The 2021 Atlantic hurricane season exhausted its name list for the second consecutive year.
In short: With 21 named storms, the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season ranks as the third-most active on record. While many systems were short-lived, the season caused nearly 81 billion dollars in damage and 194 deaths, driven largely by the catastrophic impact of Hurricane Ida, which struck Louisiana exactly 16 years after Katrina.
The 2021 season officially spanned from June 1 to November 30, yet it began early with the development of Tropical Storm Ana on May 22. This marked the seventh consecutive year that a storm formed before the official start date. The season was characterized by high activity, exhausting its primary list of 21 names for the third time in history and the second year in a row. Despite the high number of named storms, the count of seven hurricanes and four major hurricanes remained near-average.
Hurricane Ida was the season's defining event. Striking southeastern Louisiana as a Category 4 storm on August 29, it accounted for over 93% of the season's total financial damage, exceeding 75 billion dollars. Ida caused 107 deaths and triggered destructive flooding and tornadoes as far north as the Northeastern United States. Other notable systems included Elsa, the earliest-forming fifth named storm on record, and Hurricane Sam, which became the season's most intense system, reaching Category 4 strength. Researchers even deployed saildrones to capture data from inside Sam, the first time a vessel had ventured into the core of a major hurricane.
The season's high activity was attributed to the warm Atlantic multidecadal oscillation, which has persisted since 1995, alongside the presence of a La Niña and heavy West African Monsoon precipitation. While forecasting agencies generally predicted above-average activity, the season's cumulative Accumulated Cyclone Energy index reached approximately 145.6 units. This continued a trend of high-energy seasons, with every year since 2016 recording an index value exceeding 129, a streak described by experts as unprecedented in the modern era.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: 2021 Atlantic hurricane season
- Also: The 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season At A Glance
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