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Tuesday, December 21, 2010

2010 Season Summary

The 2010 hurricane season was well above average, with

21 cyclones attaining tropical depression status
19 achieving tropical storm status
12 hurricanes
and 5 major hurricanes

This is higher than my predictions of

18 cyclones attaining tropical depression status
17 cyclones attaining tropical storm status
7 cyclones attaining hurricane status
4 cyclones attaining major hurricane status

particularly in the hurricanes category.

This activity (19 named storms) was tied for the third most ever recorded in the Atlantic basin. The most powerful cyclone of the season was Igor, which attained a peak intensity of 155 mph winds and a minimum pressure of 925 mb. It also was the largest tropical cyclone ever to form in the Atlantic basin in terms of tropical storm wind diameter. Due to its colossal nature, Igor was also the third wettest tropical cyclone every recorded in Canada, dumping 9.37 inches of rain in one location in Newfoundland.

Also:

  • 8 storms formed in September (tied for a record high)
  • Four cyclones (Alex, Karl, Matthew, and Richard) made landfall in Belize, although two of them at tropical depression status (record high)
  • Two Category 4 hurricanes (Igor and Julia) existed simultaneously for a brief period of time, an occurrence that has not happened since 1926


Overall, the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season was a very active one, and impacts were mostly in the Caribbean and Central America. The United States, surprisingly, was barely affected, with no hurricane landfalls.