2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season Fast Facts
CNN Editorial Research
Here is a look at the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season.
Past coverage of the 2020 and 2019 hurricane season and the latest weather news can also be found on CNN.
Follow the storm tracker for the path and forecasts of the latest storm.
Facts
The 2021 Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. The areas covered include the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.
The National Weather Service defines a hurricane as a “tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds of 74 mph (64 knots) or higher.”
Hurricanes are rated according to intensity of sustained winds on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. The 1-5 scale estimates potential property damage.
A Category 3 or higher is considered a major hurricane.
The National Hurricane Center advises preparedness:
A hurricane watch indicates the possibility that a region could experience hurricane conditions within 48 hours.
A hurricane warning indicates that sustained winds of at least 74 mph are expected within 36 hours.
Predictions
April 8, 2021 – The Colorado State University Tropical Meteorology Project team predicts an above-average Atlantic hurricane season. The team forecasts 17 named storms, including eight hurricanes.
May 20, 2021 – The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecasts a 60% chance for an above-normal season, predicting that there is a 70% chance of having 13 to 20 named storms, of which six to 10 could develop into hurricanes, including three to five major hurricanes (Categories 3-5).
August 4, 2021 – NOAA doubles down on its initial seasonal prediction, announcing that forecaster’s confidence has increased and the probability of an above-normal season has risen from 60% to 65%, leaving only a 10% probability of a below-normal season and a 25% probability of a normal season. The agency now predicts 15-21 named storms, including seven to 10 hurricanes, of which three to five are forecast to be major, which remains unchanged from their previous outlook.
2021 Atlantic Storm Names
Hurricane names are pulled from six rotating lists maintained and updated by the World Meteorological Organization. Storm names are retired only when those storms are particularly deadly or costly.
• Ana
• Bill
• Claudette
• Danny
• Elsa
• Fred
• Grace
• Henri
• Ida
• Julian
• Kate
• Larry
• Mindy
• Nicholas
• Odette
• Peter
• Rose
• Sam
• Teresa
• Victor
• Wanda
March 17, 2021 – It is announced that the Greek alphabet will no longer be used to name storms when the normal list of storm names is exhausted. A supplemental list of names will be used instead.
Tropical Storm Ana
May 22, 2021 – Subtropical Storm Ana forms northeast of Bermuda.
May 23, 2021 – Ana transitions to a tropical storm and later weakens to a tropical depression.
Tropical Storm Bill
June 14, 2021 – Tropical Storm Bill forms northeast of North Carolina.
June 16, 2021 – Weakens to a post-tropical cyclone.
Tropical Storm Claudette
June 19, 2021 – Tropical Storm Claudette forms over southeastern Louisiana and makes landfall southwest of New Orleans, later weakening to a tropical depression.
Tropical Storm Danny
June 28, 2021 – Tropical Storm Danny forms off the coast of South Carolina and makes landfall just north of Hilton Head. Later, Danny weakens to a tropical depression.
Hurricane Elsa
July 1, 2021 – Tropical Storm Elsa forms in the Atlantic.
July 2, 2021 – Strengthens into a hurricane near the Lesser Antilles, making it the first hurricane of the season.
July 3, 2021 – Weakens to a tropical storm. Three people are reported dead, two in the Dominican Republic and one on the island of St. Lucia.
July 5, 2021 – Makes landfall in Cuba.
July 7, 2021 – Makes landfall in Florida in Taylor County. Winds from Elsa causes a tree to fall on two cars during an afternoon commute in Jacksonville, Florida, killing one person.
Tropical Storm Fred
August 10, 2021 – Tropical Storm Fred forms off the coast of Puerto Rico.
August 11, 2021 – Fred weakens to a tropical depression over the island of Hispaniola.
August 15, 2021 – Fred regains tropical storm status over the Gulf of Mexico.
August 16, 2021 – Makes landfall in the Florida Panhandle near Cape San Blas.
August 17, 2021 – Weakens to a tropical depression.
Hurricane Grace
August 14, 2021 – Tropical Storm Grace forms in the Atlantic.
