, radar imagery from Belize depicted a developing eye; however, this feature may not have been associated with further strengthening and it is unclear if the system attained hurricane intensity as it moved inland. The system maintained a well-organized structure as it crossed the Yucatan, and held on to tropical storm status. As it emerged over the Bay of Campeche
early on September 16, a bout of rapid intensification occurred. Karl became a hurricane on the morning of September 16, making three active hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin. The quick strengthening continued on the 17th, and became a Category 3 Hurricane. The rapid intensification of Karl marked the first time that a major hurricane was in the Bay of Campeche. The storm made landfall 10 miles (16.1 km) north of Veracruz, Mexico on September 17 at 16:30 UTC (11:30 AM CDT). This made it the first major hurricane to make landfall anywhere in the Atlantic basin since Hurricane Ike
in 2008, and the first major hurricane to make landfall anywhere on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico since Hurricane Wilma
in 2005.
Throughout Quintana Roo
, heavy rains from Karl resulted in scattered flooding which forced 150 families from their homes. Aside from the flooding, there were no reports of major damage. At the height of the storm, a total of 54,265 residents were without power; however, most had their electricity restored within a day. World oil prices rose rapidly on September 17 as oil giant Pemex shut down all the wells in the Mexican gulf coast because of the strengthening storm. The prices climbed 54 cents to 75.11 dollars a barrel. The storm weakened late on September 17, and became a tropical storm. A few hours later, Karl weakened into a tropical depression, and then dissipated over the high mountains of southern Mexico at 4:00 CDT, September 18, according to the NHC.
moved off the west coast of Africa on September 16. It was initially in an area of dry air unfavorable for development. Over the following few days, a broad area of low pressure developed within the wave. By September 19, the low became increasingly organized, with convection
consolidating around it. Around 1800 UTC
the following day, the NHC classified the low as a tropical depression, the fourteenth of the year. At this time, the depression was situated roughly 460 mi (740 km) west of the Cape Verde Islands. Situated in an area of weak steering currents, due to an unusually weak subtropical ridge
, the depression slowly tracked northward. Six hours after being declared a depression, the system intensified into a tropical storm and was given the name Lisa. After attaining winds of 45 mph (75 km/h), Lisa became embedded within a westerly flow, slowly steering the system towards the east. Late on September 22, dry air entered the storm's circulation, causing convection to diminish. Lisa briefly weakened to a tropical depression, but it regained tropical storm intensity 18 hours after losing it. The storm gradually turned towards the north and later north-northeast in response to a low-to-mid-level ridge over Africa.
Early on September 24, Lisa underwent a period of rapid intensification
as it strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane; winds increased from 40 mph (65 km/h) to 75 mph (120 km/h) during a 21 hour span. Following the development of a small eye
on infrared
satellite imagery, the NHC assessed the storm to have attained its peak intensity early on September 25 with winds of 85 mph (140 km/h) and a barometric pressure of 982 mbar
(hPa
; 29.00 inHg). Shortly thereafter, the storm entered a region of significantly higher wind shear
and lower sea surface temperature
s, resulting in rapid weakening. By the afternoon of September 26, Lisa had weakened to a tropical depression and convective activity dissipated hours later. The remnants of the hurricane persisted for a few days over the northeastern Atlantic Ocean before dissipating roughly 595 mi (960 km) south-southwest of the Azores Islands.
. On September 23 the area of low pressure rapidly strengthened into Tropical Depression Fifteen, due to the favorable conditions. It quickly became Tropical Storm Matthew later that day. Early models predicted that Matthew would strengthen into a minimal hurricane as it skirted the Yucatan Peninsula
, and then strike Southern Florida as a stronger hurricane. However, as Matthew was moving quicker than expected, it made landfall near the Honduras
and Nicaragua
border on September 24 as a tropical storm, and Belize
soon after. As newer models had predicted, it then stalled inland near the Isthmus of Tehuantepec
, drenching a wide surrounding area with torrential rain as it dissipated to a remnant low. The remnants of Tropical Storm Matthew dissipated completely over Mexico, west of the Yucatan Peninsula late on September 28.
. This combination, still known as Nicole in the media, proceeded up the coast and into Canada, causing severe flooding and some fatalities in these regions, before exiting into the Atlantic Ocean on October 4.
s developed east of the Lesser Antilles. For several days it moved west-northwestward, developing into Subtropical Depression Seventeen on October 6 while located 270 mi (435 km) to the north-northwest of San Juan
. It strengthened into Subtropical Storm Otto several hours later; however, additional tropical cyclogenesis
occurred during the following hours, and Otto transitioned into a tropical storm by October 7. On October 8, the storm further intensified and attained hurricane status shortly after. On the next day Otto began to weaken, and subsequently developed frontal cloud bands and became a cold core system thus the National Hurricane Center issued the last advisory on October 10. The remnant low of Hurricane Otto continued to drift in the Atlantic Ocean until it dissipated near Portugal
on October 16.
until it dissipated on October 16.
. It later weakened to a tropical depression over land as it crossed the Yucatán Peninsula
, with its small eye dissipating and much of its cloud structure disappearing. Richard degenerated into a remnant low on October 26, but then turned back east as the system was forced to because of the strong wind shear. After the storm reached the Yucatán Peninsula
, the system began turning north until it reached the Gulf of Mexico
. The remnants of Hurricane Richard continued to move north over the Gulf of Mexico as it weakened, until the system dissipated completely, late on October 27.
. By October 28, conditions were becoming favorable for development, allowing thunderstorms to increase and for a low-pressure area to form. The overall structure became better defined, and early on October 29 the system developed into Tropical Storm Shary about 350 miles (565 km) southeast of Bermuda
. The formation of Shary marked the third time that an Atlantic tropical cyclone received an 'S' naming, the other two being Tropical Storm Sebastien
of 1995
and Hurricane Stan
of 2005
. On October 30, it was upgraded to Category 1 hurricane, in what the NHC described as a case of a small hurricane that would not have been observed before microwave satellite images. Shary became extratropical later that day, and the NHC issued their final advisory on the system. Shary's extratropical remnants soon interacted with a larger extratropical storm to the east. Early on October 31, the extratropical remnants of Hurricane Shary were completely absorbed by that extratropical storm.
developed into Tropical Storm Tomas late on October 29, about 200 miles (320 km) southeast of Barbados
. Tomas become the twelfth hurricane of the season and crossed the Windward Islands as a Category 1 hurricane. After that, southwesterly shear and dry air weakened Tomas to a tropical storm. Tomas continued to weaken slowly until midnight on November 2. Early on November 2, Tropical Storm Tomas re-intensified slightly, but later weakened to a tropical depression. Then on the evening of November 3, Tomas restrengthened into a tropical storm. Early on November 5, it became a hurricane again as it neared Haiti and Cuba. Late on November 7, the NHC issued its last advisory on Tomas as it became as extratropical cyclone
. Early on November 10, the extratropical remnants of Hurricane Tomas were absorbed by another extratropical storm southeast of Nova Scotia
. It caused $626 million in damages and killed 69 people, of which 14 were in St. Lucia.
It was feared that Tomas would cause a cholera outbreak in Haiti to spread, after the hurricane caused floods in that nation
.
that formed in the North Atlantic during 2010. The names not retired from this list will be used again in the 2016 season. This is the same list used in the 2004 season
with the exception of Colin, Fiona, Igor, and Julia, which replaced the names of the four major hurricanes that affected Florida
in the U.S.
in 2004: Charley
, Frances
, Ivan
, and Jeanne
, respectively. The names Colin, Fiona, Igor, Julia, Paula, Richard, Shary, and Tomas were used to name Atlantic storms for the first time this year. Two names, Virginie and Walter, were not used during the course of the year.
's Regional Association Hurricane Committee, the WMO retired two names, Igor and Tomas
, from its rotating name lists. They will be replaced with Ian and Tobias, respectively, for the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season.
Atlantic hurricane season
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...
on record, tying with the 1887 Atlantic hurricane season
1887 Atlantic hurricane season
Another May storm formed south of Jamaica on May 17, way outside of the season and moved generally northward. It crossed Cuba on the 19th as a tropical storm, and moved out to sea. Two peaked at twice, once on May 18 and May 20. Two dissipated on the 21st in the Atlantic Ocean...
, 1995 Atlantic hurricane season
1995 Atlantic hurricane season
The 1995 Atlantic hurricane season was the third most active Atlantic hurricane season on record. It officially began on June 1, 1995, and lasted until November 30, 1995. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the north Atlantic ocean...
and the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season
2011 Atlantic hurricane season
The 2011 Atlantic hurricane season is tied for the third most active season on record with 1887, 1995 and 2010. It began on June 1, 2011, and ended on November 30, 2011, however these dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones develop in the Atlantic basin...
. It had the most number of named storms since the 2005 season
2005 Atlantic hurricane season
The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active Atlantic hurricane season in recorded history, repeatedly shattering numerous records. The impact of the season was widespread and ruinous with an estimated 3,913 deaths and record damage of about $159.2 billion...
and also ties with the 1969 Atlantic hurricane season
1969 Atlantic hurricane season
The 1969 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 1969, and lasted until November 30, 1969. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. The season was among the most active on record, with 18 tropical cyclones, 12...
for the second largest number of hurricanes. In addition, the activity in the north Atlantic in 2010 exceeded the activity in the northwest Pacific Typhoon season. The only other known time this event happened was in 2005.
The season began with Hurricane Alex, a Category 2 storm on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale, which struck the Yucatán Peninsula
Yucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula, in southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico, with the northern coastline on the Yucatán Channel...
as a tropical storm and northeastern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
south of the Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
border at peak intensity. Following Alex, a series of relatively weak systems occurred into the month of July and early August. In the latter part of August
August
August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of seven months with a length of 31 days.This month was originally named Sextilis in Latin, because it was the sixth month in the original ten-month Roman calendar under Romulus in 753 BC, when March was the first...
and September, the season became much more active with the formation of eleven named storms in about 40 days, six of which were Cape Verde-type storms
Cape Verde-type hurricane
A Cape Verde-type hurricane is an Atlantic hurricane that develops near the Cape Verde islands, off the west coast of Africa. The average hurricane season has about two Cape Verde-type hurricanes, which are usually the largest and most intense storms of the season because they often have plenty of...
