It’s that time of year again, when the tropical storm track is just starting to warm up, and we have a bit of a moment to look back before we look ahead. This issue features our annual analysis of the hurricanes and tornadoes of the previous year. These analyses help give us context for what is to come while also adding another layer to the story of our warming climate. Was last year’s hurricane season another record shattering one? How many records will be shattered this year?
Overall, the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season was above average in terms of the number of named storms but had a normal amount of activity in terms of the number of hurricanes and major hurricanes. Hurricane Idalia was the biggest headline of the season for the United States after it made landfall in the Florida Big Bend region as a Category 3 hurricane. In addition to the United States, the Lesser Antilles, the island of Hispaniola, and Atlantic Canada also experienced impacts from tropical storms. Overall, the Atlantic hurricane season produced an estimated $4.2 billion in damage over the entire basin.
Meanwhile, the 2023 eastern Pacific hurricane season was above average with 17 named storms, of which 10 became hurricanes and 8 became major hurricanes. For comparison, the 1991–2020 seasonal averages are 15 named storms, 8 hurricanes, and 4 major hurricanes. The season was destructive as six tropical cyclones (including two major hurricanes) made landfall in Mexico. Otis became the strongest and costliest eastern Pacific basin hurricane on record to make landfall when it struck the city of Acapulco as a Category 5 hurricane. The eastern Pacific hurricane season produced an estimated $13–$17 billion in damage, making 2023 the costliest hurricane season on record.
For the 2023 tornado season, there were tornadoes in 46 states affecting all states except Maine, Utah, Hawaii, and Alaska. Illinois was the leading state for the number of tornadoes in 2023, followed by Alabama, Colorado, and Texas. There were 83 tornado fatalities in 2023 caused by 26 separate killer tornadoes, which is the most for a year since 2011.
So as is true in many years, there were some records broken but not across the board. It may be years before we know how to put the 2023 numbers into the context of our climate, but it gives us food for thought as we head into the next chapter of extreme weather this year.
I’ll leave you with a slightly brighter thought, this photo of a California superbloom like those mentioned in Ed Darack’s Weatherscapes in this issue. If you ever have reason to be in the area after a heavy winter rainy season, see if you can track this once in a lifetime event!
A superbloom at the Carrizo Plain National Monument in California.
Disclosure Statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).