Now that the 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Season is officially over, it's time for meteorology geeks to return to their bunkers to crunch numbers and oogle at the awesome season we had. This season was tied with 1887 and 1995 as the 3rd most active Atlantic hurricane season on record, registering 19 named storms and 21 systems in all. Follow me over the fold for the awesome video, statistics, and cool satellite images.
This video is from NOAA, showing an animated satellite image of the Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico between June 1 and November 30. Not only is it awesome to watch all the storms back-to-back, it's cool to watch the storm systems and thunderstorm complexes develop over the US as well. Be sure to look carefully at blobs of clouds as they move across from west to east...NOAA was kind enough to add little tiny captions to each storm.
Hurricane Alex
June 25 through July 2
110 MPH - Category 2
946mb
Hurricane Alex was the first storm of the 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Season, forming just off the northeastern coast of Honduras. The system strengthened into a Tropical Storm until it made its first landfall in Belize. Alex weakened slightly over the mountains before moving back over the Gulf of Mexico and regaining Tropical Storm status. Alex steadily strengthened over the next few days before making landfall in Mexico about 50 miles south of Brownsville, Texas. The storm moved inland and dissipated over the mountains of interior Mexico.
Hurricane Alex on radar at landfall, via Wunderground
Hurricane Alex's radar history, via Wunderground
Hurricane Alex's wind swath history, via NHC
Tropical Storm Bonnie
July 22 through July 24
40 MPH
1007mb
Tropical Storm Bonnie was a poorly-defined and short lived storm that formed over the Bahamas from a tropical wave that came off Africa. The depression strengthened into a Tropical Storm off the coast of Florida, making landfall south of Miami. The storm weakened over Florida, and didn't have the organization to redevelop over the Gulf of Mexico. Bonnie dissipated in the Gulf about 150 miles south of Pensacola, Florida.
Tropical Storm Bonnie's radar history, via Wunderground
Tropical Storm Bonnie's wind swath history, via NHC
Tropical Storm Colin
August 2 through August 8
60 MPH
1005mb
Tropical Storm Colin formed from a tropical wave between the Windward Islands and Africa. The system was declared a Tropical Storm shortly thereafter, and almost just as quickly lost a defined center of circulation at the surface. The remnants of Colin drifted northwestward over the next few days, and regenerated itself as a Tropical Storm about halfway between Puerto Rico and Bermuda. The storm strengthened to 60 MPH before slowly dissipating just south of Bermuda.
Tropical Storm Colin's wind swath history, via NHC
Hurricane Danielle
August 21 through August 30
135 MPH - Category 4
942mb
Danielle formed southwest of the Cape Verde Islands from a tropical wave that came off the African coast. Over the next few days, the system would gain Tropical Storm and Hurricane status as it gradually got better organized moving towards the northwest in the Atlantic. Danielle became the first Major Hurricane of the season, strengthening to a Category 4 with 135 MPH winds, before weakening and eventually getting absorbed by a low in the North Atlantic.
Hurricane Danielle's wind swath history, via NHC
Hurricane Earl
August 25 through September 4
145 MPH - Category 4
928mb
Earl, as its predecessor Danielle, formed from a tropical wave near the Cape Verde Islands. As it moved westward over the Atlantic, it strengthened into a Tropical Storm, and eventually attained Hurricane status near the Windward Islands. The system grazed the the Greater Antilles as a Category 4 before moving towards the Mid-Atlantic of the United States. Earl came dangerously close to Cape Hatteras, NC, but stayed far enough offshore to prevent any structural damage to the coast. Earl weakened to a strong Tropical Storm as it raced northward, and made two landfalls in Canada -- the first in Nova Scotia, and the second in extreme eastern Prince Edward Island. After moving across PEI, Earl rapidly transitioned to an extratropical cyclone and absorbed into other systems.
