Guido Amrein/iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — The 2018 Atlantic hurricane season officially ends on November 30th, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says it will be remembered for damaging and deadly storms.
Between May 25 and the end of the season, there were 15 named storms, including eight hurricanes. Both of those numbers exceed NOAA’s figures for an “average” season — 12 named storms and six hurricanes.
2018 was the first Atlantic hurricane season since 2008 to have four named storms active at the same time. The season also saw an all-time high seven named storms that were classified as subtropical at some point. All seven eventually transitioned into a tropical storm.
Gerry Bell, Ph. D., lead season hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center said that while the season fell within the agency’s predicted ranges from their preseason outlook, “the overall season was more active than predicted.” Bell went on to cite climatological factors, including warmer ocean temperatures and a late forming El Niño, for the more active season.
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