The most devastating storms that hit Florida during the 2024 hurricane season
MIAMI - The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season comes to a close this Saturday, Nov. 30, and it will be remembered for its record-breaking storms, incredible destruction and the many lives it took.
From the start, it was clear this season had the potential to be like few others.
NOAA released their eye-catching forecast with the highest number of storms ever in a preseason outlook. They saw what we at Next Weather saw: The signs were there for an extremely active season with record ocean water temperature, low wind shear and a La Niña pattern heading into the peak of the season.
Hurricane Beryl, the earliest Category 5 in history
The season's first major storm, Hurricane Beryl, became the earliest Category 5 hurricane in Atlantic history, with winds reaching 165 mph in the Caribbean by early July. When Beryl made landfall in Texas as a Category 1, it caused widespread power outages that lasted over a week.
Then came an unexpected lull – the longest stormless stretch in the Atlantic Basin in over 50 years.
Was the season a bust, some asked? Too much Saharan dust? Not quite. We just didn't take into account that the African monsoon would shift so far north.
Why does that matter? It can and did lead to a decrease in hurricane activity because the easterly waves (hurricane seedlings) were moving over cooler waters further north and away from the main development region where conditions are just right.
Had this not been the case, the east coast of Florida may have had a very different season.
Helene, the deadliest hurricane of the 2024 season
While Beryl weakened before it hit the U.S., Hurricane Helene was doing just the opposite. It was gathering strength and would end up being the deadliest and most destructive hurricane of the season.
Helene would also be one of three Florida landfalls. Helene roared ashore as a massive Category 4 hurricane on Sept. 26.
Not many in the southern Appalachians think about hurricane impacts, but Helene would change minds and reshape the landscape.
The storm's flooding would claim over 200 lives, making it the second-deadliest hurricane in the past 50 years. Only Hurricane Katrina topped those numbers.
Hurricane Milton prompted mass evacuations in Florida
Less than two weeks later, Hurricane Milton prompted the largest mass evacuation in Florida since Irma but made landfall south of Tampa as a Category 3 storm. It spared the Tampa Bay area a catastrophic storm surge. Yet, millions in Florida experienced widespread flooding, storm surges and damaging winds.
While Southeast Florida was spared a hurricane landfall, north Florida and the west coast of the peninsula were hit by 3 hurricanes. Add two other landfalls in the U.S. and it makes it the fourth-most landfalls in a season on record.
Four of the five hurricanes also spawned tornado outbreaks like Hurricane Milton in South Florida.
These were not tropical tornadoes; these were what we call supercells, the kind you see in tornado alley. When there is a frontal boundary nearby, as was the case with Milton, you tend to see a lot more spin in the atmosphere and these supercells were able to take advantage of this and reach intensities not typically seen in the Sunshine State.
The Milton tornado outbreak left widespread destruction and a high death toll.
Hurricane Debby went as far as New York
One of the three hurricanes to hit Florida had impacts as far north as New York. Hurricane Debby, which made landfall as a Category 1 near the Big Bend of Florida on August 5, generated multiple tornadoes and caused significant flooding.
Debby's torrential rain then spread across the eastern seaboard with multiple flash flood emergencies across the northeast. Rivers came out of their banks, and emergency rescue helicopters had to evacuate many trapped by the floodwaters.
It was one of the most bizarre seasons I can recall because it just didn't "behave" the way we expected. The major lull in the peak of the season no one saw coming.
But where the eastern Atlantic fluttered, the Caribbean and Gulf changed everything. Low wind shear, record ocean temps and what we call the Central American Gyre all came into phase to produce the late-season rally.
During this late-season ramp-up, our warming climate and oceans played a key role in each hurricane's intensity, whereas with cooler water, some hurricanes would have stayed tropical storms and others would not have rapidly intensified.
In all, the 2024 season produced 18 named storms, 11 hurricanes, and 5 major hurricanes, more than the average of 14 named storms, 7 hurricanes, and 3 major hurricanes. It will go down as one of the most destructive and deadliest seasons on record.
So friends, enjoy the break we get now until late spring, and while there will still be a flurry of predictions by then, let's take it one storm at a time and prepare just the same.
