The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season is off to a record start already eclipsing records for the number of named storms this early in the season, but it hasn’t compared to the 2005 season which was much worse this early in terms of ferocity of the early storms.
Isaias became a tropical storm on Wednesday night, marking the record-setting ninth named storm in the young 2020 Atlantic hurricane season and it happened more than a week earlier in the calendar than the previous record, according to Colorado State University tropical scientist Phil Klotzbach.
We’re already as far down the name list as early October in an average hurricane season, according to the National Hurricane Center.
In fact, according to the Weather Channel, Cristobal (June 2), Edouard (July 5), Fay (July 9), Gonzalo (July 22) and Hanna (July 23) were each the record-earliest third, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth named storms.
We even had two named storms before the season’s official June 1 start in mid to late May.
The previous record earliest “E,” “F”, “G”, “H” and “I” storms in the Atlantic all happened in 2005. That was the worst hurricane season in the modern era, with a record 28 storms, 15 of which were hurricanes. It was a season with the nation’s costliest hurricane (Katrina), the most intense Atlantic hurricane (Wilma) and a $25 billion hurricane (Rita).
We’re ahead of the storm pace from the most extreme hurricane season in recent memory.
But that doesn’t mean it will be a bad season.
Does it?
Seasonal forecasts from Colorado State University and the NOAA expect the 2020 season to be more active than average, due to various factors such as a lack of an El Niño and warmer-than-average Atlantic Ocean water.
With those forecasts aiming for 20 named storms, that puts a rare situation into play…running out of storm names.
If there is another storm after the 21st named storm this season, Wilfred, the next names would come sequentially from the Greek alphabet, starting with Alpha.
That only happened once before, of course in 2005, after record-setting Hurricane Wilma.
The 2005 season didn’t end with Alpha, either. It went six names deep into the Greek alphabet. The last storm of the season, Zeta, formed two days before New Year’s Eve and didn’t fizzle until Jan. 7.
We’re dealing with our first hurricane threat of the year here in Beaufort with Isaias, let’s hope that it won’t end up being a long torrid season.
