Earlier this week, on December 1, 2015, the Atlantic, eastern and central Pacific hurricane seasons officially ended.
According to NOAA, the Atlantic season stayed below normal with 11 named storms. This included 4 hurricanes (Danny, Fred, Joaquin and Kate). Two of these—Danny and Joaquin—became major hurricanes.
No hurricanes made landfall in the U.S. this year. However, two tropical storms struck the coast. Ana, which struck the northeastern coast of South Carolina, caused minor wind damage, beach erosion, and one direct death in North Carolina. Bill, which struck Texas, produced heavy rain and flooding as it moved across eastern Texas and Oklahoma.
Hurricane Joaquin is the first Category 4 hurricane since 1866 to impact the Bahamas during the month of October.
NOAA summarized the active eastern and central Pacific seasons:
The eastern Pacific saw 18 named storms, including 13 hurricanes, nine of which became major. This is the first year since reliable record keeping began in 1971 that the eastern Pacific saw nine major hurricanes. Hurricane Patricia was the strongest hurricane on record in the Western Hemisphere in terms of maximum wind speed at 200 miles per hour and lowest air pressure at 879 millibars. Hurricane Sandra, which formed at the tail end of the season, was the strongest hurricane in the eastern Pacific so late in the year, with a maximum sustained wind speed of 145 miles per hour.
The central Pacific shattered its records too, with 14 named storms, including eight hurricanes, five of which became major hurricanes, the most active season since reliable record-keeping began in 1971. Three major hurricanes (Ignacio, Kilo and Jimena) churned at the same time east of the International Dateline, the first time that was ever recorded.
Although hurricane season is officially over, and Florida made it through another season unscathed, now is the time for homeowners and business owners to review their property insurance policies with a qualified professional to ensure that they are properly protected before next hurricane season.