. Four of those Cape Verde storms (Danielle
Hurricane Danielle (2010)
Hurricane Danielle was the first of four Category 4 hurricanes during the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. The sixth tropical depression, fourth named storm, second hurricane, and first major hurricane of the season, Danielle developed as a typical Cape Verde-type hurricane from a tropical wave on...
, Earl
Hurricane Earl (2010)
Hurricane Earl was a long-lived, powerful tropical cyclone which became the first major hurricane to threaten New England since Hurricane Bob in 1991. The fifth named storm of the 2010 season, Earl developed out of a tropical wave roughly west of the Cape Verde Islands on August 25...
, Igor and Julia
Hurricane Julia (2010)
Hurricane Julia was the easternmost Category 4 hurricane recorded in the Atlantic basin since reliable satellite observations became available. The twelfth tropical cyclone, fifth hurricane and fourth major hurricane of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, Julia rapidly developed on...
) each reached Category 4 intensity and a fifth in the Bay of Campeche (Karl) also became a major hurricane. Danielle and Earl were back-to-back major hurricanes
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
The Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale , or the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale , classifies hurricanes — Western Hemisphere tropical cyclones that exceed the intensities of tropical depressions and tropical storms — into five categories distinguished by the intensities of their sustained winds...
, followed by several weak tropical storms, and then another series of three consecutive major hurricanes. From August 21 to September 26, there was not a single full day without at least one tropical cyclone active for a total of 36 days, starting with the formation of Tropical Depression Six (which became Hurricane Danielle) and ending with the dissipation of Tropical Depression Lisa, the longest period since the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season
2005 Atlantic hurricane season
The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active Atlantic hurricane season in recorded history, repeatedly shattering numerous records. The impact of the season was widespread and ruinous with an estimated 3,913 deaths and record damage of about $159.2 billion...
. In the month of September, eight named storms formed, which is the highest ever recorded, tying with the 2002
2002 Atlantic hurricane season
The 2002 Atlantic hurricane season was an average Atlantic hurricane season, officially starting on June 1, 2002 and ending on November 30, dates which conventionally limit the period of each year when tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean tend to form...
and 2007
2007 Atlantic hurricane season
The 2007 Atlantic hurricane season was an active Atlantic hurricane season that produced 17 tropical cyclones, 15 tropical storms, six hurricanes, and two major hurricanes. It officially started on June 1 and ended on November 30, dates which conventionally delimit the...
seasons.
In addition, there were three occasions when three tropical cyclone
Tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...
s were active simultaneously, with the first set being Danielle, Earl, and Fiona
Tropical Storm Fiona (2010)
Tropical Storm Fiona was the eighth tropical depression and sixth tropical storm in the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. A weak and disorganized storm, it originated from a tropical wave that moved into the Atlantic Ocean late on August 25. After struggling to develop, it became a tropical storm on...
co-existing on August 30 – August 31. The second occasion was when Earl, Fiona, and Gaston co-existed on September 1 – September 2. The third and most notable was when Igor, Julia, and Karl were active September 14 – September 18. During a brief period, on September 15, Igor and Julia were simultaneously Category 4 hurricanes, a very rare occurrence and the first such since 1926
1926 Atlantic hurricane season
A Cape Verde-type hurricane reached Category 4 strength over the open Atlantic Ocean on September. It turned to the northeast, looped, and became extratropical on September 21...
. Both were still hurricanes when Karl was upgraded to a hurricane on September 16, the first time since the 1998 season
1998 Atlantic hurricane season
The 1998 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 1998, and lasted until November 30, 1998. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin; however, the season extended through December 1 as Hurricane Nicole remained...
that there were at least three simultaneous hurricanes in the North Atlantic.
Seasonal forecasts
| Source | Date | Named storms |
Hurricanes | Major hurricanes |
|
| Average (1950–2005) | 10.3 | 6.2 | 2.7 | ||
| Record high activity | 28 2005 Atlantic hurricane season The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active Atlantic hurricane season in recorded history, repeatedly shattering numerous records. The impact of the season was widespread and ruinous with an estimated 3,913 deaths and record damage of about $159.2 billion... |
15 2005 Atlantic hurricane season The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active Atlantic hurricane season in recorded history, repeatedly shattering numerous records. The impact of the season was widespread and ruinous with an estimated 3,913 deaths and record damage of about $159.2 billion... |
8 1950 Atlantic hurricane season The 1950 Atlantic hurricane season was the first year in which tropical cyclones were given official names in the Atlantic basin. Names were taken from the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet, with the first named storm being designated "Able", the second "Baker", and so on. It was an active season... |
||
| Record low activity | 4 1983 Atlantic hurricane season The 1983 Atlantic hurricane season was the least active Atlantic hurricane season in 53 years, with only four tropical storms forming. The season officially began on June 1, 1983, and lasted until November 30, 1983. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most storms... |
2 1982 Atlantic hurricane season The 1982 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 1982 and lasted until November 30, 1982, and was a below average season. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin... |
0 1994 Atlantic hurricane season The 1994 Atlantic hurricane seasonofficially began June 1, 1994, and officially ended November 30, 1994. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin.... † |
||
| ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– | |||||
| CSU Colorado State University Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and... |
December 10, 2009 | 11–16 | 8–9 | 3–5 | |
| CSU Colorado State University Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and... |
April 7, 2010 | 15 | 8 | 4 | |
| NCSU North Carolina State University North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution... |
April 26, 2010 | 15–18 | 8–11 | N/A | |
| NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere... |
May 27, 2010 | 14–23 | 8–14 | 3–7 | |
| FSU COAPS Florida State University The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation... |
June 1, 2010 | 17 | 10 | N/A | |
| CSU Colorado State University Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and... |
June 2, 2010 | 18 | 10 | 5 | |
| UKMO | June 17, 2010 | 20* | N/A | N/A | |
| NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere... |
August 5, 2010 | 14–20 | 8–12 | 4–6 | |
| ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– | |||||
| Actual activity |
19 | 12 | 5 | ||
| * July–November only. † Most recent of several such occurrences. (See all) |
|||||
Philip J. Klotzbach's team at Colorado State University
Colorado State University
Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...
(formerly led by William M. Gray
William M. Gray
William M. "Bill" Gray is Emeritus Professor of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University , and head of the Tropical Meteorology Project at CSU's Department of Atmospheric Sciences. He is a pioneer in the science of forecasting hurricanes and one of the world's leading experts on tropical...
) defined the average number of storms per season (1950 to 2000) as 9.6 tropical storms, 5.9 hurricanes, 2.3 major hurricanes (storms reaching at least Category 3 strength in the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
The Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale , or the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale , classifies hurricanes — Western Hemisphere tropical cyclones that exceed the intensities of tropical depressions and tropical storms — into five categories distinguished by the intensities of their sustained winds...
) and an Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) index
Accumulated cyclone energy
Accumulated cyclone energy is a measure used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to express the activity of individual tropical cyclones and entire tropical cyclone seasons, particularly the North Atlantic hurricane season. It uses an approximation of the energy used by a...
of 96.1. NOAA
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
defines a season as above-normal, near-normal or below-normal by a combination of the number of named storms, the number reaching hurricane strength, the number reaching major hurricane strength and the ACE index.
Pre-season forecasts
On December 9, 2009, Klotzbach's team issued their first extended-range forecast for the 2010 season, predicting average to above-average activity (11 to 16 named storms, six to eight hurricanes and three to five major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher and ACE Index of 100–162), citing that the 2009–10 El Niño event is likely to dissipate by the start of the season. On April 7, 2010, Klotzbachs's team issued an updated forecast for the 2010 season, predicting above-average activity (15 named storms, eight hurricanes and four major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher), citing the dissipating 2009–10 El Niño, the possibility of current weak to moderate La NiñaLa Niña
La Niña is a coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomenon that is the counterpart of El Niño as part of the broader El Niño-Southern Oscillation climate pattern. During a period of La Niña, the sea surface temperature across the equatorial Eastern Central Pacific Ocean will be lower than normal by 3–5 °C...
and warming Atlantic sea surface temperatures as potential factors. North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
professor Lian Xie and a team of colleagues and students predicted that 2010 would see 15 to 18 named storms, with 8–11 potentially becoming hurricanes. Xie’s team predicts that 3–6 storms will make landfall in the Gulf of Mexico, with one storm making landfall at hurricane status. However, no prediction was made for the number of major hurricanes.
On May 27, 2010, NOAA released their forecast for the season, predicting an "extremely active" season (14 to 23 named storms, eight to fourteen hurricanes, and three to seven major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher). NOAA based its forecast on weaker wind shear, warmer temperatures in the region and the continuance of the "high activity era" (i.e. Atlantic multidecadal oscillation
Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation
The Atlantic multidecadal oscillation is a mode of variability occurring in the North Atlantic Ocean and which has its principal expression in the sea surface temperature field...
warm phase) which began in 1995. Gerry Bell, lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center
Climate Prediction Center
The Climate Prediction Center is one of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction, which are a part of NOAA's National Weather Service. It is located in Camp Springs, Maryland.-Products:...
, added the main uncertainty in the outlook was how much above normal the 2010 season will be, and whether the high end of the predicted range is reached "depends partly on whether or not La Niña
La Niña
La Niña is a coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomenon that is the counterpart of El Niño as part of the broader El Niño-Southern Oscillation climate pattern. During a period of La Niña, the sea surface temperature across the equatorial Eastern Central Pacific Ocean will be lower than normal by 3–5 °C...
develops this summer. At present we are in a neutral state, but conditions are becoming increasingly favorable for La Niña to develop."
Mid-season outlooks
On June 1, 2010, the Florida State University Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies (FSU COAPS) issued its second annual Atlantic hurricane season forecast. The FSU COAPS forecast predicted 17 named storms, including 10 hurricanes, and an ACE IndexAccumulated cyclone energy
Accumulated cyclone energy is a measure used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to express the activity of individual tropical cyclones and entire tropical cyclone seasons, particularly the North Atlantic hurricane season. It uses an approximation of the energy used by a...
of 156. On June 2, 2010, Klotzbach's team issued their second updated forecast for the 2010 season, predicting 18 named storms, 10 hurricanes, and 5 major hurricanes. The university said it now believes there will be more storms than they believed earlier. The university also said the chance of a major hurricane hitting the U.S. coast is 76 percent, compared to an average of 52 percent for the last 100 years. The chance of a major hurricane hitting the Florida peninsula and the U.S. east coast is 51 percent, compared to an average of 30 percent for the last 100 years. On June 17, the UK Met Office
Met Office
The Met Office , is the United Kingdom's national weather service, and a trading fund of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills...
