NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information
Summary
A total of 94 tropical cyclones formed around the globe in 2021, which ties 1994 for the tenth most since 1981. Despite this above-normal number of named storms, the overall global tropical cyclone activity was down in 2021. Only 37 tropical cyclones made hurricane strength (>74 mph), which is the fewest on record since 1981. The previous record was 38 in 2009. In addition, 16 storms reached major hurricane strength (>111 mph), which tied 1986 for the third fewest. Six storms reached category 5 strength (>157 mph) on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale (SSHWS), which is slightly above the normal. The global accumulated cyclone energy (ACE: an integrated metric of the strength, frequency, and duration of tropical storms) was about 22% below the 1991-2020 average.
Similar to 2020, the North Atlantic played an out-sized role in the global tropical cyclone activity in 2021. The 21 named storms were the third most on record. The seven hurricanes were near normal and the four major hurricanes were above normal. The ACE was also about 20% above the 1991-2020 average.
Eight tropical cyclones made landfall in the contiguous U.S. in 2021, down from eleven in 2020. Four of those storms were billion dollar disasters: Tropical Storm Elsa, Tropical Storm Fred, Hurricane Ida, and Hurricane Nicholas. At $75 billion in damage, Ida was the costliest disaster of 2021 and the fifth most expensive hurricane on record (since 1980). Ida's destruction was unique in that its damage was concentrated in two distinct regions. It made landfall as a powerful category-4 storm in Louisiana causing heavy damage to the Gulf Coast. As its remnants moved northward, it merged with a frontal system to produce severe weather and flash flooding from Pennsylvania to New York.
Both the eastern and western North Pacific basins were generally less active than normal. In the East Pacific, the 19 named storms and eight hurricanes were both near normal. However, only two storms became major hurricanes, which is less than half of normal. The ACE was also about 30% below normal. Similarly, the 23 named storms in the West Pacific was near normal, but the ten typhoons and five typhoons were both among the five lowest years since 1981. The ACE was also about 30% below normal in the West Pacific.
Despite the overall lack of activity in the West Pacific in 2021, the basin produced four of the six category-5 storms observed globally: Surigae, Chanthu, Mindulle, and Rai. Super Typhoon Rai was the most impactful of these as it made landfall in the Philippines shortly after rapidly intensifying to category 5 strength.
The other tropical cyclone basins were generally near normal in 2021. In the North Indian Ocean, the strongest cyclone was Tauktae, which passed just west of Mumbai as a category-4 cyclone. The tropical cyclone seasons in the Southern Hemisphere basins begin in July and end in June, so the seasons summarized here are the 2020/21 seasons that ended in June 2021. It is also more common for storms to cross basins in the Southern Hemisphere, so some storms are counted in multiple basins. Two category-5 tropical cyclones formed in the Southern Hemisphere during 2021: Faraji and Niran. A third category 5 storm, Yasa happened in December 2020, which is also part of the 2020-2021 Southern Hemisphere season. This ties four other years (2003, 2005, 2014, and 2015) for the most category 5 storms in a Southern Hemisphere season.
North Atlantic
| Name |
Maximum CategoryMax Cat |
Dates >39 mph |
