2041 Atlantic hurricane season (Mario's version)

The 2038 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active hurricane season ever recorded, surpassing that of 2005. This season shattered numerous records, including for most named storms, hurricanes, and major hurricanes.

The most notable storm of the season was Hypercane Fay, which became the first hypercane ever recorded in history, and as well as the strongest tropical cyclone ever recorded. With $985 billion USD in damages and close to 30,000 deaths attributed to the cyclone, Fay was the deadliest and costliest hurricane ever recorded.

Tropical Storm Arthur
On May 14, the National Hurricane Center began to monitor an area of disturbed weather for possible tropical or subtropical development east of Nicaragua. The disturbance slowly moved northwards, aiding from moisture from the Eastern Pacific. On May 17, a sudden burst of convection around the centre – which had a well-defined low-level circulation – prompted the formation of Tropical Storm Arthur. The tropical storm gradually strengthened as it slowly moved to the north, due to high wind shear from the north, from the spring pattern over the Atlantic beginning to wind down. A ridge of high pressure over the Southwest Atlantic and Caribbean Sea pushed the cyclone to the west. Arthur later attained its peak intensity on May 20 before it moved southwards into Honduras on May 21, dissipating due to the mountainous terrains by the next day.

The remnants of Arthur continued to move southwards, eventually moving into the Eastern Pacific, where the storm's remnants then contributed in formation of Tropical Storm Adrian. This marked the first time that at least one pre-season storm formed in both basins, the last time was in 2031.

Heavy rains and flash flooding from the remnants of Arthur contributed to at least 100 deaths in the region, but damages overall were not significant, only inflicting about $89 million (USD) in damages.

Hurricane Bertha
A non-tropical low developed on May 27 over the Bay of Campeche and began to move very slowly to the north. On May 28, the National Hurricane Center began to monitor the low for possible subtropical or tropical development. The non-tropical low quickly gained tropical characteristics overnight, and the low was classified as Tropical Storm Bertha. This was the first occurrence of two pre-season tropical cyclones in the Atlantic basin since 2016.

Originally, forecasters did not expect Bertha to develop much due to high wind shear and dry air. However, over the next two days, wind shear drastically decreased and Bertha began to draw moisture from the Eastern Pacific. Both of these factors were not expected by forecasters. Due to this, and with Bertha over unusually warm sea surface temperatures of 28 C, the cyclone began to rapidly intensify late on May 30. By the next morning, Bertha had strengthened to its peak intensity as a category 3 major hurricane with winds of 120 mph. This marked the first time a major hurricane formed before the official start of the season in history.

Bertha maintained its peak intensity until landfall on June 1 in Mexico at which afterwards it rapidly weakened and was last noted over the mountainous terrain of Mexico on June 2.

About 40 deaths and $400 million in damages were blamed on the hurricane, respectively.

Hurricane Cristobal
On June 11, a tropical wave moved off the coast of Western Africa. The wave moved westward at a relatively fast pace for a few days. As it approached the Lesser Antilles by June 13, the forward motion decreased as it moved into the Caribbean. Favourable conditions began to aid in the process of developing into a tropical cyclone. On June 15, a satellite passing presented that the wave had developed enough thunderstorms and a low-level circulation to be classified as Tropical Storm Cristobal while situated to the south of Haiti.

Cristobal was intially forecast to strengthen into a Category 2 hurricane as it began to turn to the northeast as it moved around a ridge of high pressure and while a trough would move it northeastwards; it never peaked past 85 mph as it turned to the northeast while passing through the Windward Passage. Once exiting into the Bahamas, Cristobal began to accelerate as it pulled away.

Resisting an extratropical transition, Cristobal held on to hurricane strength and tropical cyclone characteristics for another four days before finally becoming extratropical about 650 mi south of Greenland on June 25.

Hurricane Dolly
After about two weeks of no tropical activity, the National Hurricane Center began to monitor an area of disturbed weather moving over the Bahamas on July 12. The disturbance slowly organised over the next 3 days before reaching the Florida Keys on July 14. A reconnaissance aircraft had been scheduled to fly into the storm early on July 15, and results had shown that a tropical depression had formed. The newly-formed depression slowly moved into the Gulf of Mexico on July 16, further developing into Tropical Storm Dolly later that evening. Dolly then began to turn northwards in response to an approaching trough, putting northwestern Florida at risk. Shortly after commencing this turn, Dolly rapidly intensified to a high-end Category 4 with winds of 155 mph late on July 17 while off the west coast of Florida. Initially, forecasters predicted that Dolly would move more westward before turning, and as a result early advisories called for Dolly to intensify into a 220 mph Category 5 due to record sea surface temperatures of near 34 C.