(UKMO) issued a forecast of an above-average season. They predicted 20 tropical storms with a 70% chance that the number would be between 13 and 27. However, they do not issue forecasts on the number of hurricanes and major hurricanes. They also predicted an ACE Index
Accumulated cyclone energy
Accumulated cyclone energy is a measure used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to express the activity of individual tropical cyclones and entire tropical cyclone seasons, particularly the North Atlantic hurricane season. It uses an approximation of the energy used by a...
of 204 with a 70% chance that the index would be in the range 90 to 319.
On August 5, NOAA released its mid-season forecast. It was revised slightly downwards, to 14–20 named storms, 8–12 hurricanes, and 4–6 major hurricanes. The agency noted that the new estimate was revised downwards from the initial estimate since the latter included the possibility of even more early season activity. However, NOAA indicated that a La Niña event had in fact developed, and that the conditions for an active season remained in place.
Season summary
Most of the damage in the season occurred in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. The first hurricane, Hurricane Alex, was the wettest tropical cyclone in the state of Nuevo León
Nuevo León
Nuevo León It is located in Northeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has a 15 kilometer stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S...
, producing 35.04 in (890 mm) on the mountains in the outskirts of Monterrey. Heavy damage was reported in the state, totaling $16.9 billion (2010 MXN; 1.35 billion USD). In Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 43 municipalities and its capital city is Ciudad Victoria. The capital city was named after Guadalupe Victoria, the...
where it made landfall, Alex and its ensuing floods damaged at least 6,000 homes, 202 schools, and 500 businesses, leaving damage of around $1.084 billion (2010 MXN; 83.8 million USD). There were at least 12 deaths in the country.
Due to the prevailing atmospheric steering currents and the placement of the jet stream
Jet stream
Jet streams are fast flowing, narrow air currents found in the atmospheres of some planets, including Earth. The main jet streams are located near the tropopause, the transition between the troposphere and the stratosphere . The major jet streams on Earth are westerly winds...
, most hurricanes remained away from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. No hurricanes struck the country, compared to the average of two, although several storms affected the country. In late June, Tropical Storm Alex moved through the area affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed unabated for three months in 2010, and continues to leak fresh oil. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry...
, causing tarball
Tarball (oil)
A tarball is a blob of petroleum which has been weathered after floating in the ocean. Tarballs are an aquatic pollutant in most environments, although they can occur naturally and as such are not always associated with oil spills....
s as large as apples to wash onshore portions of the Gulf Coast
Gulf Coast of the United States
The Gulf Coast of the United States, sometimes referred to as the Gulf South, South Coast, or 3rd Coast, comprises the coasts of American states that are on the Gulf of Mexico, which includes Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida and are known as the Gulf States...
from high storm tide
Storm tide
A storm tide is a tide with a high flood period caused by a storm. Storm tides can be a severe danger to the coast and the people living along the coast. The water level can rise to more than 5 meters above the normal tide....
s created by the storm. Later it produced heavy rainfall in south Texas, causing flooding along the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
and $10 million in damage (2010 USD). About a week after Alex, Tropical Depression Two
Tropical Depression Two (2010)
Tropical Depression Two was a short-lived tropical cyclone that impacted portions of Texas and Mexico during the highly active 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. It formed from a tropical wave that emerged off the western coast of Africa and crossed the Atlantic Ocean without any development...
struck southern Texas, producing additional rainfall in the region. Tropical Storm Bonnie
Tropical Storm Bonnie (2010)
Tropical Storm Bonnie was a weak tropical storm that brought squally weather to the northern Caribbean Sea and Gulf Coast of the United States in July 2010. The third tropical cyclone and second named storm of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, Bonnie developed as a tropical depression from a...
was one of two named storms to hit the country, striking south Florida in July and causing light rainfall and winds. A few weeks later, Tropical Depression Five
Tropical Depression Five (2010)
Tropical Depression Five was an Atlantic tropical cyclone that lasted less than 36 hours, although its remnants persisted for almost another week. The fifth depression of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, its precursor was from a non-tropical trough east of Florida, and on August 10 it...
developed in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, causing two indirect deaths off the west of Florida due to heavy surf. Along the east coast of the United States, Tropical Storm Colin
Tropical Storm Colin (2010)
Tropical Storm Colin was the fourth depression and third named storm of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the first tropical cyclone to threaten Bermuda since Hurricane Bill a year earlier, although it dissipated before making landfall on the island....
caused one drowning death in early August, followed by Hurricane Danielle
Hurricane Danielle (2010)
Hurricane Danielle was the first of four Category 4 hurricanes during the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. The sixth tropical depression, fourth named storm, second hurricane, and first major hurricane of the season, Danielle developed as a typical Cape Verde-type hurricane from a tropical wave on...
causing two deaths from rip currents later in the month.
Overall, the season's activity was reflected with a high accumulated cyclone energy
Accumulated cyclone energy
Accumulated cyclone energy is a measure used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to express the activity of individual tropical cyclones and entire tropical cyclone seasons, particularly the North Atlantic hurricane season. It uses an approximation of the energy used by a...
(ACE) rating of 166, the highest since 2005. ACE is, broadly speaking, a measure of the power of the hurricane multiplied by the length of time it existed, so storms that last a long time, as well as particularly strong hurricanes, have high ACEs. ACE is only calculated for full advisories on tropical systems at or exceeding 34 knots (39 mph, 63 km/h) or tropical storm strength. Subtropical cyclone
Subtropical cyclone
A subtropical cyclone is a weather system that has some characteristics of a tropical and an extratropical cyclone. As early as the 1950s, meteorologists were unclear whether they should be characterized as tropical or extratropical cyclones. They were officially recognized by the National...
s are excluded from the total.
Hurricane Alex
On June 12, a tropical waveTropical wave
Tropical waves, easterly waves, or tropical easterly waves, also known as African easterly waves in the Atlantic region, are a type of atmospheric trough, an elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which move from east to west across the tropics causing areas of...
emerged off Western Africa, and eventually traveled along the Intertropical Convergence Zone
Intertropical Convergence Zone
The Intertropical Convergence Zone , known by sailors as The Doldrums, is the area encircling the earth near the equator where winds originating in the northern and southern hemispheres come together....
. It was first noted by the National Hurricane Center
National Hurricane Center
The National Hurricane Center , located at Florida International University in Miami, Florida, is the division of the National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting weather systems within the tropics between the Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian west poleward to the 30th...
(NHC) on June 20, while it was crossing the Windward Islands
Windward Islands
The Windward Islands are the southern islands of the Lesser Antilles, within the West Indies.-Name and geography:The Windward Islands are called such because they were more windward to sailing ships arriving in the New World than the Leeward Islands, given that the prevailing trade winds in the...
. The next day, it organized itself, and the NHC assessed a 50% chance of development into a tropical depression within next two days. It became less organized the next day; however, conditions were still favorable for development. On June 24, it moved south of Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
as a poorly organized system. Later that day, shower activity increased, and pressures began to fall. Hurricane Hunters
Hurricane Hunters
The Hurricane Hunters are aircraft that fly into tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic Ocean and Northeastern Pacific Ocean for the specific purpose of directly measuring weather data in and around those storms. In the United States, the Air Force, Navy, and NOAA units have all participated in...
flew inside it the next day and found a well-defined circulation, and based on that data, the NHC began issuing advisories on Tropical Depression One, the first tropical depression of the season.
Early on June 26, the NHC upgraded the depression to a tropical storm and named it Alex. Alex moved west and strengthened before making landfall in Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
with 65 mph (105 km/h) winds on June 26. On June 27, Alex emerged into the Bay of Campeche
Bay of Campeche
The Bay of Campeche is the southern bight of the Gulf of Mexico. It is surrounded on three sides by the Mexican states of Campeche, Tabasco and Veracruz. It was named by Francisco Hernández de Córdoba and Antonio de Alaminos during their expedition in 1517...
and began to strengthen again. On June 29, after continuous drops in pressure, the Hurricane Hunters found that Alex had strong enough winds to be upgraded to hurricane status. Accordingly, late that night, Alex was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane. This made the storm the first hurricane of the season, and the first June hurricane in the Atlantic since 1995's Hurricane Allison
Hurricane Allison (1995)
Hurricane Allison was the first named storm and first hurricane of the 1995 Atlantic hurricane season. It was an early season hurricane that delivered heavy rains and caused minor damage, primarily across Cuba, Florida and Georgia....
.
Continuing to strengthen, Alex later went on to make landfall at peak intensity as a strong Category 2 hurricane in Soto la Marina with an unusually low barometric pressure reading of 946 millibars (27.96 inHg) due to its large size, typical of a Category 3 or 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
The Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale , or the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale , classifies hurricanes — Western Hemisphere tropical cyclones that exceed the intensities of tropical depressions and tropical storms — into five categories distinguished by the intensities of their sustained winds...
.
Tropical Depression Two
By July 3, the day after Alex dissipated, a tropical waveTropical wave
Tropical waves, easterly waves, or tropical easterly waves, also known as African easterly waves in the Atlantic region, are a type of atmospheric trough, an elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which move from east to west across the tropics causing areas of...
was producing two areas of convection across the western Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
. The next day, the system began showing signs of organization
Tropical cyclogenesis
Tropical cyclogenesis is the term that describes the development and strengthening of a tropical cyclone in the atmosphere. The mechanisms through which tropical cyclogenesis occurs are distinctly different from those through which mid-latitude cyclogenesis occurs...
concurrently with decreasing pressures across the region. After crossing the Yucatán Peninsula
Yucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula, in southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico, with the northern coastline on the Yucatán Channel...
and entering the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, however, the system became disorganized, although its upper-level environment was forecast to become more favorable. On July 7, the convection became more concentrated, and by July 8 the system organized enough for the National Hurricane Center to initiate advisories on Tropical Depression Two, about 245 miles (495 km) east of La Pesca, Tamaulipas
La Pesca, Tamaulipas
La Pesca is a small town in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. It is located on the Gulf of Mexico, at the mouth of the Río Soto La Marina, between the Laguna Madre to the north and the Laguna Morales to the south....
