2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season (LckyTUBA's version)

The 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season was a hyperactive and devastating season which featured the first ever official Category 6 hurricane, Kyle. Many of the landfalling storms in this season caused massive damage in their paths. The season featured a total of 18 systems, 15 named storms, 7 hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes.

In total, the season caused $254.9 billion in damage, making it the second costliest Atlantic season ever, only surpassed by the 2017 season.

Hurricane-1 Arthur
Hurricane Arthur formed from a line of thunderstorms that became organized southwest of the Cape Verde islands. Arthur was able to attain hurricane status due to minimal wind shear, even over cool SSTs. It stayed out in the open Atlantic, so it had no impacts on land.

Subtropical Storm Bertha
Subtropical Storm Bertha was a weak subtropical storm that formed out of a tropical wave east of Cuba. It made landfall near Jacksonville, Florida at peak intensity, causing 11 deaths and $34 million in damage.

Hurricane-2 Cristobal
Hurricane Cristobal formed east of the Windward Islands from a tropical wave, and gained power due to being over water with unusually high SSTs for early July. It reached its peak of 105 mph in the Caribbean before making landfall in Cuba as a 95 mph hurricane and the Florida Keys as a 60 mph tropical storm. These locations suffered wind damage, and flooding was observed in parts of coastal Florida impacted by Cristobal's remnants. In total, Cristobal caused 44 deaths and $782 million in damage. Despite the considerable damage, the name was not retired.

Tropical Storm Dolly
Tropical Storm Dolly formed in the open Atlantic and dissipated about a week later due to high wind shear. Dolly did not have any impacts on land.

Tropical Depression Five
Tropical Depression Five formed from a tropical wave. It made landfall in the Azores at peak intensity and dissipated soon afterwards. The Azores recieved moderate rainfall, and the storm caused $300,000 in damage, but no deaths were reported.

Hurricane-5 Edouard
Main Article: Hurricane Edouard (2020)

Hurricane Edouard was the first major hurricane of the season, and was the deadliest U.S landfall since the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 Edouard started as a tropical wave over the Cape Verde islands. The islands received moderate to heavy rainfall. As the storm moved out over open water, it encountered SSTs of around 90 degrees F and low wind shear, allowing it to intensify as it tracked west through the Atlantic. Hurricane watches were issued in many parts of the Northern Caribbean and the East Coast, as Edouard, then a Category 3, was taking aim at these areas. Edouard turned northward after making landfall on Puerto Rico as a 125-mph Category 3, causing major damage in places still recovering from the catastrophic Hurricane Maria in 2017. Edouard turned northwest, prompting hurricane warnings and mandatory evacuations for coastal Florida and the Bahamas, and the storm then took an unexpected turn. Having moved into an area with virtually no wind shear and very warm SSTs caused it to rapidly intensify. It made landfall at peak intensity in Miami, Florida. Storm surges of up to 14 feet inundated beaches and washed houses away, while 185-mph winds flattened all but the sturdiest structures. The storm tracked through Florida while losing strength and dissipated over the Appalachian Mountains in Tennessee. Edouard became tied for the most intense continental U.S landfall with the 1933 Labor Day hurricane. Extreme damage in Miami prompted international aid, and a state of emergency was declared in the wake of the storm. In total, Edouard caused 4,821 deaths and $147 billion in damage, making it the second costliest hurricane ever behind Katrina in 2005. Due to the extreme death toll and damage total, Edouard was retired and replaced by Edison for the 2026 season.

Tropical Depression Seven
Tropical Depression Seven was a weak storm that formed east of the Bahamas. It never made landfall, but its remnants brought rain to far eastern Canada after it dissipated east of New England. No deaths or damage were reported.

Tropical Storm Fay
Tropical Storm Fay formed just southeast of the Cape Verde islands and made landfall on the islands at peak intensity. In the subsequent days, it was ripped apart by strong wind shear and became extratropical on August 23. In total, Fay caused 3 deaths and $700,000 in damage.

Hurricane-1 Gonzalo
Hurricane Gonzalo formed east of Puerto Rico from a tropical wave. After making its first landfall in Puerto Rico as a tropical storm, it intensified over warm SSTs to a minimal Category 1 hurricane. It made landfall at peak intensity in the Bahamas, and continued alone the US East Coast to make its final landfall near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina as a 70 mph tropical storm. Gonzalo dropped moderate to heavy rain on the area, and caused some wind damage in the Bahamas and the U.S. In total, Gonzalo caused 27 deaths and $353 million damage. The name was not retired.

Subtropical Storm Hanna
Hanna was one of the northernmost landfalling tropical cyclones on record, as it made landfall in northern Portugal, killing 13 people and causing $120 million in damage.