Hurricane Earl on radar approaching the Greater Antilles, via METEOFrance
Hurricane Earl on Puerto Rico's radar, via Wunderground
Hurricane Earl on radar approaching the Outer Banks of NC, via Wunderground
Hurricane Earl's radar history, via Wunderground
Hurricane Earl's wind swath history, via NHC
Tropical Storm Fiona
August 30 through September 4
65 MPH
998mb
Tropical Storm Fiona was the third in a rapid succession of cyclones to form in the Atlantic in late August. On the heels of Danielle and Earl, Fiona followed almost the exact same track and lifecycle that Colin did. Fiona's circulation dissipated south of Bermuda, and brought some rain to the island.
Tropical Storm Fiona's wind swath history, via NHC
Tropical Storm Gaston
September 1 through September 2
40 MPH
1005mb
Tropical Storm Gaston was an incredibly disorganized and short lived storm, lasting only a handful of hours before dry air inhibited development and killed the storm. Its remnants moved across the Leeward Islands with slightly disturbed weather, before dissipating south of Puerto Rico several days later.
Tropical Storm Gaston's wind swath history, via NHC
Tropical Storm Hermine
September 5 through September 9
70 MPH
989mb
Tropical Storm Hermine formed in the Bay of Campeche from the remnants of a Tropical Depression in the Pacific Ocean. Hermine strengthened steadily to near-hurricane strength, before making landfall in Mexico south of Brownsville, Texas. Hermine's remnants moved north across the Midwestern US, causing flooding rains and tornadoes in its path.
Tropical Storm Hermine's radar history, via Wunderground
Tropical Storm Hermine's wind swath history, via NHC
Hurricane Igor
September 8 through September 21
155 MPH - Category 4
925mb
Hurricane Igor formed from a tropical wave over the Cape Verde Islands, and moved westward across the open Atlantic. About 1500 miles east of the Leeward Islands, Igor rapidly developed into a Category 4 hurricane and turned northwestward towards Bermuda. Igor passed 10-20 miles west of Bermuda on September 19th, bringing 80-90 MPH winds, heavy rains, and extreme waves to the island. After departing Bermuda, Igor grew into an extremely large storm, almost the size of Texas, as it crossed the Canadian Maritimes and turned extratropical.
Hurricane Igor's wind swath history, via NHC
Hurricane Julia
September 12 through September 20
140 MPH - Category 4
948mb
Hurricane Julia was yet another storm to develop in the Cape Verde Islands, and strengthened to a Tropical Storm almost immediately after attaining Tropical Depression status. The storm quickly strengthened to Category 4 Hurricane northwest of the Cape Verde islands, before racing off to the northwest into open waters. Julia weakened just as quickly to a Tropical Depression as it curved to the northeast, before turning completely extratropical and looping back to the west.
Hurricane Julia's wind swath history, via NHC
Hurricane Karl
September 14 through September 18
120 MPH - Category 3
956mb
Karl formed from a tropical wave located off the northern coast of Honduras, and strengthened to a strong Tropical Storm before making landfall in Belize City, Belize. As Karl moved over the Yucatan, it weakened slightly before emerging in the Bay of Campeche. Shortly after moving over water, Karl exploded into a Category 3 Hurricane, becoming the first hurricane ever to form so far south in the Bay of Campeche. Karl moved westward, quickly making landfall in Mexico, and dissipating over the country's interior mountains.
Hurricane Karl's wind swath history, via NHC
Hurricane Lisa
September 20 through September 26
85 MPH - Category 1
982mb
Hurricane Lisa was an interesting storm that formed west of the Cape Verde Islands. After attaining Tropical Storm status, the system moved eastward towards Cape Verde and the coast of Africa, before making a 90 degree turn towards the north. On the verge of dissipating several times, Lisa rapidly strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane -- even developing an eye -- before just as rapidly weakening and dissipating about 500 miles west of the Azores Islands.
