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Subject: E11) How many tropical cyclones have there been each
year in the Atlantic basin? What years were the greatest
and fewest seen?
Contributed by Chris Landsea
Starting in 1944, systematic aircraft reconnaissance was
commenced for monitoring both tropical cyclones and disturbances
that had the potential to develop into tropica cyclones. This
is why both Neumann et al. (1993)
and Landsea (1993)
recommend utilizing data since 1944 for computing climatological
statistics. However, for tropical cyclones striking the USA
East and Gulf coasts - because of highly populated coast lines,
data with good reliability extends back to around 1899. Thus, the
following records hold for the entire Atlantic basin (from
1944-present) and for the USA coastline (1899-present):
| Category |
Maximum |
Minimum |
| Named storms |
28
(2005) |
4
(1983) |
| Hurricanes |
15
(2005) |
2
(1982) |
| Major Hurricanes |
8
(1950) |
0
(many times,1994 last) |
| USA landfalling named storms |
9
(2004) |
1
(many,1991) |
| USA landfalling hurricanes |
6 +
(1916,1985,2004) |
0
(many,2001) |
| USA landfalling major hurricanes |
4
(2005) |
0
(many,2003) |
+ 1886 is recorded as the most active hurricane season for the
continental USA with 7 landfalling hurricanes.
Atlantic basin
Individual years with the numbers in each category
| Year |
Named
Storms |
Hurricanes |
Major
Hurricanes |
ACE |
| ^ Click header for diagram ^ |
| 1851 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 36
| | 1852 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 73
| | 1853 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 76
| | 1854 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 31
| | 1855 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 18
| | 1856 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 49
| | 1857 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 43
| | 1858 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 45
| | 1859 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 61
| | 1860 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 62
| | 1861 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 50
| | 1862 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 46
| | 1863 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 50
| | 1864 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 27
| | 1865 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 49
| | 1866 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 88
| | 1867 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 60
| | 1868 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 35
| | 1869 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 51
| | 1870 | 11 | 10 | 2 | 88
| | 1871 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 88
| | 1872 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 65
| | 1873 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 69
| | 1874 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 47
| | 1875 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 72
| | 1876 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 57
| | 1877 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 73
| | 1878 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 181
| | 1879 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 64
| | 1880 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 131
| | 1881 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 59
| | 1882 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 63
| | 1883 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 67
| | 1884 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 72
| | 1885 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 58
| | 1886 | 12 | 10 | 4 | 166
| | 1887 | 19 | 11 | 2 | 182
| | 1888 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 85
| | 1889 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 104
| | 1890 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 33
| | 1891 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 116
| | 1892 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 116
| | 1893 | 12 | 10 | 5 | 231
| | 1894 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 135
| | 1895 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 69
| | 1896 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 136
| | 1897 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 55
| | 1898 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 113
| | 1899 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 150
| | 1900 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 84
| | 1901 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 93
| | 1902 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 33
| | 1903 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 102
| | 1904 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 25
| | 1905 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 28
| | 1906 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 163
| | 1907 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 13
| | 1908 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 95
| | 1909 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 92
| | 1910 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 64
| | 1911 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 36
| | 1912 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 74
| | 1913 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 43
| | 1914 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3
| | 1915 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 118
| | 1916 | 14 | 11 | 6 | 177
| | 1917 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 52
| | 1918 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 29
| | 1919 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 48
| | 1920 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 31
| | 1921 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 75
| | 1922 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 58
| | 1923 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 54
| | 1924 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 89
| | 1925 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7
| | 1926 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 222
| | 1927 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 56
| | 1928 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 75
| | 1929 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 43
| | 1930 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 39
| | 1931 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 39
| | 1932 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 136
| | 1933 | 21 | 10 | 5 | 213
| | 1934 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 60
| | 1935 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 95
| | 1936 | 16 | 7 | 1 | 108
| | 1937 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 61
| | 1938 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 73
| | 1939 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 34
| | 1940 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 52
| | 1941 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 61
| | 1942 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 66
| | 1943 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 94
| | 1944 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 96
| | 1945 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 67
| | 1946 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 22
| | 1947 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 112
| | 1948 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 106
| | 1949 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 98
| | 1950 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 243
| | 1951 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 137
| | 1952 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 87
| | 1953 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 104
| | 1954 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 113
| | 1955 | 12 | 9 | 6 | 199
| | 1956 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 54
| | 1957 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 84
| | 1958 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 121
| | 1959 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 77
| | 1960 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 88
| | 1961 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 205
| | 1962 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 36
| | 1963 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 118
| | 1964 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 170
| | 1965 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 84
| | 1966 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 145
| | 1967 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 122
| | 1968 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 35
| | 1969 | 18 | 12 | 5 | 158
| | 1970 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 34
| | 1971 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 97
| | 1972 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 28
| | 1973 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 43
| | 1974 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 61
| | 1975 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 73
| | 1976 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 81
| | 1977 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 25
| | 1978 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 62
| | 1979 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 91
| | 1980 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 147
| | 1981 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 93
| | 1982 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 29
| | 1983 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 17
| | 1984 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 71
| | 1985 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 88
| | 1986 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 36
| | 1987 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 34
| | 1988 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 103
| | 1989 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 135
| | 1990 | 14 | 8 | 1 | 91
| | 1991 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 34
| | 1992 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 75
| | 1993 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 39
| | 1994 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 32
| | 1995 | 19 | 11 | 5 | 227
| | 1996 | 13 | 9 | 6 | 166
| | 1997 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 40
| | 1998 | 14 | 10 | 3 | 182
| | 1999 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 177
| | 2000 | 15 | 8 | 3 | 116
| | 2001 | 15 | 9 | 4 | 106
| | 2002 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 66
| | 2003 | 16 | 7 | 3 | 175
| | 2004 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 224
| | 2005 | 28 | 15 | 7 | 248
| | 2006 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 78
| |
| Average
1965-2006
| 10.9 | 6.1 | 2.3 | 94.5
|
Named Storms = Tropical Storms, Hurricanes and
Subtropical Storms
Hurricanes = Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale 1 to 5
Major Hurricanes = Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale 3, 4,
or 5
"ACE" = Accumilated Cyclone Energy - An index that
combines the numbers of systems, how long they existed and how
intense they became. It is calculated by squaring the maximum
sustained surface wind in the system every six hours and summing
it up for the season. It is expressed in 104
kt2.
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