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| The Map of the Tropical Activity for 2017 Says it All |
Today officially marks the end of the Atlantic Hurricane Season for 2017. This has been a devastating hurricane season in the Caribbean, Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. There were three extremely powerful hurricanes, Harvey, Irma and Marie that were responsible for the majority of the record setting damage.
The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season has been a hyperactive and extremely destructive one,
featuring 17 named storms, tying with the 1936 as the fifth-most active
season since records began in 1851, and the most since 2012. The
season also features both the highest total accumulated cyclone
energy and
the highest number of major hurricanes since the 2005.
Ironically, I arrived here in Key West right behind Hurricane Wilma in October
of 2005. 2017’s
hurricane season was by far the costliest season on record, with a preliminary
total of over $367.56 billion in damages, which is more than double the second
costliest hurricane season’s damage. The tough part is that nearly all of the
costs was due to three of the season's major hurricanes, Harvey, Irma and Marie.
This season is also one of only six
years on record to feature multiple Category 5 hurricanes. Irma's
landfalls on multiple Caribbean islands and Maria's landfall
on Dominica made 2017 the second season on record other than 2007 to
feature two hurricanes making landfall at Category 5 intensity. In addition, Irma was the strongest hurricane
ever recorded to form in the Atlantic Ocean outside of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean
Sea.
Lets just hope that the 2018 season doesn't come close to this one. Good by and good riddens to this year's hurricane season.
