Center for Disaster Philanthropy
The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season was one for the record books before it even officially started. Researchers and meteorologists began calling for an above-average season in a prediction from University College London on December 19, 2019 – shortly after the end of the 2019 season. As forecasts continued through the winter and spring 2020, they all coalesced around predictions of 15-20 named storms and four major hurricanes. Two months into the season, NOAA released an updated 2020 Atlantic hurricane season outlook on Aug. 6. This updated outlook called for as many as 25 named storms and six major hurricanes, more than double the 1981-2010 historical averages.
To date (Nov. 9) there have been 29 tropical depressions, of which 28 became tropical storms. Twelve became hurricanes, including five major hurricanes. The most recent storm is Hurricane Eta, the seventh letter of the Greek Alphabet (which is used when the list of names designated for the season is finished). This is the first time that the name Eta has been used, and 2020 is now tied with 2005 for the most number of storms in a season. Eta wasn’t used in 2005 as a storm was added retrospectively. The National Hurricane Center is currently tracking two new systems in addition to Hurricane Eta. The first is highly likely to form a tropical depression in the middle of the Atlantic and move east towards North Africa and the Strait of Gibraltar. The second is moderately likely to form a tropical depression in the Caribbean Sea and potentially move towards areas struck by Hurricane Eta.
Through the first part of 2020, the impact of the Atlantic hurricane season was minor, with less than $1 billion in total reported damage through July 27. However, later storms, beginning with Hurricane Isaias, were more damaging, with current assessments coming in close to $6 billion and Hurricane Laura at $10-12 billion. Damage from Sally was estimated to total $8-10 billion. Delta and Zeta damage estimates are not finalized as of yet but are also likely to be substantial.
Sadly, over 200 people have lost their lives so far in the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. FEMA has issued several Emergency Declarations and Major Disaster Declarations. An emergency declaration allows a local or state government to use resources to respond but does not implicate any federal spending. A major disaster declaration provides for individual and/or public assistance spending from the federal government with a cost-share obligation from the states/territories.