Hurricane Lisa's wind swath history, via NHC
Tropical Storm Matthew
September 23 through September 26
60 MPH
998mb
Tropical Storm Matthew formed from a tropical wave located north of Venezuela, and moved quickly westward towards the coast of Honduras. It made landfall in Honduras, moved back briefly over the Caribbean, and made another landfall in Belize. After its Belizean landfall, Matthew dissipated over land.
Tropical Storm Matthew's wind swath history, via NHC
Tropical Storm Nicole
September 28 through September 30
40 MPH
995mb
Tropical Storm Nicole formed from an area of disturbed weather south of Cuba, and remained very disorganized as it moved north over the island nation. Nicole emerged in the Florida Straits, and the much-hyped system disappointed the media by dissipating before it could wreak havoc on Southern Florida.
Tropical Storm Nicole's radar history, via Wunderground
Tropical Storm Nicole's wind swath history, via NHC
Hurricane Otto
October 6 through October 10
85 MPH - Category 1
976mb
Subtropical Depression 17 formed from an area of thunderstorms north of Puerto Rico, and became Subtropical Storm Otto east of the Bahamas a day later. As it began to race off to the northeast, Otto briefly became a hurricane before losing its tropical characteristics. Its remnants continued to move through the Atlantic, eventually dissipating north of the Azores Islands.
Hurricane Otto's wind swath history, via NHC
Hurricane Paula
October 11 through October 15
100 MPH - Category 2
981mb
Paula formed from a tropical wave located off the coast of Honduras, and drifted off to the northwest, gradually gaining strength. It attained Category 2 status before making an abrupt turn to the east as wind shear took its toll on the system. Paula weakened as it crossed Cuba, and dissipated over the extreme southwestern Bahamas.
Hurricane Paula's radar history, via Wunderground
Hurricane Paula's wind swath history, via NHC
Hurricane Richard
October 20 through October 26
100 MPH - Category 2
978mb
Richard formed in almost the exact same spot in which Paula formed, but this system moved of to the southeast before turning back towards Honduras. Richard strengthened and grazed Honduras and Guatemala before making landfall as a Category 2 hurricane in Belize. Richard's remnants were forecast to redevelop and slam into the Northern Gulf Coast, but the mountainous Yucatan Peninsula shredded and dissipated Richard before that could happen.
Hurricane Richard approaching Belize, radar via Belize Weather Bureau
Hurricane Richard nearing landfall in Belize, radar via Belize Weather Bureau
Hurricane Richard's wind swath history, via NHC
Hurricane Shary
October 28 through October 30
75 MPH - Category 1
989mb
Shary was a short lived storm, and grew into a Hurricane (and dissipated) very quickly. A small core of thunderstorm in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean acquired just enough organization to ramp up into a Hurricane strength cyclone, before the complex of storms raced northeastward into the open Atlantic and lost all tropical characteristics.
Hurricane Shary's wind swath history, via NHC
Hurricane Tomas
October 29 through November 7
100 MPH - Category 2
982mb
Hurricane Tomas, the last storm of the year and only the third time in recorded history that the Atlantic hurricane season recorded a "T" storm, developed from a tropical wave just east of the Lesser Antilles. After gaining Hurricane strength over the islands, wind shear and dry air took their toll on the system, and weakened Tomas to a weak Tropical Storm. Tomas wandered westward before curving to the north and regaining Hurricane strength. The storm came dangerously close to Nature-ravaged Haiti, squeezing just between Haiti and Cuba before entering the Atlantic east of the Bahamas and dissipating.
Hurricane Tomas' wind swath history, via NHC
Season Stats and Records:
>Ties for the 3rd most active season on record
>First hurricane to form so far south in the Bay of Campeche (Karl)
>Total Season Deaths: 282
>Total Season Damages (USD): $11,298,600,000
>Total Landfalls: 16
Tracks of all 21 systems from the 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Click to enlarge.
*All images from Wikipedia, unless otherwise stated. Graphs my own work from Microsoft Powerpoint. Storm summaries, graph information, and other tidbits collected from info provided by the NHC and Wikipedia.