August 15, 2021 – Grace weakens to a tropical depression.
August 17, 2021 – Restrengthens to a tropical storm.
August 18, 2021 – Strengthens into a hurricane.
August 19, 2021 – Makes landfall along the eastern Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico near Tulum. Grace later weakens into a tropical storm.
August 20, 2021 – Grace strengthens into a category 3 hurricane.
August 21, 2021 – Makes landfall south of Tuxpan on the eastern coast of Mexico, killing at least eight people.
Hurricane Henri
August 16, 2021 – Tropical Storm Henri forms near Bermuda.
August 21, 2021 – Strengthens into a hurricane.
August 22, 2021 – Weakens to a tropical storm and makes landfall along the coast of Rhode Island.
Hurricane Ida
August 26, 2021 – Tropical Storm Ida forms in the Caribbean.
August 27, 2021 – Hurricane Ida makes landfall in Cuba.
August 29, 2021 – Ida makes landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in Louisiana. The storm claims the lives of at least 26 people across Louisiana and two in Mississippi, destroying businesses and neighborhoods and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands.
August 30, 2021 – Weakens to a tropical depression.
August 31-September 2, 2021 – The remnants of Ida makes its way to the Northeast, where it delivers another round of misery, flooding streets, homes and neighborhoods. At least 54 people die across New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
April 27, 2022 – The World Meteorological Organization Hurricane Committee retires the name Ida from the rotating list of Atlantic tropical cyclone names because of the death and destruction caused by the hurricane.
Tropical Storm Julian
August 29, 2021 – Tropical Storm Julian forms in the Atlantic.
August 30, 2021 – Weakens to a post-tropical cyclone.
Tropical Storm Kate
August 30, 2021 – Tropical Storm Kate forms in the Atlantic.
August 31, 2021 – Weakens to a tropical depression.
Hurricane Storm Larry
September 1, 2021 – Tropical Storm Larry forms off the west coast of Africa.
September 2, 2021 – Strengthens into a hurricane.
September 10, 2021 – Makes landfall in Newfoundland.
September 11, 2021 – Weakens to a post-tropical cyclone.
Tropical Storm Mindy
September 8, 2021 – Tropical Storm Mindy forms in the Gulf of Mexico. Later in the day, Mindy makes landfall over St. Vincent Island, Florida.
September 9, 2021 – Weakens to a tropical depression.
Hurricane Nicholas
September 12, 2021 – Tropical Storm Nicholas forms in the Gulf of Mexico.
September 13, 2021 – Strengthens into a hurricane.
September 14, 2021 – Makes landfall along the Texas coast and then weakens to a tropical storm.
September 16, 2021 – Weakens to a post-tropical cyclone.
Tropical Storm Odette
September 17, 2021 – Tropical Storm Odette forms off the mid-Atlantic coast.
September 18, 2021 – Weakens to a post-tropical cyclone south of Nova Scotia.
Tropical Storm Peter
September 19, 2021 – Tropical Storm Peter forms in the open Atlantic.
September 21, 2021 – Weakens to a tropical depression.
Tropical Storm Rose
September 19, 2021 – Tropical Storm Rose forms about 370 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands.
September 21, 2021 – Weakens to a tropical depression.
Hurricane Sam
September 23, 2021 – Tropical Storm Sam forms.
September 24, 2021 – Strengthens into a hurricane.
October 5, 2021 – Weakens to a post-tropical cyclone between Newfoundland and Iceland.
Subtropical Storm Teresa
September 24, 2021 – Subtropical Storm Teresa develops north of Bermuda.
September 25, 2021 – Weakens to a subtropical depression.
Tropical Storm Victor
September 29, 2021 – Tropical Storm Victor forms about 500 miles south of the Cape Verde Islands.
October 2, 2021 – Weakens to a tropical depression.
Tropical Storm Wanda
October 30, 2021 – Subtropical Storm Wanda develops over the central Atlantic Ocean.
November 1, 2021 – Strengthens to a tropical storm.
November 7, 2021 – Weakens to a post-tropical cyclone.
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