Wikipedia

Timeline of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season

The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active Atlantic hurricane season on record in terms of number of named storms. Additionally, it was an above-average season for tropical cyclones for the fifth consecutive year.[nb 2][2] The season officially began on June 1, 2020, and ended on November 30, 2020. These dates, adopted by convention, historically delimit the period each year when most Atlantic tropical systems form.[3] However, storm formation is possible at any time of the year, as was the case this season, when its first two named storms, Tropical Storm Arthur and Tropical Storm Bertha, formed on May 16 and May 27, respectively. The final storm, Hurricane Iota, dissipated on November 18.

Timeline of the
2020 Atlantic hurricane season
A map of the tracks of all the storms of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season.
Season summary map
Season boundaries
First system formedMay 16, 2020
Last system dissipatedNovember 18, 2020
Strongest system
NameIota
Maximum winds155 mph (250 km/h)
Lowest pressure917 mbar (hPa; 27.08 inHg)
Longest lasting system
NameEta
Duration11.75[nb 1] days
Storm articles
Other years
2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022

Altogether, the season produced 31 tropical or subtropical cyclones, all but one of which became a named storm. Of the 30 named storms, 14 became hurricanes, and seven further intensified into major hurricanes.[nb 3] It was the second and final season to use the Greek letter storm naming system, the first being 2005.[5] Hurricane Laura produced catastrophic storm surge levels, heavy rainfall, and spawned over a dozen tornadoes after striking Louisiana on August 27 with winds of 150 mph (240 km/h). The storm was responsible for 81 deaths and it caused over US$19 billion in damage across the Greater Antilles and the Southern United States.[6] Causing significant late-season loss of life and widespread destruction were November hurricanes Eta and Iota, which made landfall in Central America as Category 4 storms just two weeks apart.[2] The storms left a toll of 184 deaths and 110 missing across the region, and thousands of families lost their homes and livelihoods.[7] In March 2021, the names Laura, Eta and Iota were retired from reuse in the North Atlantic by the World Meteorological Organization due to the extraordinary amount of damage and number of fatalities they caused.[8]

This timeline documents tropical cyclone formations, strengthening, weakening, landfalls, extratropical transitions, and dissipations during the season. It includes information that was not released throughout the season, meaning that data from post-storm reviews by the National Hurricane Center, such as a storm that was not initially warned upon, has been included.

By convention, meteorologists use one time zone when issuing forecasts and making observations: Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), and also use the 24-hour clock (where 00:00 = midnight UTC).[9] The National Hurricane Center uses both UTC and the time zone where the center of the tropical cyclone is currently located. The time zones utilized (east to west) are: Greenwich, Cape Verde, Atlantic, Eastern, and Central.[10] In this timeline, all information is listed by UTC first, with the respective regional time zone included in parentheses. Additionally, figures for maximum sustained winds and position estimates are rounded to the nearest 5 units (knots, miles, or kilometers), following National Hurricane Center practice. Direct wind observations are rounded to the nearest whole number. Atmospheric pressures are listed to the nearest millibar and nearest hundredth of an inch of mercury.

Timeline

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Hurricane IotaHurricane EtaHurricane ZetaHurricane Epsilon (2020)Hurricane DeltaHurricane GammaTropical Storm Beta (2020)Subtropical Storm Alpha (2020)Hurricane TeddyHurricane SallyHurricane PauletteHurricane Nana (2020)Hurricane Marco (2020)Hurricane LauraHurricane IsaiasHurricane Hanna (2020)Tropical Storm Fay (2020)Tropical storms Amanda and CristobalTropical Storm Bertha (2020)Tropical Storm Arthur (2020)Saffir–Simpson scale

May

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May 16

May 17

May 19

 
Tropical Storm Arthur off the North Carolina coast near peak intensity on May 18

May 27

May 28

June

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June 1

June 2

June 3

 
Tropical Storm Cristobal shortly after landfall in Campeche on June 3

June 4

June 5

June 6

June 7

June 8

June 9

June 10

June 22

June 23

June 24

July

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July 4

July 6

July 7

July 9

July 10

 
Tropical Storm Fay at peak intensity shortly before landfall in New Jersey on July 10

July 11

July 21

July 22

July 23

July 24

July 25

 
Hurricane Hanna at peak intensity making landfall in Texas on July 25

July 26

July 30

July 31

August

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August 1

 
Hurricane Isaias intensifying near the Carolinas on August 3

August 2

August 3

August 4

August 5

August 11

August 13

August 14

August 15

August 16

August 20

August 21

August 22

August 23

 
Marco over the Gulf of Mexico and Laura over Hispaniola on August 23

August 24

August 25

August 26

August 27

August 28

August 29

August 31

September

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September 1

September 3

 
Infrared imagery of Hurricane Nana at peak intensity while making landfall in Belize on September 3

