Hurricane Season 2023: A Quiet End with Intense Major Hurricanes

Hurricane Season Wrap-up

• 🗓️ The 2023 hurricane season officially concludes on November 30th, with only five days remaining.
• 💨 The season has been notably quiet since Hurricane Melissa, with no landfalling hurricanes along the US coastline for the first time in 10 years.

Storm Activity and Tracks

• 🌊 The dominant steering feature this season was the Bermuda high, influencing storms to track west and northwesterly before curving back over open waters.
• 🌪️ The Gulf of Mexico saw only one storm, Tropical Storm Barry, early in the season.
• 🏝️ The Caribbean remained quiet for most of the season.

Season Predictions vs. Reality

• 📊 Pre-season forecasts from Colorado State and NOAA predicted a slightly above-average season.
• 📈 The season ended with 13 named storms, five hurricanes, and four major hurricanes.
• 📉 Based on the number of storms alone, the season was slightly below average.

Intensity and Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE)

• ⚠️ Despite fewer storms, the four major hurricanes were highly intense.
• ⚡ The Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) metric, which measures the energy expended by tropical systems, was 133, slightly above the average of 123.
• 📈 This higher ACE indicates a slightly above-average season when considering storm intensity, aligning with a trend of major hurricanes becoming stronger in recent years.