.
Upon developing, the depression was located in an area of warm water temperatures, with relatively low amounts of wind shear. Initially, its inner core of convection was diminishing, coinciding with an increase in outer banding features. With the cyclone forecast to remain over waters for about 24 hours before moving ashore, intensification to tropical storm status was forecast. Tropical storm warnings were immediately put up for the coast of northeastern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and South Texas
South Texas
South Texas is a region of the U.S. state of Texas that lies roughly south of and including San Antonio. The southern and western boundary is the Rio Grande River, and to the east it is the Gulf of Mexico. The population of this region is about 3.7 million. The southern portion of this region is...
, the same area impacted heavily by Alex. However, that afternoon, the depression made landfall on South Padre Island, Texas
South Padre Island, Texas
South Padre Island is a town in Cameron County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Brownsville–Harlingen Metropolitan Statistical Area. It may be included as part of the Brownsville–Harlingen–Raymondville and the Matamoros–Brownsville metropolitan areas. The population was 2,816 at the...
with winds of 35 mph (55 km/h), never having reached tropical storm strength.
Tropical Storm Bonnie
In early July, a tropical wave emerged from AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. On July 17, it started to show signs of development while located northeast of the Lesser Antilles. It slowly increased in organization for a few days, moving west-northwestward, until it showed signs of a closed surface circulation and on July 22, it was officially classified by the NHC as Tropical Depression Three while located over the Southeastern Bahamas. That afternoon, the NHC upgraded the tropical depression to a tropical storm and named it "Bonnie". The same day, governor Bobby Jindal
Bobby Jindal
Piyush "Bobby" Jindal is the 55th and current Governor of Louisiana and formerly a member of the United States House of Representatives. He is a member of the Republican Party....
issued a state of emergency
State of emergency
A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend some normal functions of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, alert citizens to change their normal behaviours, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale...
for Louisiana in preparation for the newly formed storm.
Bonnie crossed over the Bahamas as a minimal tropical storm, and further went on to make landfall on the southeastern coast of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
on the morning of July 23. Downgraded to a tropical depression, Bonnie moved into the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
on July 23. Bonnie was expected to strengthen in the Gulf, bringing it close to hurricane intensity. However, on July 24, the National Hurricane Center stated that Bonnie dissipated over the northern Gulf of Mexico. The remnants of the storm moved ashore in southeastern Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
and southwest Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
early on the morning of July 25, prompting severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings in the area.
Tropical Storm Colin
On July 29, the National Hurricane CenterNational Hurricane Center
The National Hurricane Center , located at Florida International University in Miami, Florida, is the division of the National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting weather systems within the tropics between the Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian west poleward to the 30th...
began monitoring a Tropical Wave located in the Eastern Atlantic. After organizing considerably, this wave was upgraded to the fourth tropical depression of the season, while located in the Central Atlantic. Early the next day, the depression strengthened further into a tropical storm and was named "Colin". Tracking rapidly westward, the system experienced little strengthening as the unusually small storm, estimated to have gale-force winds covering an area 70 mi (110 km) in diameter, moved through a region of strong wind shear. It degenerated into an remnant low on the afternoon of August 3, however it was mentioned that regeneration into a tropical cyclone was possible.
After almost two days had passed, on August 4, the low reorganized with tropical storm-force winds and strong convection northeast of the Lesser Antilles
Lesser Antilles
The Lesser Antilles are a long, partly volcanic island arc in the Western Hemisphere. Most of its islands form the eastern boundary of the Caribbean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, with the remainder located in the southern Caribbean just north of South America...
but no well-defined closed circulation. The circulation closed off once again on the afternoon of August 5 south of Bermuda, and Colin was once again declared a tropical storm. Tropical Storm Colin was downgraded to a tropical depression late morning on August 8, and by 2100 UTC had dissipated 60 mi (100 km) northwest of Bermuda.
Tropical Depression Five
Tropical Depression Five originated from a surface trough on August 7, extending from the northeast Gulf of Mexico across Florida, connected to a weak non-tropical low-pressure area located several hundred miles east-southeast of Jacksonville, Florida. Initially, development was not expected due to its close proximity to land, and strong wind shearWind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
. However, it gradually became better organized, and 24 hours later the National Hurricane Center
National Hurricane Center
The National Hurricane Center , located at Florida International University in Miami, Florida, is the division of the National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting weather systems within the tropics between the Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian west poleward to the 30th...
gave it a 50% chance of developing within the next two days. After additional development, the low became a tropical depression late on August 10. It was forecast to become a minimal tropical storm; however, it dissipated the next day as it moved into the southeastern United States. In preparation for the depression, BP suspended operations on a drill for a relief well in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
to help plug the oil leak
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed unabated for three months in 2010, and continues to leak fresh oil. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry...
for good.
The remnants then tracked Southward, and moved back into the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. NHC stated there was an 80% chance of redevelopment. Although conditions were at first favorable for redevelopment into a tropical depression, the lingering remnant low did not reorganize itself significantly, and eventually moved onshore into Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
and dissipated on August 17 over southern Mississippi.
Hurricane Danielle
On August 19, an area of low pressure moved off the West coast of Africa. Moving through favorable conditions, it developed into Tropical Depression Six near the Cape VerdeCape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
Islands on August 21, the first of the series of Cape Verde-type storms. On August 22 the system attained tropical storm status, thus earning the name "Danielle". The next day it attained hurricane status, becoming the second of the season and strengthened further to a Category 2 hurricane. On August 24, Danielle suddenly weakened from a Category 2 hurricane to a Category 1 due to unexpected dry air intrusions and westerly shear. Later that day, Danielle briefly weakened to a tropical storm, before restrengthening into a Category 1 hurricane several hours later. Hours later, Danielle restrengthened into a Category 2 and developed an eye in the morning hours of August 26.
On August 27, Danielle strengthened to a Category 3 hurricane, becoming the first major hurricane of the season, and further strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane shortly after. Danielle later weakened to a Category 3, then Category 2 hurricane, and later became a Category 1 Hurricane due to an eyewall replacement cycle
Eyewall replacement cycle
Eyewall replacement cycles, also called concentric eyewall cycles, naturally occur in intense tropical cyclones, generally with winds greater than 185 km/h , or major hurricanes...
, while avoiding land areas. As the storm was moving in a northerly manner, it was not expected to strengthen any more as it would be experiencing increasing wind shear
Wind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
and colder surface waters. It became extratropical late on August 30 southeast of Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
without having directly impacted land. It was fully absorbed by a larger extratropical low on September 3 south of Iceland.
Hurricane Earl
On August 22, an area of disturbed weather moved off the west coast of Africa. Three days later, Tropical Depression Seven formed east of Hurricane Danielle. Later that day it was upgraded to Tropical Storm Earl. Unlike its predecessor, it was expected to follow a more southerly track, similar to Tropical Storm ColinTropical Storm Colin (2010)
Tropical Storm Colin was the fourth depression and third named storm of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the first tropical cyclone to threaten Bermuda since Hurricane Bill a year earlier, although it dissipated before making landfall on the island....
in early August. After strengthening to a tropical storm, Earl maintained a minimum pressure of 1003 mb and winds of 45 mph (75 km/h) for nearly two days until it deepened slightly. Its winds increased to 60 mph (100 km/h), and remained that way for 12 hours. By August 29, Earl strengthened into a hurricane. Earl then rapidly intensified into a Category 4 as it approached to Puerto Rico and U.S.Virgin Islands; the island of Puerto Rico was battered with maintained tropical storm winds with higher gusts. On September 1, the hurricane weakened to a Category 3 hurricane after an eyewall replacement cycle
Eyewall replacement cycle
Eyewall replacement cycles, also called concentric eyewall cycles, naturally occur in intense tropical cyclones, generally with winds greater than 185 km/h , or major hurricanes...
before becoming a Category 4 again. Earl then weakened back to a Category 3 and further into a Category 2 hurricane. On September 2, Earl brushed past Cape Hatteras
Cape Hatteras
Cape Hatteras is a cape on the coast of North Carolina. It is the point that protrudes the farthest to the southeast along the northeast-to-southwest line of the Atlantic coast of North America...
, with conditions being slightly less severe than expected. However, Earl still brought very heavy rain, winds gusting up to hurricane force, and very large waves. Due to strict design requirements of buildings along Cape Hatteras, damage was minimal, with no structural damage reported along the North Carolina coast. By the following day, the storm had weakened even further to a Category 1 and curved northeastward along the New England coastline.
Areas such as the states of New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Southern New York experienced only minimal impact. It weakened further to a tropical storm on September 3 as it passed to the south-southeast of the New England coastline. Again, conditions were much less severe than expected near Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
, with only minor flooding, beach erosion, and winds gusting up to tropical storm force. Earl made landfall in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
as a restrengthened Category 1 hurricane before passing over Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
(PEI) as a strong tropical storm. The city of Halifax and regions of the province, as well as eastern PEI, experienced many uprooted trees and power outages reminiscent of Hurricane Juan
Hurricane Juan
Hurricane Juan was a significant hurricane that struck the southern part of Atlantic Canada in late September 2003. It was the tenth named storm and the sixth hurricane of the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season. Juan formed southeast of Bermuda on September 24, 2003 out of a tropical wave that tracked...
in 2003, although overall damage was considerably less. Throughout the Caribbean, Hurricane Earl wrought up to $150 million in damage. Two deaths were directly attributable to the storm, one in Nova Scotia, one in the Leeward Islands.
Tropical Storm Fiona
An area of disturbed weather moved off the coast of Africa in the fourth week of August behind Hurricane EarlHurricane Earl (2010)
Hurricane Earl was a long-lived, powerful tropical cyclone which became the first major hurricane to threaten New England since Hurricane Bob in 1991. The fifth named storm of the 2010 season, Earl developed out of a tropical wave roughly west of the Cape Verde Islands on August 25...