September 4

September 5

September 7

 
Map plotting the track and the intensity of Paulette, the season's longest-lived storm

September 8

September 9

September 10

September 11

September 12

September 13

September 14

 
Five simultaneous tropical cyclones active in the Atlantic on September 14: Sally (left), Paulette (center left), Rene (center right), Teddy (bottom right), and Vicky (far right)

September 15

September 16

September 17

September 18

September 19

September 20

September 21

September 22

September 23

October

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October 2

 
Hurricane Gamma making landfall on the Yucatán Peninsula at peak intensity on October 3

October 3

October 4

October 5

October 6

October 7

October 8

 
Hurricane Delta nearing its secondary peak intensity on October 8

October 9

October 10

October 19

October 21

October 22

October 24

October 25

October 26

October 27

October 28

October 29

October 31

November

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November 1

November 2

November 3

 
Hurricane Eta shortly before landfall in Nicaragua on November 3

November 4

November 5

November 6

November 7

November 8

November 9

November 10

November 11

November 12

November 13

November 15

November 16

 
Satellite loop of Hurricane Iota rapidly strengthening to near peak intensity while approaching Nicaragua on November 16

November 17

November 18

November 30

  • The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season officially ends.[3]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Time period was bifurcated into spans of 4.50 days and 7.25 days.
  2. ^ An average Atlantic hurricane season, as defined by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has 12 tropical storms, six hurricanes, and two major hurricanes.[1]
  3. ^ Hurricanes reaching Category 3 (111 miles per hour (179 km/h)) and higher on the 5-level Saffir–Simpson wind speed scale are considered major hurricanes.[4]
  4. ^ According to the NHC's protocol, a tropical cyclone that degenerates into a remnant low in one basin and regenerates in another is given a different name. Since Amanda, a Pacific tropical storm, degenerated over Central America, the regenerated Atlantic tropical cyclone was given the next name on the Atlantic list, Cristobal.[13]
  5. ^ Due to the threat the system posed as it formed to the countries and territories in the eastern Caribbean, the National Hurricane Center initiated advisories on the system as Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine at 15:00 UTC (11:00 a.m. AST) on July 28.[19][20]
  6. ^ At the time, the National Hurricane Center did not name the system at that point because it was unclear whether it had a well-defined low-level-circulation.[27] However, with the storm posing an imminent threat to Central America, the National Hurricane Center initiated advisories on the system as Potential Tropical Cyclone Sixteen that day at 15:00 UTC (10:00 a.m. CDT).[28]
  7. ^ The remnants of Nana emerged over the Gulf of Tehuantepec on September 4 and were responsible for the formation of Tropical Storm Julio.[27]
  8. ^ The determination that the system had become a subtropical storm at around 06:00 UTC (6:00 a.m. GMT) on September 17 was made by the National Hurricane Center during post-storm analysis.[34] At the time, it was determined that Subtropical Storm Alpha had formed at 16:30 UTC (4:30 p.m. GMT) on September 18 as it was approaching the coast of Portugal.[35]
  9. ^ Operationally, the National Hurricane Center continued issuing advisories on Tropical Depression Eta due to uncertainties about whether or not the surface circulation had dissipated.[45][46]