Maximum Sustained Winds | Minimum Central Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | TS | May 22May 22-23 | 45 mph | 1006 mb |
 | TS | June 14Jun 14-15 | 60 mph | 998 mb |
 | TS | June 19Jun 19-22 | 45 mph | 1004 mb |
 | TS | June 28Jun 28-29 | 40 mph | 1011 mb |
 | 1 | July 1Jul 1-9 | 85 mph | 991 mb |
 | TS | August 11Aug 11-17 | 65 mph | 993 mb |
 | 3 | August 14Aug 14-21 | 125 mph | 962 mb |
 | 1 | August 16Aug 16-22 | 75 mph | 986 mb |
 | TS | August 24Aug 24-29 | 60 mph | 995 mb |
 | 4 | August 26Aug 26-30 | 150 mph | 929 mb |
 | TS | August 30Aug 30-31 | 45 mph | 1004 mb |
 | 3 | September 1Sep 1-11 | 125 mph | 955 mb |
 | TS | September 8Sep 8-9 | 45 mph | 1004 mb |
 | 1 | September 12Sep 12-14 | 75 mph | 989 mb |
 | TS | September 17Sep 17-18 | 45 mph | 1001 mb |
 | TS | September 19Sep 19-21 | 50 mph | 1005 mb |
 | TS | September 19Sep 19-22 | 50 mph | 1004 mb |
 | 4 | September 23-October 5Sep 23-Oct 5 | 155 mph | 929 mb |
 | TS | September 24Sep 24-25 | 45 mph | 1008 mb |
 | TS | September 29-October 2Sep 29-Oct 2 | 65 mph | 997 mb |
 | TS | October 31-November 7Oct 31-Nov 7 | 50 mph | 987 mb |
| Storm Type | Count | 1991-2020 Mean |
1981-2021 Rank* |
1851-2021 Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts) | 21 | 14.5 | 3rd | 30 (2020) |
| Hurricane Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts) | 7 | 7.2 | 16th (tied with 6 other seasons) | 15 (2005) |
| Major Hurricane Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts) | 4 | 3.2 | 10th (tied with 3 other seasons) | 7 (2005, 2020) |
| Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt² | 145.7 | 122.8 | 12th | 258.6 (1933) |
East Pacific
| Name |
Maximum CategoryMax Cat |
Dates >39 mph |
Maximum Sustained Winds | Minimum Central Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | TS | May 9May 9-10 | 40 mph | 1005 mb |
 | TS | May 31-June 2May 31-Jun 2 | 60 mph | 998 mb |
 | TS | June 13Jun 13-14 | 50 mph | 1000 mb |
 | TS | June 18Jun 18-19 | 70 mph | 990 mb |
 | 1 | June 25Jun 25-30 | 90 mph | 975 mb |
 | 4 | July 14Jul 14-20 | 145 mph | 947 mb |
 | TS | July 17Jul 17-19 | 60 mph | 999 mb |
 | 1 | July 30-August 5Jul 30-Aug 5 | 85 mph | 985 mb |
 | TS | August 2Aug 2-3 | 40 mph | 1004 mb |
 | TS | August 5Aug 5-6 | 40 mph | 1005 mb |
 | TS | August 7Aug 7-12 | 60 mph | 999 mb |
 | 4 | August 10Aug 10-20 | 130 mph | 950 mb |
 | TS | August 23Aug 23-24 | 45 mph | 1002 mb |
 | 1 | August 26Aug 26-30 | 85 mph | 977 mb |
 | 1 | September 8Sep 8-11 | 90 mph | 977 mb |
 | 1 | October 10Oct 10-13 | 80 mph | 985 mb |
 | 2 | October 22Oct 22-25 | 105 mph | 977 mb |
 | TS | November 7Nov 7-8 | 40 mph | 1006 mb |
 | TS | November 7Nov 7-8 | 40 mph | 1006 mb |
| Storm Type | Count | 1991-2020 Mean |
1981-2021 Rank* |
1949-2021 Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts) | 19 | 16.9 | 16th (tied with 3 other seasons) | 27 (1992) |
| Hurricane Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts) | 8 | 8.8 | 24th (tied with 4 other seasons) | 16 (1990, 1992, 2014, 2015) |
| Major Hurricane Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts) | 2 | 4.6 | 30th (tied with 7 other seasons) | 11 (2015) |
| Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt² | 94.0 | 132.8 | 30th | 318.1 (2018) |
West Pacific
| Name |
Maximum CategoryMax Cat |
Dates >39 mph |
Maximum Sustained Winds | Minimum Central Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | TS | February 18Feb 18-21 | 50 mph | 991 mb |
 | 5 | April 14Apr 14-25 | 190 mph | 888 mb |
 | TS | May 13May 13 | 40 mph | 1004 mb |
 | TS | May 30-June 5May 30-Jun 5 | 60 mph | 986 mb |
