NOAA satellites constantly monitor the ocean for tropical activity. As the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season comes to a close on Nov. 30, we’re looking back at its above-average activity, with a record breaking ramp up following a peak-season lull. 

So far, eighteen tropical depressions have formed, and all of them were named storms. Eleven storms became hurricanes, of which five strengthened into major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale). Of those storms, five made landfall in the continental U.S., with two making landfall as major hurricanes. Although the season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, tropical and subtropical cyclone formation can occur at any time. 

Though the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, due to a large stationary heat dome over Central America and Mexico, it had its slowest start since 2014. The season's first named storm, Tropical Storm Alberto, formed in the western Gulf of Mexico on June 19, making landfall on the northeastern coast of Mexico the following day. Next came Hurricane Beryl, the earliest Atlantic basin Category-5 hurricane on record in a season and the strongest June and July hurricane on record in the basin. Beryl affected parts of the Caribbean, the Yucatán Peninsula, and the Gulf Coast of the United States, causing moderate storm surge flooding across parts of Texas and Louisiana after making landfall near Matagorda, Texas, as a Category-1 storm. After Beryl dissipated on July 11, the Atlantic basin would fall under a period of inactivity due to the Saharan air layer, which suppresses tropical activity.

Despite the unseasonably warm temperatures in the North Atlantic, the equatorial Atlantic cooled rapidly into an "Atlantic Niña" due to upwelling caused by shifts in the trade winds and the Atlantic zonal mode. After nearly three weeks of inactivity, the longest in over fifty years at that point in the season, Hurricane Francine formed on Sept. 9, making landfall in Louisiana as a Category 2 system on Sept. 11. Four systems developed during the final week of September, starting with Hurricane Helene on September 24.

Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category-4 storm on the Florida Gulf Coast on Sept. 26. The storm caused catastrophic flooding across the southern Appalachians, widespread wind damage from the Gulf Coast to the North Carolina mountains and storm surge flooding along portions of western Florida. Preliminary data indicate that Helene was the strongest hurricane on record to strike the Big Bend region of Florida, the deadliest Atlantic hurricane since Maria in 2017 and the deadliest hurricane to affect the continental United States since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, with more than 150 direct fatalities, the majority of which occurred in North Carolina and South Carolina. Hurricane Helene marked the first time ever that NHC forecasted a system to become a major hurricane before it became a tropical depression or tropical storm. 

Early October saw the formations of Hurricanes Leslie and Milton, which, along with Kirk, marked the first time on record that there were three simultaneously active hurricanes in the Atlantic basin after September. Hurricane Milton notably underwent explosive rapid intensification within the Gulf of Mexico to become the second Category 5 hurricane of the season, making 2024 the first Atlantic hurricane season since 2019 to feature multiple Category 5 hurricanes. Milton made landfall on the west coast of Florida on Oct. 9, less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated the state's Big Bend region, resulting in a tornado outbreak that produced 19 tornadoes, and caused torrential rainfall and localized flooding with total rainfall amounts of 10 to 15 inches (and higher). Milton became the first Atlantic hurricane since Hurricane Wilma to reach a pressure below 900 mb (26.58 inHg) and the second-most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded over the Gulf of Mexico, only after Hurricane Rita. The thirteenth named storm, ninth hurricane, fourth major hurricane, and second Category 5 hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, Milton is, so far, the strongest tropical cyclone worldwide in 2024.

The Atlantic seasonal activity fell within the predicted ranges for named storms and hurricanes issued by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center in the August Hurricane Season Outlook, with an average season consisting of 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes. NOAA’s Hurricane Analysis and Forecast System aided National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecasters with improved predictions this season. 

“During this active season in the Atlantic, NOAA’s National Weather Service, National Hurricane Center and NOAA Research hurricane scientists continued to advance our modeling and observation capabilities, preliminarily resulting in the most accurate NHC track forecasts ever issued at all forecast lead times in 2024,” said Michael Brennan, Ph.D., director, NOAA’s National Hurricane Center.

NHC implemented an experimental version of the cone graphic in 2024 that includes U.S. tropical storm and hurricane watches and warnings over inland areas. NHC scientists will evaluate public feedback on the usefulness of the experimental cone during the off-season months before NHC determines the future of the new cone graphic.

NOAA’s advanced geostationary and polar-orbiting weather satellites provided observations to improve the 3-5 day forecast and for situational awareness throughout the hurricane season. The GOES East geostationary satellite, also known as GOES-16, keeps watch over most of North America, including the contiguous United States and Mexico, as well as Central and South America, the Caribbean, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west coast of Africa. The satellite's high-resolution imagery provides optimal viewing of severe weather events, including thunderstorms, tropical storms, and hurricanes. The Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) instrument on the Joint Polar Satellite System’s NOAA-21, NOAA-20, and Suomi NPP polar-orbiting satellites provides a view inside and below clouds and can be used to produce images inside storms, including hurricanes. 

While the 2024 season is drawing to a close, now is not the time to let your guard down. The 2025 hurricane season will officially begin on June 1. Take the time to ensure your family is Weather-Ready for the season ahead. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service, will issue its initial 2025 seasonal outlook in May.