. It struggled to develop until August 30, when gale-force winds and better organization resulted in the development of Tropical Storm Fiona, skipping tropical depression status. It struggled to develop further, however, as it was hindered by high wind shear from the outflow of the much larger and stronger Earl. It managed to briefly strengthen into a 65 mph tropical storm, before slowly weakening into a minimal tropical storm. Almost no convection
Convection
Convection is the movement of molecules within fluids and rheids. It cannot take place in solids, since neither bulk current flows nor significant diffusion can take place in solids....
appeared on radar, but still maintained its tropical storm force winds. It degraded into a tropical wave just south of Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
early on September 4, bringing about an inch of rain. The remnants of Fiona drifted northeastwards across the open Atlantic Ocean and was absorbed by a stationary front on September 6. Fiona followed an extremely similar path to Tropical Storm Colin
Tropical Storm Colin (2010)
Tropical Storm Colin was the fourth depression and third named storm of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the first tropical cyclone to threaten Bermuda since Hurricane Bill a year earlier, although it dissipated before making landfall on the island....
, with much of their paths overlapping.
Tropical Storm Gaston
A vigorous tropical waveTropical wave
Tropical waves, easterly waves, or tropical easterly waves, also known as African easterly waves in the Atlantic region, are a type of atmospheric trough, an elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which move from east to west across the tropics causing areas of...
emerged from the west coast of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
on August 28. Post-analysis data indicated that the ninth tropical depression of the season had developed at 0600 UTC September 1, although the National Hurricane Center did not operationally initiated advisories until 1500 UTC that day. Nine hours thereafter, the National Hurricane Center had upgraded Tropical Depression Nine to Tropical Storm Gaston, but post-analysis revealed that the system had been a tropical storm for twelve hours. In the Tropical Cyclone Report, the NHC noted that Gaston may not have attained tropical storm status, as ASCAT scatterometer
Scatterometer
A radar scatterometer is designed to determine the normalized radar cross section of the surface. Scatterometers operate by transmitting a pulse of microwave energy towards the Earth's surface and measuring the reflected energy. A separate measurement of the noise-only power is made and...
data only supported an intensity around 35 mph (55 km/h). The tropical storm force winds for Gaston's peak were derived mainly from Dvorak
Dvorak technique
The Dvorak technique is a widely used system to subjectively estimate tropical cyclone intensity based solely on visible and infrared satellite images. Several agencies issue Dvorak intensity numbers for cyclones of sufficient intensity...
intensity estimates.
In contrast to predictions, no further intensification occurred, and dry air began to impact Tropical Storm Gaston, causing deep convection to start diminishing. Gaston quickly weakened from dry air, and was no longer a tropical storm by midnight (UTC) on September 2, however it was initially reported that the system deteriorated into a tropical depression fifteen hours later. Gaston further deteriorated from the effects of dry air, and dissipated back into a tropical wave on September 2. The system associated with the remnants of Gaston nearly re-developed as it tracked generally westward, and eventually dissipated in the vicinity of the Lesser Antilles on September 8. Gaston had no effects on land as a tropical cyclone; however, the remnant system brought light rainfall to Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, peaking at 3.03 in (77 mm) in Naguabo
Nagüabo, Puerto Rico
Naguabo is a municipality in Puerto Rico located in the east coast of the island, north of Humacao; south of Río Grande and Ceiba; and east of Las Piedras. Naguabo is spread over 8 wards and Naguabo Pueblo...
.
Tropical Storm Hermine
Hermine formed out of the remnants of the 2010 Pacific hurricane season2010 Pacific hurricane season
The 2010 Pacific hurricane season was the least active Pacific hurricane season, in terms of the number of named storms and hurricanes, on record, due to a moderate La Niña, unlike the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, which was one of the most active on record...
's Tropical Depression Eleven-E in the Bay of Campeche
Bay of Campeche
The Bay of Campeche is the southern bight of the Gulf of Mexico. It is surrounded on three sides by the Mexican states of Campeche, Tabasco and Veracruz. It was named by Francisco Hernández de Córdoba and Antonio de Alaminos during their expedition in 1517...
. Organization continued and by the very early morning hours on September 6, a tropical depression formed. Later, during the morning hours, the system achieved enough organization to be classified as the eighth tropical storm of the season, and was named Hermine. Significant strengthening took place later that morning, then slow strengthening continued in the afternoon and evening. Before landfall, Hermine had an eye-like feature. Hermine made landfall that evening in northeastern Mexico, south of Matamoros, Tamaulipas
Matamoros, Tamaulipas
Matamoros, officially known as Heroica Matamoros, is a city in the northeastern part of Tamaulipas, in the country of Mexico. It is located on the southern bank of the Rio Grande, directly across the border from Brownsville, Texas, in the United States. Matamoros is the second largest and second...
, as a strong tropical storm with 70 mph (110 km/h) winds. After landfall, Hermine maintained an eye-like feature until shortly after weakening into a depression.
Damage was reported in the Rio Grande Valley
Rio Grande Valley
The Rio Grande Valley or the Lower Rio Grande Valley, informally called The Valley, is an area located in the southernmost tip of South Texas...
region, primarily due to downed trees and power lines and scattered to widespread power outages. A woman drowned in a rip current related to Hermine in Jamaica Beach, Texas
Jamaica Beach, Texas
Jamaica Beach is a city in Galveston County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 1,075.-History:Prior to its development, Jamaica Beach was a Karankawa burial ground. Johnny Goyen and Earl Galceran of the Jamaica Corporation developed Jamaica Beach as a 2,000-lot...
. On the evening of September 7, 2010, multiple Tornado Warning
Tornado warning
A tornado warning is an alert issued by government weather services to warn that severe thunderstorms with tornadoes may be imminent. It can be issued after a tornado or funnel cloud has been spotted by eye, or more commonly if there are radar indications of tornado formation...
s were issued in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, with two confirmed touchdowns east of the city and one in the city. By 10:00 PM (CDT) the NHC issued its final advisory on Hermine as it weakened to a tropical depression. Hermine slowly weakened some more as it continued farther inland, and then it became extratropical over Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
early on September 9. Hermine's remnants continued to produce heavy rain and tornadoes as it continued inland, with the circulation dissipating on September 10 over Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
.
Hurricane Igor
Following the pattern of a classic Cape Verde-type stormCape Verde-type hurricane
A Cape Verde-type hurricane is an Atlantic hurricane that develops near the Cape Verde islands, off the west coast of Africa. The average hurricane season has about two Cape Verde-type hurricanes, which are usually the largest and most intense storms of the season because they often have plenty of...
, a large and strong area of low pressure associated with broad tropical disturbance wave emerged off Western Africa on September 6. It quickly organized and became a tropical depression during the very early morning hours of September 8 and soon became the ninth tropical storm of the season, Tropical Storm Igor. It formed farther to the east than the previous tropical cyclones in 2010, being named while southeast of the Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
islands.
Interaction with another vigorous tropical low and eastern wind shear
Wind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
weakened the storm on September 9. The interaction and weak steering currents brought the storm almost to a halt, meandering around the Cape Verde islands before weakening to a tropical depression as it absorbed the secondary low. The storm regained tropical storm status on September 10, and began to organize again. It rapidly deepened and briefly developed an eye-like feature early on September 11, which persisted for two hours. As Igor absorbed dry air, a process called entrainment, convection
Atmospheric convection
Atmospheric convection is the result of a parcel-environment instability, or temperature difference, layer in the atmosphere. Different lapse rates within dry and moist air lead to instability. Mixing of air during the day which expands the height of the planetary boundary layer leads to...
decreased, and much of the convection was displaced south of Igor. The storm strengthened into a hurricane, though, late on September 11.
After some slight strengthening, the storm rapidly strengthened early on September 12, and became a Category 4 hurricane that afternoon. Further intensification continued although at a somewhat slower rate in the evening before leveling out in intensity the next morning as a strong Category 4 storm. As Igor entered an eyewall replacement cycle
Eyewall replacement cycle
Eyewall replacement cycles, also called concentric eyewall cycles, naturally occur in intense tropical cyclones, generally with winds greater than 185 km/h , or major hurricanes...
, its winds decreased a little, but still maintained Category 4 status. However, almost a day later, the eye
Eye (cyclone)
The eye is a region of mostly calm weather found at the center of strong tropical cyclones. The eye of a storm is a roughly circular area and typically 30–65 km in diameter. It is surrounded by the eyewall, a ring of towering thunderstorms where the second most severe weather of a cyclone...
became better defined, and Igor continued its strengthening streak again, nearly reaching Category 5 intensity early on September 15. However, several hours later, Igor entered another larger eyewall replacement cycle
Eyewall replacement cycle
Eyewall replacement cycles, also called concentric eyewall cycles, naturally occur in intense tropical cyclones, generally with winds greater than 185 km/h , or major hurricanes...
, this time much more obvious, and weakened down to a lower-end Category 4 hurricane.
On September 16, Igor reached a diameter of 505 miles (813 km). As it headed toward Bermuda, the storm fluctuated between a moderate to strong Category 2 Hurricane. On September 19, the weakened storm battered Bermuda as a Category 1 hurricane. On September 20, the storm grew further to a size of 660 miles (1,062 km). Prior to becoming fully extratropical the storm grew further to 865 miles (1,392 km). During the day on September 21, Hurricane Igor made landfall in extreme southeastern Newfoundland, bringing tropical storm and hurricane force winds, as well as extreme flooding across the island. The storms impacts on Newfoundland were devastating, with damage stated to be the worst ever seen in areas, with at least one person missing (suspected drowning – confirmed 4 days later with recovery of the body of an 80-year-old resident). Igor became extratropical east of Newfoundland on September 21. Hurricane Igor's extratropical remnants were completely absorbed by a larger extratropical storm in Baffin Bay
Baffin Bay
Baffin Bay , located between Baffin Island and the southwest coast of Greenland, is a marginal sea of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is connected to the Atlantic via Davis Strait and the Labrador Sea...
on September 26, and the extratropical storm moved into the Greenland glacier at southern Davis Bay, and eventually crossed the Atlantic Ocean to impact Europe.
Warnings of storm tide
Storm tide
A storm tide is a tide with a high flood period caused by a storm. Storm tides can be a severe danger to the coast and the people living along the coast. The water level can rise to more than 5 meters above the normal tide....
s up to 14 feet (4.3 m) were issued by the Haitian Red Cross on September 17, for parts of Northern Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
as Igor passed to the north.