 | TS | June 12Jun 12 | 40 mph | 996 mb |
 | 1 | June 23Jun 23-27 | 75 mph | 987 mb |
 | 2 | July 18Jul 18-26 | 110 mph | 951 mb |
 | 1 | July 18Jul 18-21 | 85 mph | 970 mb |
 | TS | July 24Jul 24-28 | 50 mph | 985 mb |
 | TS | August 3Aug 3-9 | 60 mph | 976 mb |
 | TS | August 4Aug 4-8 | 65 mph | 985 mb |
 | TS | August 6Aug 6-9 | 60 mph | 980 mb |
 | TS | August 13Aug 13-22 | 60 mph | 993 mb |
 | TS | September 6Sep 6-11 | 70 mph | 989 mb |
 | 5 | September 6Sep 6-17 | 170 mph | 908 mb |
 | 5 | September 23-October 2Sep 23-Oct 2 | 165 mph | 908 mb |
 | TS | September 23Sep 23 | 40 mph | 1001 mb |
 | TS | October 8Oct 8-10 | 40 mph | 993 mb |
 | 1 | October 10Oct 10-17 | 75 mph | 982 mb |
 | TS | October 10Oct 10-14 | 60 mph | 981 mb |
 | 2 | October 25Oct 25-29 | 95 mph | 967 mb |
 | 4 | November 29-December 4Nov 29-Dec 4 | 145 mph | 933 mb |
 | 5 | December 13Dec 13-20 | 165 mph | 915 mb |
| Storm Type | Count | 1991-2020 Mean |
1981-2021 Rank* |
1945-2021 Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts) | 23 | 26.4 | 32nd (tied with 2 other seasons) | 38 (1964) |
| Typhoon Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts) | 10 | 16.2 | 38th (tied with 1 other season) | 26 (1964) |
| Major Typhoon Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts) | 5 | 9.4 | 37th (tied with 2 other seasons) | 16 (2015) |
| Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt² | 207.7 | 301.4 | 34th | 570.4 (1997) |
North Indian
| Name |
Maximum CategoryMax Cat |
Dates >39 mph |
Maximum Sustained Winds | Minimum Central Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 4 | May 14May 14-19 | 135 mph | 935 mb |
 | 1 | May 24May 24-26 | 75 mph | 974 mb |
 | TS | September 24-October 1Sep 24-Oct 1 | 60 mph | 983 mb |
 | TS | December 3Dec 3-4 | 40 mph | 997 mb |
| Storm Type | Count | 1991-2020 Mean |
1981-2021 Rank* |
1972-2021 Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts) | 5 | 5.5 | 14th (tied with 13 other seasons) | 11 (1992) |
| Cyclone Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts) | 3 | 2.2 | 7th (tied with 5 other seasons) | 6 (2019) |
| Major Cyclone Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts) | 1 | 1.1 | 9th (tied with 16 other seasons) | 5 (2019) |
| Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt² | 16.3 | 24.7 | 23rd | 93.0 (2019) |
South Indian
| Name |
Maximum CategoryMax Cat |
Dates >39 mph |
Maximum Sustained Winds | Minimum Central Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 1 | November 14Nov 14-17 | 75 mph | 983 mb |
 | TS | December 7Dec 7-11 | 60 mph | 992 mb |
 | TS | December 25Dec 25-30 | 70 mph | 990 mb |
 | 1 | January 1Jan 1-8 | 80 mph | 979 mb |
 | TS | January 15Jan 15-18 | 50 mph | 998 mb |
 | TS | January 17Jan 17-21 | 60 mph | 994 mb |
 | 5 | February 5Feb 5-14 | 160 mph | 920 mb |
 | TS | February 21Feb 21-22 | 60 mph | 980 mb |
 | 3 | February 26-March 6Feb 26-Mar 6 | 115 mph† | 952 mb† |
 | 4 | March 4Mar 4-16 | 145 mph | 931 mb |
 | TS | March 7Mar 7-8 | 50 mph | 991 mb |
 | TS | April 21Apr 21-24 | 65 mph | 995 mb |
| †Value occurred in the South Indian | ||||
| Storm Type | Count | 1991-2020 Mean |
1981-2021 Rank* |
1956-2021 Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts) | 12 | 10.5 | 8th (tied with 3 other seasons) | 16 (1997) |
| Cyclone Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts) | 5 | 6.1 | 25th (tied with 5 other seasons) | 11 (2019) |
| Major Cyclone Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts) | 2 | 3.5 | 27th (tied with 8 other seasons) | 9 (2019) |
| Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt² | 99.8 | 94.4 | 17th | 186.9 (1994) |