Tropical Storm Isaias
Tropical Storm Isaias formed as a tropical wave became organized. It made landfall on the Yucatan peninsula at peak intensity, then dissipated quickly over land. It caused a mudslide which destroyed 50 houses. In total, Isaias caused 13 deaths and $6.2 million in damage.

Subtropical Storm Josephine
Main Article: Subtropical Storm Josephine (LckyTUBA, 2020)

Subtropical Storm Josephine was a storm that formed out of a line of thunderstorms in the Caribbean. It made landfall on the Yucatan peninsula just a week after Isaias, causing additional mudslides and property damage. Josephine caused a total of 112 deaths and $952 million in damage.

Due to the death toll and damage, Josephine was retired and was replaced by Jillian for the 2026 season.

Hurricane-6 Kyle
Hurricane Kyle was the first Category 6 ever recorded, occurring the year after the NOAA agreed to create Categories 6 and 7 for hurricanes as they were becoming stronger and stronger due to global warming. Kyle started as a classic Cape Verde system, forming from a tropical wave over Cape Verde. After traveling through the open Atlantic, it entered the Caribbean as a Category 2. In the Caribbean, there was unusually high SSTs of 92 F and virtually no wind shear to prevent rapid intensification, and the NOAA had identified Kyle as a 'potentially catastrophic system' because of this. Kyle started to explosively intensify, and the NOAA realized that the worst case scenario might be becoming a reality in front of them. The NOAA issued hurricane warnings for the Cayman Islands and Cuba, as well as hurricane watches for Northeast Mexico and the Gulf Coast out to Panama City, Florida. They also issued mandatory evacuations for the non-island areas being threatened by the storm. Kyle made landfall on the western tip of Cuba as a 195 mph Category 6, causing catastrophic damage. Any houses in the area were flattened or ripped off their foundations. Palm trees were observed to snap. Las Tumbas, Cuba was battered with 195-mph winds and almost 99% of houses were destroyed there. Almost all people who didn't evacuate were tragically killed by the storm. Because it moved out to sea right after its first landfall, it lost only minimal strength. Kyle made its final landfall as a 175-mph Category 5 near the Texas-Louisiana border, causing lots of additional damage. Luckily, the final landfall was in a relatively unpopulated area, but the storm still hit the city of St. Charles as a 145 mph Category 4, causing a massive amount of damage there. The storm weakened over land, but still created hurricane force winds in Little Rock, Arkansas. Kyle then tracked northeast across the Ohio Valley, causing tropical storm force winds in major cities such as Memphis, Louisville, and Cincinnati, even as far north as Columbus, Ohio. Kyle was a devastating storm that will never be forgotten by the impacted areas. In total, Kyle killed 5,392 people and caused $97 billion damage in its path. Due to the extreme death toll and damage, Kyle was retired and was replaced by Kenny for the 2026 season.

Hurricane-1 Laura
Hurricane Laura formed as a Cape Verde storm, and took a similar path to Kyle, but because Kyle had churned up cold water, the lower SSTs prevented it from becoming a major hurricane like Kyle did. It didn't make landfall, instead it meandered through the Open Atlantic until it dissipated on October 17. Because it didn't make landfall, it didn't cause any deaths or damage.

Tropical Storm Marco
Tropical Storm Marco formed near the Bahamas. It traveled northward along the US East Coast and was absorbed by a frontal system on October 19, resulting in a snowstorm that delivered the first snow of the season for cities like Washington DC, Philadelphia and New York. The storm caused 6 fatalities during the time it was a tropical storm, and the snowstorm caused an additional 3. In total, Marco caused 9 deaths and $523 million in damage. The name was not retired.

Hurricane-4 Nana
Hurricane Nana was a tropical wave that formed in late October east of the Bahamas. SSTs of 87 degrees F and minimal wind shear allowed it to strengthen. It made a cyclonic loop and made landfall in Puerto Rico as a 130-mph Category 4, hampering recovery from Edouard there, causing significant damage. It travelled north and made landfall at Wilmington, North Carolina as a 90-mph Category 1 storm. It caused a total of 212 deaths and $8.2 billion in damage.

Due to the extreme deaths and damage, Nana was retired and will be replaced by Natasha for the 2026 season.

Tropical Depression Seventeen
Tropical Depression Seventeen formed in the open Atlantic, and dissipated due to very high wind shear soon after. It did not have any effects on land.

Subtropical Storm Omar
Subtropical Storm Omar formed southwest of the Cape Verde islands from a line of thunderstorms, and traveled west until it dissipated without warm water to fuel it.

Retired names

Edouard-->Edison

Josephine-->Jillian

Kyle-->Kenny

Nana-->Natasha