The 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season – By the Numbers

Satellite image of Category Five Hurricane Matthew in the Western Caribbean – Courtesy of NOAA.

The 2015 Atlantic Hurricane Season ended thankfully on Wednesday, November 30th. The season was the first above average one in four years. The 2016 season had more of a typical peak with 10 named storms and three of its major hurricanes forming between August 1st and October 4th.

There was one Category Five Hurricane in the Atlantic during the 2016 season.  Hurricane Matthew, the most powerful storm of the season, reached Category Five strength as it made landfall in Mexico Beach, Florida.  There were four major hurricanes with one occurring each month from August to November.

2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season Storm Tracks
Figure 1: 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season Storm Tracks – Courtesy of TroPYcal, HURDAT, and NOAA.

There was activity for much of the year. Alex was a rare hurricane that formed in January, and was the first of four named storms that formed before July 1st.  Hurricane Otto emerged during the last 10 days of the 2016 season.  The storm dissipated with four days left in the season.  Let’s take a look at the 2016 Atlantic Hurricane season by the numbers.  

Total Depressions/PTCs16
Total Storms15
Named Storm Days81
Month with Most Named StormsAugust and September – 5
Total Hurricanes7
Hurricane Days27.75
Month with Most HurricanesAugust and September – 2
Total Major Hurricanes4
Major Hurricane Days10.25
Month with Most Major HurricanesAugust, September, October, and November – 1
Category Five Hurricanes1
Category Five Days0.25
U.S. Landfalling Hurricanes2
Strongest StormHurricane Matthew
Max Sustained Winds (mph)165
Lowest Pressure (mb)934
ACE141.3
Damage Costs$17.5 billion
Deaths736
Table 1: The 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season by the Numbers.

Sources:  Colorado State University, National Hurricane Center, and Wikipedia