Australia
| Name |
Maximum CategoryMax Cat |
Dates >39 mph |
Maximum Sustained Winds | Minimum Central Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | TS | December 8Dec 8-11 | 50 mph | 992 mb |
 | TS | January 3Jan 3-4 | 50 mph | 995 mb |
| TS | January 15Jan 15-18 | 50 mph† | 998 mb |
 | TS | January 17Jan 17-18 | 60 mph | 990 mb |
 | TS | January 21Jan 21-27 | 40 mph | 995 mb |
 | TS | January 21Jan 21-22 | 45 mph | 997 mb |
 | 1 | January 31-February 3Jan 31-Feb 3 | 75 mph‡ | 980 mb‡ |
 | TS | February 4Feb 4-6 | 40 mph | 991 mb |
| 3 | February 26-March 6Feb 26-Mar 6 | 115 mph | 952 mb |
 | 5 | March 1Mar 1-7 | 160 mph | 917 mb |
 | 1 | April 4Apr 4-11 | 80 mph | 972 mb |
 | TS | April 4Apr 4-10 | 60 mph | 990 mb |
| ‡Value occurred in the Southwest Pacific | ||||
| ‖Value occurred in the Southwest Pacific | ||||
| Storm Type | Count | 1991-2020 Mean |
1981-2021 Rank* |
1956-2021 Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts) | 13 | 10.7 | 11th (tied with 1 other season) | 19 (1999) |
| Tropical Cyclone Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts) | 3 | 4.9 | 27th (tied with 11 other seasons) | 9 (1992, 1996) |
| Major Tropical Cyclone Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts) | 2 | 2.4 | 16th (tied with 8 other seasons) | 6 (2015) |
| Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt² | 44.4 | 60.5 | 29th | 111.3 (1999) |
Southwest Pacific
| Name |
Maximum CategoryMax Cat |
Dates >39 mph |
Maximum Sustained Winds | Minimum Central Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | TS | December 11Dec 11-12 | 45 mph | 997 mb |
 | 5 | December 12Dec 12-19 | 160 mph | 914 mb |
 | TS | December 13Dec 13-16 | 60 mph | 985 mb |
 | 1 | January 30-February 2Jan 30-Feb 2 | 75 mph | 976 mb |
 | TS | January 30-February 1Jan 30-Feb 1 | 50 mph | 991 mb |
| 1 | January 31-February 3Jan 31-Feb 3 | 75 mph | 980 mb |
 | TS | February 10Feb 10-11 | 50 mph | 991 mb |
| 5 | March 1Mar 1-7 | 160 mph‡ | 917 mb‡ |
 | TS | April 10Apr 10-11 | 45 mph | 999 mb |
| **Value occurred in the Southwest Pacific | ||||
| ‡Value occurred in the Southwest Pacific | ||||
| Storm Type | Count | 1991-2020 Mean |
1981-2021 Rank* |
1956-2021 Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts) | 9 | 7.1 | 12th (tied with 2 other seasons) | 17 (1998) |
| Tropical Cyclone Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts) | 4 | 3.9 | 15th (tied with 4 other seasons) | 11 (1998) |
| Major Tropical Cyclone Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts) | 2 | 2.0 | 14th (tied with 5 other seasons) | 6 (2003) |
| Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt² | 41.1 | 52.2 | 22nd | 139.9 (1998) |
Global
| Name |
Maximum CategoryMax Cat |
Dates >39 mph |
Maximum Sustained Winds | Minimum Central Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | January 1Jan 1-8 | 80 mph | 979 mb |
| TS | January 3Jan 3-4 | 50 mph | 995 mb |
| TS | January 15Jan 15-18 | 50 mph | 998 mb |
| TS | January 17Jan 17-21 | 60 mph | 994 mb |
| TS | January 17Jan 17-18 | 60 mph | 990 mb |
| TS | January 21Jan 21-27 | 40 mph | 995 mb |
| TS | January 21Jan 21-22 | 45 mph | 997 mb |
| 1 | January 30-February 2Jan 30-Feb 2 | 75 mph | 976 mb |
| TS | January 30-February 1Jan 30-Feb 1 | 50 mph | 991 mb |
| 1 | January 31-February 3Jan 31-Feb 3 | 75 mph | 980 mb |
| TS | February 4Feb 4-6 | 40 mph | 991 mb |
| 5 | February 5Feb 5-14 | 160 mph | 920 mb |
| TS | February 10Feb 10-11 | 50 mph | 991 mb |
| TS | February 18Feb 18-21 | 50 mph | 991 mb |
| TS | February 21Feb 21-22 | 60 mph | 980 mb |