Hurricane Julia
Continuing a run of Cape Verde-type storms, Tropical Depression Twelve formed on September 12 from a strong tropical wave which developed near the AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n Coast. It strengthened into Tropical Storm Julia early on September 13. That day Tropical Storm Julia hit the Cape Verde Islands with strong winds to the where forecasters expect the storm to drop 2 to 4 inches (50 to 100 mm) of rain in the south of the islands. It was the second storm to directly impact the Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
islands in less than a week. During the night of September 14, an eye-like feature developed, and Julia intensified into a hurricane. Contrary to all of the anticipated forecasts and computer models, rapid intensification commenced early on September 15, and Julia strengthened into a Category 4 storm early that morning, with a peak intensity of 140 mph (220 km/h).
Upon reaching peak intensity at 31.8°W, Julia became the easternmost Category 4 hurricane on record in the Atlantic basin in the satellite era. However, Julia only maintained Category 4 status briefly, and a few hours later, the eye became ill-defined and the storm weakened to a Category 3. Slow weakening continued, and it weakened to a tropical storm on September 18. On September 20, Julia became an extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are a group of cyclones defined as synoptic scale low pressure weather systems that occur in the middle latitudes of the Earth having neither tropical nor polar characteristics, and are connected with fronts and...
, which dropped south and then westward over succeeding days, occasionally developing a few thunderstorms near its center until dissipating on September 25.
Hurricane Karl
An area of low pressure stalled around the Northern VenezuelaVenezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
coast on September 11. It moved northward and then westward, bringing squally weather to Hispaniola
Hispaniola
Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...
and Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. Convection
Convection
Convection is the movement of molecules within fluids and rheids. It cannot take place in solids, since neither bulk current flows nor significant diffusion can take place in solids....
fluctuated throughout these days. On September 14, the circulation became very well defined and NHC declared the disturbance Tropical Storm Karl, 315 mi (515 km) east of the Yucatan Peninsula
Yucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula, in southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico, with the northern coastline on the Yucatán Channel...
. It made landfall as a strong tropical storm on the morning of September 15. As it moved inland, radar imagery from Belize depicted a developing eye; however, this feature may not have been associated with further strengthening and it is unclear if the system attained hurricane intensity as it moved inland. The system maintained a well-organized structure as it crossed the Yucatan, and held on to tropical storm status. As it emerged over the Bay of Campeche
Bay of Campeche
The Bay of Campeche is the southern bight of the Gulf of Mexico. It is surrounded on three sides by the Mexican states of Campeche, Tabasco and Veracruz. It was named by Francisco Hernández de Córdoba and Antonio de Alaminos during their expedition in 1517...
early on September 16, a bout of rapid intensification occurred. Karl became a hurricane on the morning of September 16, making three active hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin. The quick strengthening continued on the 17th, and became a Category 3 Hurricane. The rapid intensification of Karl marked the first time that a major hurricane was in the Bay of Campeche. The storm made landfall 10 miles (16.1 km) north of Veracruz, Mexico on September 17 at 16:30 UTC (11:30 AM CDT). This made it the first major hurricane to make landfall anywhere in the Atlantic basin since Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike was the second-costliest hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States, the costliest hurricane ever to impact Cuba and the second most active hurricane to reach the Canadian mainland in the Great Lakes Region after Hurricane Hazel in 1954...
in 2008, and the first major hurricane to make landfall anywhere on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico since Hurricane Wilma
Hurricane Wilma
Hurricane Wilma was the most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded in the Atlantic basin. Wilma was the twenty-second storm , thirteenth hurricane, sixth major hurricane, and fourth Category 5 hurricane of the record-breaking 2005 season...
in 2005.
Throughout Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 10 municipalities and its capital city is Chetumal....
, heavy rains from Karl resulted in scattered flooding which forced 150 families from their homes. Aside from the flooding, there were no reports of major damage. At the height of the storm, a total of 54,265 residents were without power; however, most had their electricity restored within a day. World oil prices rose rapidly on September 17 as oil giant Pemex shut down all the wells in the Mexican gulf coast because of the strengthening storm. The prices climbed 54 cents to 75.11 dollars a barrel. The storm weakened late on September 17, and became a tropical storm. A few hours later, Karl weakened into a tropical depression, and then dissipated over the high mountains of southern Mexico at 4:00 CDT, September 18, according to the NHC.
Hurricane Lisa
Following three consecutive major hurricanes, a new tropical waveTropical wave
Tropical waves, easterly waves, or tropical easterly waves, also known as African easterly waves in the Atlantic region, are a type of atmospheric trough, an elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which move from east to west across the tropics causing areas of...
moved off the west coast of Africa on September 16. It was initially in an area of dry air unfavorable for development. Over the following few days, a broad area of low pressure developed within the wave. By September 19, the low became increasingly organized, with convection
Atmospheric convection
Atmospheric convection is the result of a parcel-environment instability, or temperature difference, layer in the atmosphere. Different lapse rates within dry and moist air lead to instability. Mixing of air during the day which expands the height of the planetary boundary layer leads to...
consolidating around it. Around 1800 UTC
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
the following day, the NHC classified the low as a tropical depression, the fourteenth of the year. At this time, the depression was situated roughly 460 mi (740 km) west of the Cape Verde Islands. Situated in an area of weak steering currents, due to an unusually weak subtropical ridge
Ridge (meteorology)
A ridge is an elongated region of relatively high atmospheric pressure, the opposite of a trough....
, the depression slowly tracked northward. Six hours after being declared a depression, the system intensified into a tropical storm and was given the name Lisa. After attaining winds of 45 mph (75 km/h), Lisa became embedded within a westerly flow, slowly steering the system towards the east. Late on September 22, dry air entered the storm's circulation, causing convection to diminish. Lisa briefly weakened to a tropical depression, but it regained tropical storm intensity 18 hours after losing it. The storm gradually turned towards the north and later north-northeast in response to a low-to-mid-level ridge over Africa.
Early on September 24, Lisa underwent a period of rapid intensification
Rapid deepening
Rapid deepening, also known as rapid intensification, is a meteorological condition that occurs when the minimum sea-level atmospheric pressure of a tropical cyclone decreases drastically in a short period of time. The National Weather Service describes rapid deepening as a decrease of...
as it strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane; winds increased from 40 mph (65 km/h) to 75 mph (120 km/h) during a 21 hour span. Following the development of a small eye
Eye (cyclone)
The eye is a region of mostly calm weather found at the center of strong tropical cyclones. The eye of a storm is a roughly circular area and typically 30–65 km in diameter. It is surrounded by the eyewall, a ring of towering thunderstorms where the second most severe weather of a cyclone...
on infrared
Infrared
Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
satellite imagery, the NHC assessed the storm to have attained its peak intensity early on September 25 with winds of 85 mph (140 km/h) and a barometric pressure of 982 mbar
Bar (unit)
The bar is a unit of pressure equal to 100 kilopascals, and roughly equal to the atmospheric pressure on Earth at sea level. Other units derived from the bar are the megabar , kilobar , decibar , centibar , and millibar...
(hPa
Pascal (unit)
The pascal is the SI derived unit of pressure, internal pressure, stress, Young's modulus and tensile strength, named after the French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer, and philosopher Blaise Pascal. It is a measure of force per unit area, defined as one newton per square metre...
; 29.00 inHg). Shortly thereafter, the storm entered a region of significantly higher wind shear
Wind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
and lower sea surface temperature
Sea surface temperature
Sea surface temperature is the water temperature close to the oceans surface. The exact meaning of surface varies according to the measurement method used, but it is between and below the sea surface. Air masses in the Earth's atmosphere are highly modified by sea surface temperatures within a...
s, resulting in rapid weakening. By the afternoon of September 26, Lisa had weakened to a tropical depression and convective activity dissipated hours later. The remnants of the hurricane persisted for a few days over the northeastern Atlantic Ocean before dissipating roughly 595 mi (960 km) south-southwest of the Azores Islands.
Tropical Storm Matthew
On September 15 an area of low pressure gradually formed east of the Lesser AntillesLesser Antilles
The Lesser Antilles are a long, partly volcanic island arc in the Western Hemisphere. Most of its islands form the eastern boundary of the Caribbean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, with the remainder located in the southern Caribbean just north of South America...
. On September 23 the area of low pressure rapidly strengthened into Tropical Depression Fifteen, due to the favorable conditions. It quickly became Tropical Storm Matthew later that day. Early models predicted that Matthew would strengthen into a minimal hurricane as it skirted the Yucatan Peninsula
Yucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula, in southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico, with the northern coastline on the Yucatán Channel...
, and then strike Southern Florida as a stronger hurricane. However, as Matthew was moving quicker than expected, it made landfall near the Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
and Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
border on September 24 as a tropical storm, and Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
soon after. As newer models had predicted, it then stalled inland near the Isthmus of Tehuantepec
Isthmus of Tehuantepec
The Isthmus of Tehuantepec is an isthmus in Mexico. It represents the shortest distance between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean, and prior to the opening of the Panama Canal was a major shipping route known simply as the Tehuantepec Route...
, drenching a wide surrounding area with torrential rain as it dissipated to a remnant low. The remnants of Tropical Storm Matthew dissipated completely over Mexico, west of the Yucatan Peninsula late on September 28.
Tropical Storm Nicole
On the morning of September 25, the NHC began to monitor a disturbed area of disorganized cloudiness and thunderstorms partially related to Tropical Storm Matthew in the northwestern Caribbean Sea. Environmental conditions appeared to be favorable for further gradual development as it slowly drifted northward, and later that day, the disturbance broadened and a monsoonal low formed. The system gradually became more organized and developed into a tropical depression over the northwestern Caribbean Sea on September 28. Further development took place, and the storm attained tropical storm status on September 29. On that same day, a new circulation developed near east Florida in Nicole, and later became the extratropical storm that would later absorb Nicole on September 30. However, six hours later, Nicole dissipated to a remnant low over the Florida Straits as its circulation center became "untrackable" according to the NHC. Later, the remnants of Nicole became extratropical. On September 30, the remnant low of Tropical Storm Nicole was completely absorbed by a larger mid-latitude storm to the north, which was the same storm that split from Nicole and impacted the east coast, just off the coast of South CarolinaSouth Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. This combination, still known as Nicole in the media, proceeded up the coast and into Canada, causing severe flooding and some fatalities in these regions, before exiting into the Atlantic Ocean on October 4.
