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My reflection on the record-breaking 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season

Atlantic

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The 2024 Atlantic Hurricane was 9th Atlantic Hurricane Season in row to be average or above-average stretching back to 2016.

2024 featured:

18 Named Storms
11 Hurricanes

5 Major Hurricanes

and 161 ACE, the most since 2020.

Many records were broken and devastation reigned supreme during the season;
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Hurricane Beryl

Major Hurricane Beryl was the second named storm, first hurricane and first major hurricane of 2024. It was the earliest Major Hurricane in the calendar year since Major Hurricane Alma in 1966. Beryl became the third-earliest Major Hurricane, the strongest storm in June and July, as well as producing the most ACE from any single storm before August. It became the earliest Category 4 hurricane on record on June 30th, and the earliest Category 5 hurricane on July 1st. The legacy of Beryl in setting so many records will likely stay for many years to come.
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Hurricane Helene

Major Hurricane Helene was the eighth named storm, fifth hurricane and second major hurricane of 2024. It quickly intensified into a strong Category 4 hurricane and made a devastating in the Big Bend Region of Florida. The storm's impacts extended well beyond Florida, with destruction focused around North Carolina. Helene was a triple-punch after Idalia's category 3 strike in 2023 (last year) and Debby's strike a month prior to Helene. The name Helene is very certainly going to be retired, but its' legacy will live on. This name is also the oldest name in use in the Atlantic, having been used since 1958 at least.
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Hurricane Milton

Major Hurricane Milton originated from a trough of low pressure in the SW Caribbean Sea which moved westwards into the Gulf of Mexico and combined with the remnants of the Eastern Pacific's Tropical Storm Eleven-E. Milton rapidly intensified from a TS into a Cat 1 in 12 hours, and from a Cat 1 to a Cat 5 in another 24 hours. It peaked as 180 mph, 897 mb storm; the first sub-900 mb storm since Major Hurricane Wilma in 2005. the storm struck Central Florida just 12 days after Helene struck Florida northern Big Bend region.
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Hurricane Oscar

Hurricane Oscar was an unexpected, record-setting small hurricane. It was tracked for the potential to develop for at least 10 days before suddenly becoming a TS and then a Category 1. Models had given up on the system when it formed. Oscar's formation time will likely be pushed back at least a day at best and I could see the peak intensity of this storm being upped from 75 kts to 85-90 kts in the future.
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Hurricane Rafael

Major Hurricane Rafael was the first storm to be a Major Hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico in November since Major Hurricane Kate in 1985, and it also tied Kate for the strongest Gulf storm in November. Rafael also defied Nov Climo by turning westward in the Gulf, instead of moving northeastwards as climo at the time year Rafael formed favors.
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2024 started with Alberto on June 19th, the latest start since 2014 and it will likely have ended on November 17th, the latest such end since 2020. We had 11 hurricanes and 5 majors this season, the most since 2020.





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My reflection;

I tracked this entire season from start to finish and I can say, it was an incredible season. This was my first season that I saw that had more than one Category 5. I remember tracking Hurricane Beryl and thinking; I'm tracking a Major Hurricane in June, a June MDR Major. Funny enough, I was on a Discord Tropical Cyclone server about four months prior (February 6 to be exact) and someone was talking about the possiblity of seeing a June MDR major within our lifetime. Little did we know that it would be just four months and we would see it happen.

Milton was my first sub-900 mb in the Atlantic basin. I was amazed at how fast it intensified.

Helene was a shock to me. It caused so much damage in the Appalachin Mountains.

And with Kirk, it was a October MDR Major, most likely the first in the Satellite era, and after Kirk, Lesile tried to replacate it just days later.

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@JPWX


Edit: Added Hurricane Rafael to the section above. Also added my reflection. My computer died in the middle of typing Rafael's part yesterday. I saw the computer dying coming, and I posted this thread unfinished at first and then tried to add Rafael's section.

Edit 2 (Feb 11, 2025): the NHC released the report for Eleven-E and upgraded it to a 35-kt tropical storm.
 
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