Although every hurricane season sees several dangerous storms, 2020 will go down in the record books as a particularly crazy year. As of November 20, 2020, this hurricane season has seen 30 tropical storms. This is the most tropical storms the United States has seen in modern history, breaking 2005’s previous record of 28 tropical storms. Both 2005 and 2020 saw well more than double the usual number of tropical storms, with 12 being the average number of tropical storms per year since hurricane data began being collected. Additionally, since hurricane season does not officially end until November 30, 2020, there are still a few days remaining for more tropical storms to be added to the already record breaking list. Experts predict that it is likely for at least one or two more tropical storms to occur before the official end of hurricane season.
In addition to the record breaking 30 recorded tropical storms in 2020, 11 of them made landfall throughout the country. This number breaks the previous record for most tropical storms that hit landfall in a single hurricane season. Out of those 11 tropical storms that hit landfall, 7 were hurricanes. 7 hurricanes in the 2020 hurricane season ties the previous record which was set in 1886 and matched once more in 1985. Although most top seasonal forecasters predicted a greater than average number of tropical storms and hurricanes during the 2020 hurricane season, none predicted a record breaking year. In fact, the boldest estimate offered by any mainstream forecaster was that there would be a total of 24 tropical storms during 2020. The 2020 hurricane season has proven to be unpredictable, which is yet another reason it will go down in the record books as one of the craziest hurricane seasons in modern history.
When looking back on the 2020 hurricane season in the future, experts will surely note that Louisiana was particularly hard hit. Out of the 7 hurricanes that made landfall, a whopping 5 hit the state of Louisiana. This record makes Louisiana the first state in United States history to see 5 hurricanes in a single hurricane season. Additionally, hurricane Laura broke a record as the strongest hurricane in Louisiana since the Last Island hurricane in 1856. Hurricane Zeta also broke a record for being the strongest hurricane to hit Louisiana so late in the hurricane season. The state of Louisiana’s battering at the hands of hurricanes this year will certainly go down in the record books along with the entire record-breaking 2020 hurricane season.