Dolly made landfall early on July 18 as a powerful Category 4 with winds of 145 mph and a pressure of 942 mbar about 20 mi east of Jacksonville, Florida, making it one of the strongest hurricanes to strike Florida since 2029, when Hurricane Harvey struck the state as a Category 3. Dolly weakened steadily while over land, and the storm was last noted on July 20 as a remnant low before dissipating. The remnants of the system eventually contributed to one of the worst floods to hit South Carolina since 2016, when Hurricane Matthew dropped tremendous rainfall on the state as it made landfall. The storm caused up to at least 31 deaths and about $5.3 billion in damages, making Dolly one of the costliest hurricanes recorded.

Tropical Depression Five
On July 26, the National Hurricane Center began to monitor the possibility of a tropical wave forming off the coast of west Africa. It was expected to encounter favorable conditions and develop into a tropical depression. As such, the chances of tropical cyclongenesis was relatively high.

Later that day, the predicted wave developed and quickly became organized overnight, and as such advisories were initiated on Tropical Depression Five early on July 28. However, the depression quickly encountered dry air and increased wind shear later that day. Due to these factors, the depression dissipated into a remnant low later that evening while situated about 200 mi west of the Cape Verde Islands.

Only light rain, along with some gusty winds and squalls, was reported in the Cape Verde Islands, with no damages reported whatsoever.

Tropical Storm Edouard
On August 12, an upper-level low became detached from the atmosphere about 200 mi north of Puerto Rico. The low gradually began to organize, and on August 14, a reconnaissance aircraft confirmed the presence of an elongated but closed circulation, and advisories were initiated on Subtropical Depression Six. The depression gradually began to strengthen as it slowly moved to the west, and by late August 16, it had developed enough tropical characteristics to be classified as Tropical Storm Edouard.

Intially, Edouard was forecast to steadily strengthen into a hurricane and impact the East Coast of the United States, however, historic wind shear emitting from the outflow of Hurricane Fay – which was undergoing explosive deepening in the Caribbean Sea south of Haiti and was already a Category 5 – essentially shredded Edouard to nothing but a swirl of low clouds in just 24 hours, and the circulation later dissipated on August 21 while to the east of the Bahamas.

Hypercane Fay
On August 7, a very well-organized tropical wave left the west coast of Africa, slowly moving at pace of 9–10 mph. The wave was not expected to develop until it reached the Lesser Antilles, due to moderate wind shear and dry air. The wave slowly developed, and by August 14 it was approaching the Lesser Antilles and the Caribbean Sea. As it did so, organization evolved much quicker and a reconnaissance aircraft confirmed the presence of a closed low-level circulation in the system on August 15, and the system was designated as Tropical Storm Fay later that day.

Continuing to move at a modest pace, Fay gradually strengthened until reaching the western Caribbean Sea, at which that point Fay underwent the most explosive deepening ever recorded due to historic sea surface temperatures of 42 C and historic oceanic heat content indexes, as well as a very favorable anticyclone that had developed above it. In just 24 hours, Fay's wind speed went from 70 mph (a high-end tropical storm) to 220 mph (a low-end Category 6) and its pressure fell by nearly 160 millibars to near 848 mbar. Explosive deepening continued throughout the next few days, albeit a bit slower and not as extreme as the first period, Fay eventually made landfall on the western tip of Cuba as a Category 7 with winds of 445 mph. Soon thereafter, the historic hurricane entered the Gulf of Mexico where historic sea surface temperatures of near 49 C prompted a second period of explosive intensification, and Fay eventually peaked in intensity on August 27 as a hypercane – the first such storm ever recorded on Earth – with winds of 510 mph and a minimum pressure of 637 mbar. It maintained this intensity for another day before slightly weakening to a border-line hypercane with 500 mph.

Fay then struck about 20 mi south of New Orleans, Louisiana on the afternoon of August 29 at this intensity, causing unimaginable damage. As the hypercane pushed inland, and subsequently after striking New Orleans as a Category 7, rapid weakening began to take shape and Fay was a Category 2 by later that evening, then a tropical storm by noon the next day. Shortly thereafter it completed an extratropical transition on September 1. The cyclone was last noted moving off the coast near Boston, Massachusetts on September 4 before dissipating.

In total, Fay caused a total of $985 billion (USD) in its destructive and historic track, and killed nearly 30,000 people. This made it the costliest and deadliest hurricane ever recorded.