The brutal 2024 Atlantic hurricane season comes to an end, marked by record-setting storms
This year saw 18 named storms, 11 hurricanes and five major hurricanes – classified as Category 3 or higher – marking the 9th consecutive season of above-average levels across the Atlantic basin .
“Year after year, the climate crisis continues to break new records, leading to more extreme weather eventsincluding rapidly intensifying tropical storms, intense rainfall, and flooding,” speak Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Among them there are Storm Berylmade history by becoming the earliest Category 5 storm ever recorded in the Atlantic basin. Striking in July, Beryl left widespread destruction across the Caribbean.
Although the storm caused extensive damage to homes and infrastructure, its impact on human life was minimized thanks to advances in early warning systems.
“Despite its ferocity, the storm caused fewer deaths than previous storms. This is thanks to advances in enhancing their early warning systems”, Ms. Saulo said.
A harsh season
After the devastation caused by Hurricane Beryl in July, activity slowed in August as atmospheric conditions in West Africa hindered storm development.
However, storm frequency and intensity increased sharply in early September, with seven storms forming after September 25 – a record for late-season activity.
Hurricane Helene made landfall in late September as a Category 4 storm on Florida’s Gulf Coast, causing catastrophic flooding in the southern Appalachians, widespread wind damage across the eastern United States, and storm surge flooding along the Florida coast.
With more than 150 people directly killed, Helene became the deadliest storm to hit the country since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
In October, Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida, as a Category 3 hurricane. It produced 46 tornadoes, torrential rainfall, and severe flooding.
Aerial photo of homes destroyed by Hurricane Beryl as it passed over Union Island in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The threat increases amid climate change
The 2024 hurricane season highlights an alarming trend of increasingly severe storms driven by the climate crisis.
According to WMO, rising global temperatures are increasing tropical cyclones, leading to rapid storm intensification, heavier rainfall and more frequent flooding.
While deaths from tropical storms have dropped dramatically – from more than 350,000 in the 1970s to less than 20,000 in the 2010s – economic losses have increased sharply. In 2024 alone, four hurricanes in the US caused more than $1 billion in damage each.
Small island developing states in the Caribbean remain particularly vulnerable, with disproportionate impacts highlighting the need to scale up initiatives such as Early warning for everyone campaign aimed at building resilience.
