On November 30, the very active and extremely destructive 2024 Atlantic hurricane season officially came to a close. The season featured a total of 18 named storms, 11 hurricanes, and 5 major hurricanes, with an Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) of approximately 162 units. A majority of the season’s damage and death toll came from Hurricanes Beryl, Helene and Milton. Six hurricanes made landfall in the Continental United States in 2024, four of which made landfall in Florida.

Prior to the season, forecasters almost unanimously anticipated a hyperactive hurricane season, with some forecasts indicating the season would be one of the most active on record. Although the season was not quite as active as many of the most bullish forecasts predicted due to a few lulls in activity, the season did officially meet NOAA’s criteria for a hyperactive season.

Storm Name	NHC Classification	Formed (UTC)	Dissipated (UTC)	Maximum 1-minute sustained winds (mph)	Minimum pressure (mbar)
Alberto	Tropical Storm	June 19	June 20	50	992
Beryl	Category 5 Hurricane	June 28	July 9	165	934
Chris	Tropical Storm	June 30	July 1	45	1005
Debby	Category 1 Hurricane	August 3	August 9	80	979
Ernesto	Category 2 Hurricane	August 12	August 20	100	968
Francine	Category 2 Hurricane	September 9	September 12	100	972
Gordon	Tropical Storm	September 11	September 17	45	1004
Helene	Category 4 Hurricane	September 24	September 27	140	938
Isaac	Category 2 Hurricane	September 26	September 30	105	968
Joyce	Tropical Storm	September 27	September 30	50	1001
Kirk	Category 4 Hurricane	September 29	October 7	145	934
Leslie	Category 2 Hurricane	October 2	October 12	105	972
Milton	Category 5 Hurricane	October 5	October 10	180	897 (5th lowest on record)
Nadine	Tropical Storm	October 19	October 20	60	1000
Oscar	Category 1 Hurricane	October 19	October 22	85	986
Patty	Tropical Storm	November 2	November 4	65	982
Rafael	Category 3 Hurricane	November 4	November 10	120	956
Sara	Tropical Storm	November 14	November 18	50	997

The season officially began on June 1, 2024, though the first storm did not form until June 19 (the latest first named storm in the basin since 2014), when Tropical Storm Alberto formed in the Bay of Campeche. Alberto made landfall near Tampico, Mexico, and caused moderate damage in Mexico and Texas. In late June, Hurricane Beryl formed in the deep tropical Atlantic, becoming the first Category 4 hurricane on record during the month of June near the Windward Islands. Beryl then went on to become the Atlantic’s earliest Category 5 hurricane on record on July 2, surpassing the record previously held by Hurricane Emily in 2005. Beryl then went on to make landfall in the northern Yucatan peninsula as a Category 2 hurricane and near Matagorda, Texas as a Category 1 hurricane. Beryl caused significant damage in the Windward Islands and Texas. Tropical Storm Chris also formed on June 30 over the Bay of Campeche, and made landfall in Veracruz, Mexico as a weak tropical storm.

Following a lull in activity with no tropical cyclones forming during the month of July, Debby formed over the northwestern Caribbean Sea in early August, and made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida as a Category 1 hurricane. Debby was the first of four hurricanes to make landfall in Florida during the season. In mid-August, Hurricane Ernesto formed, peaking as a Category 2 hurricane and making landfall in Bermuda as a Category 1 hurricane. Following Ernesto, the Atlantic saw an unexpected, nearly 3-week lull in activity, with no tropical cyclones active between August 21 and September 8 – a window that is typically among the most active periods of the season.

Activity resumed in September, in which six named storms formed. Hurricane Francine formed over the western Gulf of Mexico in early September, making landfall in Louisiana as a Category 2 hurricane and causing moderate damage. Tropical Storm Gordon formed over the eastern tropical Atlantic in mid-September, and did not affect land. Following another lull, the season rapidly ramped up in the last third of September.

On September 24, Tropical Storm Helene formed over the Northwestern Caribbean Sea. Helene became a hurricane the next day, and reached its peak intensity as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph on September 26. Helene made landfall at peak intensity in Florida’s Big Bend region, the same region struck by Hurricane Debby in early August. Although Helene rapidly weakened while moving quickly northeastward, the cyclone caused catastrophic flooding over the Appalachian region. According to current estimates, Helene is the third-costliest hurricane in the Atlantic basin on record (over $120 billion in damages), and the deadliest hurricane to affect the continental United States since Hurricane Katrina in 2005 (at least 234 fatalities have been attributed to Helene). As these regions are still recovering, these damage and fatality totals are still uncertain, and it remains a distinct possibility Helene could end up as the costliest Atlantic hurricane on record when all assessments are complete.

Three more named storms formed in late September: Isaac, Joyce, and Kirk. Issac was a harmless hurricane of non-tropical origin that attained Category 2 status at a fairly high latitude. Joyce was an unremarkable moderate tropical storm over the central tropical Atlantic that did not affect land. Kirk, the last storm to form in September, developed into a powerful Cabo Verde-type hurricane, attaining Category 4 status over the central Atlantic basin.

October was a very active month in the Atlantic, featuring the formation of four named storms, three hurricanes and one major hurricane (excluding Kirk, which spent most of its lifetime in October). Leslie formed over the far eastern tropical Atlantic and reached hurricane intensity on two separate occasions, peaking as a Category 2 hurricane. Leslie did not affect land while a tropical cyclone. The most intense storm of the season, Hurricane Milton, formed over the Bay of Campeche on October 5 from the remnants of eastern Pacific Tropical Depression Eleven-E. Milton explosively intensifed into a Category 5 hurricane on October 7, reaching a peak intensity of 180 mph with a minimum central pressure of 897 mb (the fifth-most intense Atlantic hurricane on record by pressure). Milton was the most intense Atlantic hurricane since Wilma in 2005, and the first sub-900 mb Atlantic hurricane since Wilma. Milton then accelerated northeastward and made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida as a Category 3 hurricane. Milton caused severe damage in Florida, with a preliminary damage estimate of $85 billion.

The second half of October featured two more storms. Tropical Storm Nadine was a short-lived moderate tropical storm that made landfall in Belize. Hurricane Oscar, which was a tiny hurricane that took an unusual southwestward track, made landfall in eastern Cuba as a Category 1 hurricane and caused moderate damage.

The month of November featured a record-tying three named storms: Patty, Rafael, and Sara. Patty formed as a subtropical storm over the far eastern Atlantic near the Azores, and briefly transitioned into a tropical storm shortly before becoming a remnant low. Rafael became an uncommon November major hurricane on November 6, reaching Category 3 intensity twice in both the northwestern Caribbean and over the central Gulf of Mexico. The last storm of the season, Sara, formed over the central Caribbean Sea and moved slowly near the coast of Honduras and Belize.

I hope that everyone affected by the storms this season are doing well and will get the assistance they need. Fortunately, the next six months should provide a much-needed break of tropical activity in the Atlantic basin. I would like to wish all Cyclonic Fury readers a happy holiday season and new year. The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season will officially begin on June 1, and I plan to release my annual preliminary forecast in early spring.