Active Atlantic Hurricane Season Comes to a Close Tomorrow

Aside from the historic October Nor'easter which caused massive power outages across Connecticut, Tropical Storm Irene was the most memorable weather event this year. Irene will long be remembered by residents of southwestern Connecticut for the number of lives it affected. More than 700,000 customers were without power after the storm which, at the time, easily broke the previous record of 480,000 following Hurricane Gloria in September of 1985.

The Atlantic hurricane season officially ends tomorrow, with a total of 19 tropical storms, seven of which became hurricanes, including three major hurricanes. The level of activity actually matched NOAA’s predictions and continues the trend of active hurricane seasons that began in 1995. Irene was the lone hurricane to hit the United States in 2011, and the first one to do so since Ike struck southeast Texas in 2008. Irene was also the most significant tropical cyclone to strike the Northeast since Hurricane Bob in 1991.

The 19 tropical storms this season represent the third-highest total (tied with 1887, 1995, and 2010) since records began in 1851 and is well above the average of 11. However, the number of hurricanes and major hurricanes is only slightly above the average of six and two, respectively. This year’s totals include a post-storm upgrade of Tropical Storm Nate to hurricane status, and the addition of a short-lived, unnamed tropical storm that formed in early September between Bermuda and Nova Scotia.

As for Irene, the southwestern Connecticut shoreline was hit the hardest, especially during the storm surge during the time of astronomical high tide at the time of the storm's arrival. Several homes collapsed along the beach in Fairfield, and many residents had to be evacuated due to the flooding. There were 35 streets which were under mandatory evacuation. Ralph Fato of Norwalk sent the following photos of Cove Island Park in Stamford, where the water level was 15 feet above normal. The beach is actually a quarter-mile away.





The highest wind gusts reported in the region was 63 miles an hour at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford several hours before the storm hit. The highest wind speed was 46 miles an hour, and the average wind speed was 24.9 miles an hour. Fortunately, winds never reached hurricane force, but that certainly was little consequence to the thousands of people who were left in the dark. Rainfall totals ranged from just over three inches to more than a half-foot in Northern Fairfield County. Here are a few more photos from Ralph.

The combination of near-record sea surface temperatures in the region of the Atlantic Ocean where storms form, but unusually dry, stable air over the ocean helped produce a large number of named storms, but comparatively few hurricanes. Seasonal forecasters, such as Phil Klotzbach of Colorado State University, were very close on their predictions for named storms. Klotzbach called for 17, but he predicted nine hurricanes for 2011.

Now, our attention turns to the Winter season. I'm sticking with a prediction of a somewhat "normal" Winter, which means about 30 inches of snow and slightly colder-than-normal temperatures. Last year, 60 inches of snow fell across southwestern Connecticut, double the norm, but less than the record 78-inch snowfall during the Winter of 1995-96. What's your prediction?

Paul