The biggest similarity is the high number of named storms. The 2021 season becomes only the third season in history to use all the names on the seasonal roster (the previous years were 2020 and 2005).
There are four major hurricanes this season: Grace, Ida, Larry, and Sam. The two strongest are Ida and Sam, both reaching level 4 strength. Grace and Larry peak as Category 3 storms.
The first half of the season was filled with races – as the US was hit by eight named storms: Claudette, Danny, Elsa, Fred, Henri, Ida, Mindy and Nicholas.
Then, suddenly, the world’s oceans became eerily quiet. After September 25, the Atlantic Ocean and the rest of the world will struggle to produce a named storm.
That was not what meteorologists expected.
“The globe has had no major hurricane formation (Category 3+, maximum winds >= 111 mph) since September 25. All other hurricane seasons in the satellite era (since 1966) have had at least two major hurricane formations globally between September 26 and November 19,” said Phil Klotzbach, a research scientist at Colorado State University.
in a tweet.
Both last year and this year
La Niña . condition have been observed during the last few weeks of the season, often favoring late-season tropical activities. 2020 saw three named storms in November (Eta, Theta and Iota) and 2021 saw only one (Wanda) in the first few days.
The way this hurricane season ends marks one of the biggest differences between this year and last year.
Klotzbach explains that normally La Niña weakens or limits the vertical wind shear, but surprisingly there is quite a bit of wind shear in the Caribbean in October and November – the area where the hurricanes are most intense. end of the season – and that leads to the quiet after-season of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season.
Although an active season is forecast, it is impossible to know in advance exactly where each storm will go and what kind of damage it may cause.
A “bad” season is all about perspective. Central American countries can consider this a “good” year as not a single named storm makes landfall in any part of the region.
In 2020, Central America suffered three named storms, two of which were major hurricanes.
In the United States, the state of Louisiana can’t seem to keep up with the respite. In 2020, the State of Pelican is affected by
five named storms: Cristobal, Laura, Marco, Delta and Zeta. This year the state was affected by three hurricanes named: Claudette, Ida and Nicholas.
In 2020, more hurricanes have made landfall in the US, but this year, hurricanes have cost more than $20 billion.
Loss of billions of dong
While only one major hurricane made landfall in the United States (Ida), a total of four named storms left
more than 1 billion dollars damage each: Tropical Storm Elsa, Tropical Storm Fred,
Hurricane Ida, and Hurricane Nicholas.
Ida alone exceeds the damage cost of all
seven billion dollars Tropical cyclones made landfall in the United States in 2020, including hurricanes like Lara, Delta, and Zeta.
“Hurricane Ida is by far the most expensive disaster this year – in excess of $60 billion,”
according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “Ida has ranked among the five most damaging hurricanes on record for the United States since 1980.”
Ida was the strongest Atlantic hurricane of the year to make landfall with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph when
it happened near Port Fourchon, Louisiana, on Aug. 29. It was one of only three hurricanes to ever make landfall in Louisiana with winds of 150 mph, the most recent being Hurricane Laura from 2020.
“Grand Isle, Louisiana has been directly impacted with 100% of its homes damaged and nearly 40% destroyed almost completely,”
according to NOAA. “There has been severe damage to energy infrastructure across southern Louisiana caused
power cut for millions of people. “
In the days that followed, the ruins of Ida moved northeast and combined with a frontal system, yielding extreme rates of rain and flash floods, flooding streets, homes, and neighborhoods. .
A flash flood emergency has been declared in New Jersey and
New York. At least
55 people died throughout New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
The quirks of this season
The strongest storm of the season didn’t make landfall, but the video was shot from inside the storm.
Hurricane Sam, like Ida, also reached Category 4 intensity with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. Sam remained a Category 4 hurricane for 4.5 days and produced the fifth highest cumulative cyclone energy (ACE) recorded in the satellite era.
“ACE is an integrated index that calculates the intensity and duration of storms”
Klotzbach tweeted. “Sam was a fierce, long-lived hurricane.”
Fortunately, unlike Ida, Sam remained out in the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean and never made landfall.
Sam’s long life, more than 11 days like a storm, allows a
research drones rowed into it, and for the first time,
video transmission from within a major ocean-level storm.
A few other storms have set some meteorological records.
Tropical Storm Ana formed in a single area of the Atlantic Ocean. In the past 100 years, no named storm has ever developed east of Bermuda in
May. Tropical Storm Ana broke that record. Typically, storms this month form in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, the western Caribbean Sea, and near the southeastern coast of the United States.
Another unique storm is Subtropical Cyclone Teresa. Reports of subtropical storms are not uncommon, especially in the 21st century, thanks to advanced technology. What is unusual is that a hurricane remains in a subtropical state throughout its life, never changing into a “tropical” state.
Teresa is also very short-lived, only 24 hours. Subtropical storm Teresa formed on Friday, September 24, at 5 p.m. Atlantic Standard Time. Exactly 24 hours later, NHC released
final advice when Teresa became a residual low-pressure system.
Ida will likely be the only name on this year’s retirement list, despite three other major hurricanes, simply because of the amount of damage and death toll. The letter “I” has been added
retired name than any other letter in the alphabet.
There are already 12 retired hurricane names that start with the letter “I”, and Ida will likely become the 13th.
