The hurricane season ends on Saturday and it was extremely active, though slightly below forecasts issued by Colorado State University. CSU Research Scientist Phil Koltzbach says an average season has 14 named storms and in 2024 there were 18 named storms, slightly less than the 25 predicted in July.
“We got more than normal but not as many as we forecast and some of our other longevity of storms and an overall metric of wind energy generated by hurricanes we somewhat over forecast that.”
Five hurricanes made U.S. landfall, tied for the second most in history, with major hurricanes Helene and Milton causing significant damage. The season caused approximately 250 fatalities and 100 billion dollars in damages. The record-warm Atlantic sea surface temperatures and cool neutral conditions contributed to low vertical wind shear, fostering hurricane development. Klotzbach says despite these factors, a mid-season lull occurred due to dry air.
“From about mid-August to late September we had no storm activity or little storm activity during the peak of the season.”
With the 2024 Hurricane season-ending, Klotzbach says next year’s forecast won’t be out until next April, but they have already at work on it.
“We Use a lot of historical data. So, we look for precursor signals. So, basically what sense of climate conditions preceded after the seasons.”