References

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  1. ^ "Background Information: North Atlantic Hurricane Season". College Park, Maryland: NOAA Climate Prediction Center. Archived from the original on May 1, 2021. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Doyle Rice (November 30, 2020). "Record-shattering 2020 Atlantic hurricane season officially comes to an end". USA Today. Archived from the original on July 1, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Hurricane Season Information". Frequently Asked Questions About Hurricanes. Miami, Florida: NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory. June 1, 2018. Archived from the original on July 4, 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  4. ^ "Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale". Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  5. ^ "Record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season draws to an end". Silver Spring, Maryland: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. November 24, 2020. Archived from the original on September 9, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  6. ^ Lucy Bergemann (May 29, 2021). "NHC Releases Hurricane Laura Report". WeatherNation. Archived from the original on June 27, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  7. ^ "Central America: Hurricanes Eta and Iota" (PDF). Humanitarian Situation Report No.7. Panama City, Panama: UNICEF Latin America and Caribbean Regional Office. January 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 27, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  8. ^ "WMO Hurricane Committee retires tropical cyclone names and ends the use of Greek alphabet". Geneva, Switzerland: World Meteorological Organization. March 17, 2021. Archived from the original on December 18, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  9. ^ "Understanding the Date/Time Stamps". Miami, Florida: NOAA National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  10. ^ "Update on National Hurricane Center Products and Services for 2020" (PDF). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. April 20, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 27, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  11. ^ a b c d Andrew Latto (September 10, 2020). Tropical Cyclone Report: Tropical Storm Arthur (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  12. ^ a b c d e John Cangialosi (September 23, 2020). Tropical Cyclone Report: Tropical Storm Bertha (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 5, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Robbie Berg (January 13, 2021). Tropical Cyclone Report: Tropical Storm Cristobal (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 24, 2021. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  14. ^ a b c d Eric Blake (January 19, 2021). Tropical Cyclone Report: Tropical Storm Dolly (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 22, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  15. ^ a b c d Richard Pasch (February 22, 2021). Tropical Cyclone Report: Tropical Storm Edouard (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 22, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  16. ^ a b c d John Beven; Robbie Berg (March 31, 2021). Tropical Cyclone Report: Tropical Storm Fay (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 22, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  17. ^ a b c d Stacy Stewart (February 1, 2021). Tropical Cyclone Report: Tropical Storm Gonzalo (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 22, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h Daniel Brown; Robbie Berg; Brad Reinhart (February 11, 2021). Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Hanna (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 22, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  19. ^ John Beven (July 28, 2020). Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine Public Advisory Number 1 (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on July 28, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Andrew Latto; Andrew Hagen; Robbie Berg (April 15, 2021). Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Isaias (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  21. ^ a b John Cangialosi (December 14, 2020). Tropical Cyclone Report: Tropical Depression Ten (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 22, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  22. ^ a b c d Brad Reinhart (January 27, 2021). "Tropical Cyclone Report: Tropical Storm Josephine" (PDF). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 22, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  23. ^ a b c Eric Blake (February 11, 2021). Tropical Cyclone Report: Tropical Storm Kyle (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 22, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  24. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Richard Pasch; Robbie Berg; David Roberts; Philippe Papin (May 26, 2021). Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Laura (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 2, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  25. ^ a b c d e f John Beven; Robbie Berg (March 31, 2021). "Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Marco" (PDF). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 22, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  26. ^ a b c d Stacy Stewart (January 31, 2021). Tropical Cyclone Report: Tropical Storm Omar (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 22, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  27. ^ a b c d e f g h Daniel Brown (December 7, 2020). Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Nana (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 25, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  28. ^ Stacy Stewart (September 1, 2020). Potential Tropical Cyclone Sixteen Advisory Number 1 (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on September 13, 2020. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  29. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Andrew Latto (April 1, 2021). Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Paulette (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 22, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  30. ^ a b c d e f g h John Cangialosi (January 7, 2021). Tropical Cyclone Report: Tropical Storm Rene (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  31. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Robbie Berg; Bard Reinhart (April 14, 2021). Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Sally (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  32. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Eric Blake (April 28, 2021). Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Teddy (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  33. ^ a b c d Richard Pasch (March 5, 2021). Tropical Cyclone Report: Tropical Storm Vicky (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  34. ^ a b c d e Daniel Brown (January 28, 2021). Tropical Cyclone Report: Subtropical Storm Alpha (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  35. ^ Eric Blake (September 18, 2020). Subtropical Storm Alpha Special Advisory Number 1 (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  36. ^ a b c d e f g John Beven; Robbie Berg (April 6, 2021). Tropical Cyclone Report: Tropical Storm Beta (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 16, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  37. ^ a b c d Stacy Stewart (December 31, 2020). Tropical Cyclone Report: Tropical Storm Wilfred (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 5, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  38. ^ Rob Gutro (September 21, 2020). "NASA Satellite Found Post-Tropical Storm Alpha Fizzle Over Portugal and Spain". Hurricane and Typhoon Updates. Greenbelt, Maryland: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Archived from the original on June 30, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  39. ^ Kathryn Prociv; Phil Helsel (September 22, 2020). "Beta becomes 9th landfall storm of 2020 in a record-shattering season". NBC News. Archived from the original on June 30, 2021. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  40. ^ a b c d e f g h Andrew Latto (April 17, 2021). Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Gamma (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 7, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  41. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p John Cangialosi; Robbie Berg (April 19, 2021). Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Delta (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 27, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  42. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Philippe Papin (April 9, 2021). Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Epsilon (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  43. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Eric Blake; Robbie Berg; Andrew Hagen (May 10, 2021). Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Zeta (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 2, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  44. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Richard Pasch; Brad Reinhart; Robbie Berg; David Roberts (June 9, 2021). Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Eta (PDF) (Report). Miami Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  45. ^ Richard Pasch (November 5, 2020). Tropical Depression Eta Discussion Number 19 (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  46. ^ Eric Blake (November 5, 2020). Tropical Depression Eta Discussion Number 22 (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on June 12, 2021. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  47. ^ a b c d e John Beven (April 12, 2021). Tropical Cyclone Report: Tropical Storm Theta (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  48. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Stacy Stewart (May 18, 2021). Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Iota (PDF) (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 9, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
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