Hurricane Otto
On September 30, a large area of disturbed weather associated with two tropical waveTropical wave
Tropical waves, easterly waves, or tropical easterly waves, also known as African easterly waves in the Atlantic region, are a type of atmospheric trough, an elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which move from east to west across the tropics causing areas of...
s developed east of the Lesser Antilles. For several days it moved west-northwestward, developing into Subtropical Depression Seventeen on October 6 while located 270 mi (435 km) to the north-northwest of San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
. It strengthened into Subtropical Storm Otto several hours later; however, additional tropical cyclogenesis
Tropical cyclogenesis
Tropical cyclogenesis is the term that describes the development and strengthening of a tropical cyclone in the atmosphere. The mechanisms through which tropical cyclogenesis occurs are distinctly different from those through which mid-latitude cyclogenesis occurs...
occurred during the following hours, and Otto transitioned into a tropical storm by October 7. On October 8, the storm further intensified and attained hurricane status shortly after. On the next day Otto began to weaken, and subsequently developed frontal cloud bands and became a cold core system thus the National Hurricane Center issued the last advisory on October 10. The remnant low of Hurricane Otto continued to drift in the Atlantic Ocean until it dissipated near Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
on October 16.
Hurricane Paula
A tropical wave developed into a tropical depression on October 11 near the northeastern Honduran coast. The system continued to intensify rapidly, and the NHC issued the formation of Tropical Storm Paula later that day. In the early hours of October 12, Paula intensified into a Category 1 hurricane becoming the ninth hurricane of the season. Paula continued to strengthen and was upgraded to a Category 2 hurricane later that day. It was forecast to strengthen a little more; however, the next day, Paula began to weaken and was downgraded to a Category 1 hurricane. On October 14, Paula was further downgraded to a tropical storm as it succumbed to the effects of wind shear, and it weakened to a tropical depression the next day. The remnants of Hurricane Paula continued to impact CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
until it dissipated on October 16.
Hurricane Richard
A persistent tropical disturbance in the western Caribbean Sea was designated as Tropical Depression Nineteen south of the Cayman Islands on October 20. The depression was upgraded to a tropical storm on the morning of October 21, whereupon it was given the name Richard. On October 24, Richard was upgraded to a hurricane, with further strengthening predicted before landfall in Belize. Shortly before landfall, it developed a small, cloudy eye. It made landfall that evening as a Category 2 hurricane south of Belize CityBelize City
Belize City is the largest city in the Central American nation of Belize. Unofficial estimates place the population of Belize City at 70,000 or more. It is located at the mouth of the Belize River on the coast of the Caribbean. The city is the country's principal port and its financial and...
. It later weakened to a tropical depression over land as it crossed the Yucatán Peninsula
Yucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula, in southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico, with the northern coastline on the Yucatán Channel...
, with its small eye dissipating and much of its cloud structure disappearing. Richard degenerated into a remnant low on October 26, but then turned back east as the system was forced to because of the strong wind shear. After the storm reached the Yucatán Peninsula
Yucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula, in southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico, with the northern coastline on the Yucatán Channel...
, the system began turning north until it reached the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. The remnants of Hurricane Richard continued to move north over the Gulf of Mexico as it weakened, until the system dissipated completely, late on October 27.
Hurricane Shary
Hurricane Shary originated from a weak area of convection associated with an upper-level low that formed on October 27, northeast of the Leeward IslandsLeeward Islands
The Leeward Islands are a group of islands in the West Indies. They are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain. As a group they start east of Puerto Rico and reach southward to Dominica. They are situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean...
. By October 28, conditions were becoming favorable for development, allowing thunderstorms to increase and for a low-pressure area to form. The overall structure became better defined, and early on October 29 the system developed into Tropical Storm Shary about 350 miles (565 km) southeast of Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
. The formation of Shary marked the third time that an Atlantic tropical cyclone received an 'S' naming, the other two being Tropical Storm Sebastien
Tropical Storm Sebastien (1995)
Tropical Storm Sebastien was the twentieth cyclone of the active 1995 Atlantic hurricane season. Sebastien originated from a tropical wave that near the coast of Africa on October 13 and moved westward toward the Caribbean Sea. The wave increased in convection and became Tropical Depression Twenty...
of 1995
1995 Atlantic hurricane season
The 1995 Atlantic hurricane season was the third most active Atlantic hurricane season on record. It officially began on June 1, 1995, and lasted until November 30, 1995. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the north Atlantic ocean...
and Hurricane Stan
Hurricane Stan
Hurricane Stan was the eighteenth named tropical storm and eleventh hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. It was also the sixth of seven tropical cyclones to make landfall in Mexico. Stan was a relatively weak storm that only briefly reached hurricane status...
of 2005
2005 Atlantic hurricane season
The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active Atlantic hurricane season in recorded history, repeatedly shattering numerous records. The impact of the season was widespread and ruinous with an estimated 3,913 deaths and record damage of about $159.2 billion...
. On October 30, it was upgraded to Category 1 hurricane, in what the NHC described as a case of a small hurricane that would not have been observed before microwave satellite images. Shary became extratropical later that day, and the NHC issued their final advisory on the system. Shary's extratropical remnants soon interacted with a larger extratropical storm to the east. Early on October 31, the extratropical remnants of Hurricane Shary were completely absorbed by that extratropical storm.
Hurricane Tomas
A tropical waveTropical wave
Tropical waves, easterly waves, or tropical easterly waves, also known as African easterly waves in the Atlantic region, are a type of atmospheric trough, an elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which move from east to west across the tropics causing areas of...
developed into Tropical Storm Tomas late on October 29, about 200 miles (320 km) southeast of Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
. Tomas become the twelfth hurricane of the season and crossed the Windward Islands as a Category 1 hurricane. After that, southwesterly shear and dry air weakened Tomas to a tropical storm. Tomas continued to weaken slowly until midnight on November 2. Early on November 2, Tropical Storm Tomas re-intensified slightly, but later weakened to a tropical depression. Then on the evening of November 3, Tomas restrengthened into a tropical storm. Early on November 5, it became a hurricane again as it neared Haiti and Cuba. Late on November 7, the NHC issued its last advisory on Tomas as it became as extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are a group of cyclones defined as synoptic scale low pressure weather systems that occur in the middle latitudes of the Earth having neither tropical nor polar characteristics, and are connected with fronts and...
. Early on November 10, the extratropical remnants of Hurricane Tomas were absorbed by another extratropical storm southeast of Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
. It caused $626 million in damages and killed 69 people, of which 14 were in St. Lucia.
It was feared that Tomas would cause a cholera outbreak in Haiti to spread, after the hurricane caused floods in that nation
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
.
Storm names
The following names were used on named stormsTropical cyclone naming
Tropical cyclones have officially been named since 1945 and are named for a variety of reasons, which include to facilitate communications between forecasters and the public when forecasts, watches, and warnings are issued. Names also reduce confusion about what storm is being described, as more...
that formed in the North Atlantic during 2010. The names not retired from this list will be used again in the 2016 season. This is the same list used in the 2004 season
2004 Atlantic hurricane season
The 2004 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 2004, and lasted until November 30, 2004. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin...
with the exception of Colin, Fiona, Igor, and Julia, which replaced the names of the four major hurricanes that affected Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 2004: Charley
Hurricane Charley
Hurricane Charley was the third named storm, the second hurricane, and the second major hurricane of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season. Charley lasted from August 9 to August 15, and at its peak intensity it attained 150 mph winds, making it a strong Category 4 hurricane on the...
, Frances
Hurricane Frances
Hurricane Frances was the sixth named storm, the fourth hurricane, and the third major hurricane of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season. The system crossing the open Atlantic during mid to late August, moving to the north of the Lesser Antilles while strengthening. Its outer bands affected Puerto...
, Ivan
Hurricane Ivan
Hurricane Ivan was a large, long-lived, Cape Verde-type hurricane that caused widespread damage in the Caribbean and United States. The cyclone was the ninth named storm, the sixth hurricane and the fourth major hurricane of the active 2004 Atlantic hurricane season...
, and Jeanne
Hurricane Jeanne
Hurricane Jeanne was the deadliest hurricane in the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the tenth named storm, the seventh hurricane, and the fifth major hurricane of the season, as well as the third hurricane and fourth named storm of the season to make landfall in Florida...
, respectively. The names Colin, Fiona, Igor, Julia, Paula, Richard, Shary, and Tomas were used to name Atlantic storms for the first time this year. Two names, Virginie and Walter, were not used during the course of the year.
|
Tropical Storm Hermine (2010) Tropical Storm Hermine , was a rare basin-crossing tropical cyclone that caused widespread damage from Guatemala to Oklahoma in early September 2010. The system was first classified as Tropical Depression Eleven-E on September 3 in the Gulf of Tehuantepec... Hurricane Julia (2010) Hurricane Julia was the easternmost Category 4 hurricane recorded in the Atlantic basin since reliable satellite observations became available. The twelfth tropical cyclone, fifth hurricane and fourth major hurricane of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, Julia rapidly developed on... Tropical Storm Matthew (2010) Tropical Storm Matthew was the fourth tropical cyclone to make landfall in Central America during the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. Matthew, despite being a tropical storm, proved to be destructive. The fifteenth tropical cyclone and thirteenth named storm of the year, Matthew formed on... Tropical Storm Nicole (2010) Tropical Storm Nicole was a short-lived and asymmetric tropical cyclone that caused extensive damage in Jamaica during the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the sixteenth tropical cyclone and fourteenth named storm of the season, as well as the last of a record eight tropical storms to form in... |
Hurricane Otto (2010) Hurricane Otto was a moderate Category 1 storm that caused widespread damage in portions of the northeastern Caribbean islands. Otto originated as a subtropical cyclone north of Puerto Rico on October 6, and transitioned into a tropical storm the next day, the fifteenth of the season... Hurricane Paula (2010) Hurricane Paula was a small but strong hurricane that impacted several areas surrounding the western Caribbean Sea. The sixteenth named storm of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, Paula developed from an area of low pressure over the southwestern Caribbean in early October 2010... Hurricane Tomas Hurricane Tomas was the nineteenth named storm and twelfth hurricane of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. Tomas developed from a tropical wave east of the Windward Islands on October 29. Quickly intensifying into a hurricane, it moved through the Windward Islands and passed very near Saint... |
Retirement
On March 16, 2011, at the 33rd Session of the World Meteorological OrganizationWorld Meteorological Organization
The World Meteorological Organization is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 189 Member States and Territories. It originated from the International Meteorological Organization , which was founded in 1873...