| 3 | February 26-March 6Feb 26-Mar 6 | 115 mph | 952 mb |
| 5 | March 1Mar 1-7 | 160 mph | 917 mb |
| 4 | March 4Mar 4-16 | 145 mph | 931 mb |
| TS | March 7Mar 7-8 | 50 mph | 991 mb |
| 1 | April 4Apr 4-11 | 80 mph | 972 mb |
| TS | April 4Apr 4-10 | 60 mph | 990 mb |
| TS | April 10Apr 10-11 | 45 mph | 999 mb |
| 5 | April 14Apr 14-25 | 190 mph | 888 mb |
| TS | April 21Apr 21-24 | 65 mph | 995 mb |
| TS | May 9May 9-10 | 40 mph | 1005 mb |
| TS | May 13May 13 | 40 mph | 1004 mb |
| 4 | May 14May 14-19 | 135 mph | 935 mb |
| TS | May 22May 22-23 | 45 mph | 1006 mb |
| 1 | May 24May 24-26 | 75 mph | 974 mb |
| TS | May 30-June 5May 30-Jun 5 | 60 mph | 986 mb |
| TS | May 31-June 2May 31-Jun 2 | 60 mph | 998 mb |
| TS | June 12Jun 12 | 40 mph | 996 mb |
| TS | June 13Jun 13-14 | 50 mph | 1000 mb |
| TS | June 14Jun 14-15 | 60 mph | 998 mb |
| TS | June 18Jun 18-19 | 70 mph | 990 mb |
| TS | June 19Jun 19-22 | 45 mph | 1004 mb |
| 1 | June 23Jun 23-27 | 75 mph | 987 mb |
| 1 | June 25Jun 25-30 | 90 mph | 975 mb |
| TS | June 28Jun 28-29 | 40 mph | 1011 mb |
| 1 | July 1Jul 1-9 | 85 mph | 991 mb |
| 4 | July 14Jul 14-20 | 145 mph | 947 mb |
| TS | July 17Jul 17-19 | 60 mph | 999 mb |
| 2 | July 18Jul 18-26 | 110 mph | 951 mb |
| 1 | July 18Jul 18-21 | 85 mph | 970 mb |
| TS | July 24Jul 24-28 | 50 mph | 985 mb |
| 1 | July 30-August 5Jul 30-Aug 5 | 85 mph | 985 mb |
| TS | August 2Aug 2-3 | 40 mph | 1004 mb |
| TS | August 3Aug 3-9 | 60 mph | 976 mb |
| TS | August 4Aug 4-8 | 65 mph | 985 mb |
| TS | August 5Aug 5-6 | 40 mph | 1005 mb |
| TS | August 6Aug 6-9 | 60 mph | 980 mb |
| TS | August 7Aug 7-12 | 60 mph | 999 mb |
| 4 | August 10Aug 10-20 | 130 mph | 950 mb |
| TS | August 11Aug 11-17 | 65 mph | 993 mb |
| TS | August 13Aug 13-22 | 60 mph | 993 mb |
| 3 | August 14Aug 14-21 | 125 mph | 962 mb |
| 1 | August 16Aug 16-22 | 75 mph | 986 mb |
| TS | August 23Aug 23-24 | 45 mph | 1002 mb |
| TS | August 24Aug 24-29 | 60 mph | 995 mb |
| 1 | August 26Aug 26-30 | 85 mph | 977 mb |
| 4 | August 26Aug 26-30 | 150 mph | 929 mb |
| TS | August 30Aug 30-31 | 45 mph | 1004 mb |
| 3 | September 1Sep 1-11 | 125 mph | 955 mb |
| TS | September 6Sep 6-11 | 70 mph | 989 mb |
| 5 | September 6Sep 6-17 | 170 mph | 908 mb |
| TS | September 8Sep 8-9 | 45 mph | 1004 mb |
| 1 | September 8Sep 8-11 | 90 mph | 977 mb |
| 1 | September 12Sep 12-14 | 75 mph | 989 mb |
| TS | September 17Sep 17-18 | 45 mph | 1001 mb |
| TS | September 19Sep 19-21 | 50 mph | 1005 mb |
| TS | September 19Sep 19-22 | 50 mph | 1004 mb |
| 4 | September 23-October 5Sep 23-Oct 5 | 155 mph | 929 mb |
| 5 | September 23-October 2Sep 23-Oct 2 | 165 mph | 908 mb |
| TS | September 23Sep 23 | 40 mph | 1001 mb |
| TS | September 24-October 1Sep 24-Oct 1 | 60 mph | 983 mb |
| TS | September 24Sep 24-25 | 45 mph | 1008 mb |
| TS | September 29-October 2Sep 29-Oct 2 | 65 mph | 997 mb |
| TS | October 8Oct 8-10 | 40 mph | 993 mb |
| 1 | October 10Oct 10-13 | 80 mph | 985 mb |
| 1 | October 10Oct 10-17 | 75 mph | 982 mb |
| TS | October 10Oct 10-14 | 60 mph | 981 mb |
| 2 | October 22Oct 22-25 | 105 mph | 977 mb |
| 2 | October 25Oct 25-29 | 95 mph | 967 mb |
| TS | October 31-November 7Oct 31-Nov 7 | 50 mph | 987 mb |
| TS | November 7Nov 7-8 | 40 mph | 1006 mb |
| TS | November 7Nov 7-8 | 40 mph | 1006 mb |
 | TS | November 22Nov 22-24 | 45 mph | 988 mb |
| 4 | November 29-December 4Nov 29-Dec 4 | 145 mph | 933 mb |
 | TS | December 1Dec 1 | 40 mph | 1004 mb |
| TS | December 3Dec 3-4 | 40 mph | 997 mb |
 | TS | December 8Dec 8-9 | 40 mph | 999 mb |
 | 1 | December 11Dec 11-14 | 80 mph | 980 mb |
