Record-setting hurricane seasons in the eastern and central Pacific came to a close Monday as the Atlantic ended its storm period below normal and the U.S. passed another year without a strike by a major system.
The Atlantic produced 11 named storms, those with winds of at least 39 miles (63 kilometers) per hour, one below the 30- year average for the basin and in line with pre-season forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, according to the National Weather Service. Unfavorable conditions caused by El Nino were the leading reason for the low number.
“El Nino produces a see-saw effect, suppressing the Atlantic season while strengthening the eastern and central Pacific hurricane seasons,” said Gerry Bell, lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at the U.S. Climate Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland. “El Nino intensified into a strong event during the summer and significantly impacted all three hurricane seasons during their peak months.”
Two of the Atlantic storms were severe. More than 20 people were killed on Dominica by Tropical Storm Erika in August, and Hurricane Joaquin, the strongest storm to strike the Bahamas in October since 1866, killed 33 people aboard the freighter El Faro.
Pacific storms
The eastern Pacific produced nine major hurricanes, or Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale, the first time that’s happened since records began in 1971, the weather service said. In all, 18 storms formed in the ocean off the coasts of Mexico and Central America.
In the central Pacific, which includes the seas around Hawaii, 14 named storms emerged, also the most since 1971. In addition, three major hurricanes spawned there crossed the International Dateline and headed for the western Pacific as typhoons. It was the first time that has ever happened as well.
El Nino is a warming of the equatorial Pacific that causes changes in the atmosphere, touching off a disruption of weather patterns worldwide. In the Atlantic, it brings on more wind shear, which can tear storms apart, while in its own ocean the warmer water provides fuel for storms.
Hurricane season in the Pacific starts on May 15 and ends on Nov. 30. In the Atlantic the end date is the same, but the season starts on June 1.
To contact the reporter on this story: Brian K. Sullivan in Boston at bsullivan10bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Lynn Doan at ldoan6bloomberg.net Charlotte Porter, Stephen Cunningham