Monday, November 30, 2015

The Official Atlantic Hurricane Season Ends Tonight

Yes, yes I've heard there is something going on in Paris but this year's get-together is all about the money and they don't even start talking about that 'til the weekend.
Speaking of money...

From Weather.com:

2015 Hurricane Season in Review: 11 Things We Will Remember
The 2015 hurricane season has officially come to a close in both the Atlantic and eastern/central Pacific basins. November 30 is the final day of the season each year, though occasionally a named storm may occur beyond that date.

Here are 11 things we'll remember from the 2015 hurricane season.

1.) Another Hyperactive Pacific Season; Atlantic Slightly Below AverageFor the second year in a row, the Pacific was much more active than the Atlantic.

The eastern Pacific had 18 named storms plus four additional tropical depressions for a total of 22 tropical cyclones. In the Atlantic, we saw 11 named storms and one additional tropical depression, bringing the number of tropical cyclones in that basin this season to 12.

Though several of them were short-lived, the 11 named storms in the Atlantic was just short of the 30-year average (1981-2010) of 12 named storms per season. Four of those named storms became hurricanes, which is below the average of six hurricanes during the same 30-year period. 
Meanwhile, the eastern Pacific's 18 named storms was above the 30-year average of 15 per season. Of those 18 named storms, 13 went on to become hurricanes, which is well above the average of 8 per season.

The central Pacific was also unusually active in 2015 with a record eight tropical cyclones forming in the basin. An additional seven originated in the eastern Pacific, later crossing into the central Pacific for a total of 15 tropical cyclones in the central Pacific basin this season.

The previous record for the number of cyclones passing through the central Pacific basin in one year was 11 tropical cyclones in 1992 and 1994. The previous record number of cyclones originating in the central Pacific was just four in 1982 – which like 2015 was the beginning of a strong El Niño.

2.) El Niño Likely Played a Role in the 2015 Hurricane Season
El Niño likely helped to shape the outcome of the 2015 hurricane season.

As mentioned before, a record number of named storms developed during the central Pacific hurricane season. This is a basin where we typically see an uptick in tropical activity during El Niño.

We also saw strong wind shear near the Caribbean Sea and other parts of the Atlantic Basin, contributing to the demise of Hurricane Danny, Tropical Storm Erika, Hurricane Fred, Tropical Storm Grace and Tropical Storm Ida from mid-August through September.

Stronger wind shear tends to appear in parts of the Atlantic Basin in a season in which El Nino has developed. When winds strongly change with height, either in speed and/or direction, convection (rain and thunderstorm activity) can get blown away from the center of a storm. This wind shear can keep tropical cyclones from forming and can rip apart any existing storms.

Hurricane Danny was a perfect example of how wind shear can take a toll on a powerful hurricane. After reaching Category 3 status in the western Atlantic on Aug. 21, Danny dissipated into an elongated area of low pressure as it entered the eastern Caribbean on Aug. 24.

3.) A Category 5 Landfall With No Fatalities...
...MORE

As Weather.com was reporting just before the start of this year's season:

No Major Hurricane Has Made Landfall In the U.S. In More Than 9 Years -- and That's a New Record

The streak continued and the insurers/reinsurers pocketed the premiums.