| 5 | December 13Dec 13-20 | 165 mph | 915 mb |
| Storm Type | Count | 1991-2020 Mean |
1981-2021 Rank* |
1972-2021 Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts) | 94 | 88.2 | 10th (tied with 1 other season) | 106 (2020) |
| Tropical Cyclone Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts) | 37 | 48.1 | 41st | 59 (1990, 1992, 2018) |
| Major Tropical Cyclone Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts) | 16 | 25.7 | 39th (tied with 1 other season) | 39 (2015) |
| Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt² | 614.4 | 789.0 | 33rd | 1,163.1 (1992) |
Data Description
The data in this report are derived from NCEI's IBTrACS dataset (Knapp et al. 2010; Schreck et al. 2014). IBTrACS tropical cyclone track and intensity data from agencies and sources around the globe. In this report, data from NOAA's National Hurricane Center (NHC) are used for the North Atlantic and East Pacific. The other basins use data from the U.S. Military's Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC).
Historical values use the "best track" data that have been analyzed by forecasters after the season using all available data. Operational procedures and observing systems have changed with time and between regions, which makes these data heterogeneous. Intensity data are generally the most reliable since the early 1970s in the Atlantic (Landsea and Franklin 2013) and since the mid-1980s in other regions (Chu et al. 2002). The number of short-lived storms (≤2 days) has also increased since around 2000 due to improvements in observations and analysis techniques (Landsea et al. 2010).
Values for the current year are provisional values from the operational forecast advisories. IBTrACS obtains these from NCEP's TC Vitals, the NCAR Tropical Cyclone Guidance Project, and NHC provisional data. These values are subject to change during the post-season best track analysis. They also only include 6-hourly storm fixes, which means they may miss special advisories at landfall, peak intensity, etc.
The tropical cyclone seasons in the Southern Hemisphere begin in July and end in June, while the Northern Hemisphere seasons are counted from January to December. Storms are counted in all basins, months, and years in which they occur, which means some storms may appear more than once. However, the global totals only include each storm one time.
References
- Chu, J.-H., C. R. Sampson, A. S. Levine, and E. Fukada, 2002: The joint typhoon warning center tropical cyclone best-tracks, 1945–2000. Naval Research Laboratory, Reference Number NRL/MR/7540-02-16, 22 pp., https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/best-tracks/tc-bt-report.html.
- Knapp, K. R., M. C. Kruk, D. H. Levinson, H. J. Diamond, and C. J. Neumann, 2010: The International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS). Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 91, 363–376, https://doi.org/10.1175/2009BAMS2755.1.
- Landsea, C. W., and J. L. Franklin, 2013: Atlantic Hurricane database uncertainty and presentation of a new database format. Mon. Wea. Rev., 141, 3576–3592, https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-12-00254.1.
- ——, G. A. Vecchi, L. Bengtsson, and T. R. Knutson, 2010: Impact of duration thresholds on Atlantic tropical cyclone counts. J. Climate, 23, 2508–2519, https://doi.org/10.1175/2009JCLI3034.1.
- Schreck, C. J., K. R. Knapp, and J. P. Kossin, 2014: The Impact of Best Track Discrepancies on Global Tropical Cyclone Climatologies using IBTrACS. Mon. Wea. Rev., 142, 3881–3899, https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-14-00021.1.