's Regional Association Hurricane Committee, the WMO retired two names, Igor and Tomas
Hurricane Tomas
Hurricane Tomas was the nineteenth named storm and twelfth hurricane of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. Tomas developed from a tropical wave east of the Windward Islands on October 29. Quickly intensifying into a hurricane, it moved through the Windward Islands and passed very near Saint...
, from its rotating name lists. They will be replaced with Ian and Tobias, respectively, for the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season.
Season effects
This is a table of the storms and their effects in the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. This table includes the storm's names, duration, peak intensity, Areas affected (bold indicates made landfall in that region at least once), damages, and death totals. Deaths in parentheses are additional and indirect (an example of an indirect death would be a traffic accident), but are still storm-related. Damage and deaths include totals while the storm was extratropical, a wave or a low. All of the damage figures are in 2010 USD (the listed damage figure is in millions).| Storm Name | Dates active | Storm category Tropical cyclone scales Tropical systems are officially ranked on one of several tropical cyclone scales according to their maximum sustained winds and in what oceanic basin they are located... at peak intensity | 1-min winds mph (km/h) | Pressure hPa | Areas affected | Damage | Deaths | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex | 110 (175) | 946 | Greater Antilles Greater Antilles The Greater Antilles are one of three island groups in the Caribbean. Comprising Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola , and Puerto Rico, the Greater Antilles constitute almost 90% of the land mass of the entire West Indies.-Greater Antilles in context :The islands of the Caribbean Sea, collectively known as... , Honduras Honduras Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize... , Belize Belize Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official... , Yucatan Peninsula Yucatán Peninsula The Yucatán Peninsula, in southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico, with the northern coastline on the Yucatán Channel... , Northern Mexico Mexico The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of... , Southern Texas Texas Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in... |
33 (19) | ||||||
| 35 (55) | 1005 | Texas | 1 | |||||||
| Bonnie Tropical Storm Bonnie (2010) Tropical Storm Bonnie was a weak tropical storm that brought squally weather to the northern Caribbean Sea and Gulf Coast of the United States in July 2010. The third tropical cyclone and second named storm of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, Bonnie developed as a tropical depression from a... |
45 (75) | 1005 | The Bahamas, Florida Florida Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it... |
1 | ||||||
| Colin Tropical Storm Colin (2010) Tropical Storm Colin was the fourth depression and third named storm of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the first tropical cyclone to threaten Bermuda since Hurricane Bill a year earlier, although it dissipated before making landfall on the island.... |
60 (95) | 1005 | Bermuda Bermuda Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida... |
1 | ||||||
| 35 (55) | 1007 | United States Gulf Coast | 0 (2) | |||||||
| Danielle Hurricane Danielle (2010) Hurricane Danielle was the first of four Category 4 hurricanes during the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. The sixth tropical depression, fourth named storm, second hurricane, and first major hurricane of the season, Danielle developed as a typical Cape Verde-type hurricane from a tropical wave on... |
135 (215) | 942 | Bermuda | 2 | ||||||
| Earl Hurricane Earl (2010) Hurricane Earl was a long-lived, powerful tropical cyclone which became the first major hurricane to threaten New England since Hurricane Bob in 1991. The fifth named storm of the 2010 season, Earl developed out of a tropical wave roughly west of the Cape Verde Islands on August 25... |
145 (230) | 927 | Leeward Islands Leeward Islands The Leeward Islands are a group of islands in the West Indies. They are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain. As a group they start east of Puerto Rico and reach southward to Dominica. They are situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean... , Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an... , Bahamas, United States East Coast, Eastern Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
5 (3) | ||||||
| Fiona Tropical Storm Fiona (2010) Tropical Storm Fiona was the eighth tropical depression and sixth tropical storm in the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. A weak and disorganized storm, it originated from a tropical wave that moved into the Atlantic Ocean late on August 25. After struggling to develop, it became a tropical storm on... |
65 (100) | 998 | Northern Leeward Islands, Bermuda | 0 | ||||||
| Gaston | 40 (65) | 1005 | Lesser Antilles Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles are a long, partly volcanic island arc in the Western Hemisphere. Most of its islands form the eastern boundary of the Caribbean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, with the remainder located in the southern Caribbean just north of South America... |
0 | ||||||
| Hermine Tropical Storm Hermine (2010) Tropical Storm Hermine , was a rare basin-crossing tropical cyclone that caused widespread damage from Guatemala to Oklahoma in early September 2010. The system was first classified as Tropical Depression Eleven-E on September 3 in the Gulf of Tehuantepec... |
70 (110) | 989 | Mexico, Texas | 6 (2) | ||||||
| Igor | 155 (250) | 924 | Cape Verde Islands Cape Verde The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa... , Bermuda, United States East Coast, Eastern Canada |
4 | ||||||
| Julia Hurricane Julia (2010) Hurricane Julia was the easternmost Category 4 hurricane recorded in the Atlantic basin since reliable satellite observations became available. The twelfth tropical cyclone, fifth hurricane and fourth major hurricane of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, Julia rapidly developed on... |
140 (220) | 948 | Cape Verde Islands | 0 | ||||||
| Karl | 125 (205) | 956 | Belize, Yucatán Peninsula, Veracruz Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is... , Mexico |
22 | ||||||
| Lisa | 85 (135) | 982 | None | 0 | ||||||
| Matthew Tropical Storm Matthew (2010) Tropical Storm Matthew was the fourth tropical cyclone to make landfall in Central America during the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. Matthew, despite being a tropical storm, proved to be destructive. The fifteenth tropical cyclone and thirteenth named storm of the year, Matthew formed on... |
60 (95) | 998 | Venezuela Venezuela Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south... , Nicaragua Nicaragua Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean... , Honduras, Guatemala Guatemala Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast... , Mexico, Belize, Jamaica Jamaica Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic... , Haiti Haiti Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island... and Costa Rica Costa Rica Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east.... |
126 | ||||||
| Nicole Tropical Storm Nicole (2010) Tropical Storm Nicole was a short-lived and asymmetric tropical cyclone that caused extensive damage in Jamaica during the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the sixteenth tropical cyclone and fourteenth named storm of the season, as well as the last of a record eight tropical storms to form in... |
45 (75) | 995 | Jamaica, Cuba Cuba The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city... , Florida |
13 | ||||||
| Otto Hurricane Otto (2010) Hurricane Otto was a moderate Category 1 storm that caused widespread damage in portions of the northeastern Caribbean islands. Otto originated as a subtropical cyclone north of Puerto Rico on October 6, and transitioned into a tropical storm the next day, the fifteenth of the season... |
85 (135) | 976 | Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands are the western island group of the Leeward Islands, which are the northern part of the Lesser Antilles, which form the border between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean... , Puerto Rico |
22 | ||||||
| Paula Hurricane Paula (2010) Hurricane Paula was a small but strong hurricane that impacted several areas surrounding the western Caribbean Sea. The sixteenth named storm of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, Paula developed from an area of low pressure over the southwestern Caribbean in early October 2010... |
105 (165) | 981 | Honduras, Yucatan Peninsula, Cuba, Florida Keys Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral archipelago in southeast United States. They begin at the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the uninhabited Dry... |
1 | ||||||
| Richard Hurricane Richard (2010) Hurricane Richard was the seventeenth named storm and the tenth hurricane of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. Richard developed from an area of low pressure that stalled in the Caribbean Sea in mid-October... |
100 (160) | 977 | Honduras, Belize, Guatemala, Mexico | 1 (1) | ||||||
| Shary Hurricane Shary (2010) Hurricane Shary was a short-lived Atlantic tropical cyclone that stayed over open waters in late October 2010. The eighteenth named storm and eleventh hurricane of the unusually active 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, Shary originated from a weak area of convection associated with an... |
75 (120) | 989 | Bermuda | 0 | ||||||
| Tomas Hurricane Tomas Hurricane Tomas was the nineteenth named storm and twelfth hurricane of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. Tomas developed from a tropical wave east of the Windward Islands on October 29. Quickly intensifying into a hurricane, it moved through the Windward Islands and passed very near Saint... |
100 (160) | 982 | Lesser Antilles, Greater Antilles, The Bahamas | 69 | ||||||
| Season Aggregates | ||||||||||
| 21 Systems | June 25 – November 7 | 155 (250) | 924 | ≥12241.6 | ||||||
See also
- List of Atlantic hurricane seasons
- 2010 Pacific hurricane season2010 Pacific hurricane seasonThe 2010 Pacific hurricane season was the least active Pacific hurricane season, in terms of the number of named storms and hurricanes, on record, due to a moderate La Niña, unlike the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, which was one of the most active on record...
- 2010 Pacific typhoon season2010 Pacific typhoon seasonThe 2010 Pacific typhoon season was the least active Pacific typhoon season, in terms of the number of named storms and typhoons, on record, due to a moderate La Niña event...
- 2010 North Indian Ocean cyclone season2010 North Indian Ocean cyclone seasonThe 2010 North Indian Ocean cyclone season was a very active event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation with some 8 depressions and 6 named storms, nearly above the average of 4-6 storms in the region due to a moderate La Niña...
- South-West Indian Ocean cyclone seasons: 2009–10, 2010–112010–11 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone seasonThe 2010–11 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season was the least active tropical cyclone season in the South-West Indian Ocean on record. It began on November 1, 2010 and ended on April 30, 2011, dates which conventionally delimit the year in which most tropical cyclones form in the basin...
- Australian region cyclone seasons: 2009–10, 2010–112010–11 Australian region cyclone seasonThe 2010–11 Australian region cyclone season was a near average tropical cyclone season, with eleven tropical cyclones forming compared to an average of 12. The season began on 1 November 2010 and ended on 30 April 2011. The Australian region is defined as being to south of the equator, between the...
- South Pacific cyclone seasons: 2009–10, 2010–112010–11 South Pacific cyclone seasonThe 2010–11 South Pacific cyclone season is a period of the year when tropical cyclones formed within the South Pacific Ocean to the east of 160°E...
- Timeline of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane seasonTimeline of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane seasonThe 2010 Atlantic hurricane season was a hyperactive year in which nineteen tropical storms formed, the most since 2005. Although Hurricane Alex formed on June 25, 2010, the season officially began on June 1 and ended on November 30...