2016 Atlantic hurricane season (Sassmaster15)

The 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season showcases some of the most destructive Atlantic hurricanes since the 2005 season, including a record number of Category 5 hurricanes, with Hurricane King being the strongest with winds recorded at speeds over 200 MPH. The season ran from June 1 to November 30, with a total of thirty-five tropical depressions, twenty-seven named storms, seventeen hurricanes, including ten major hurricanes; five calculated to reach the Category 5 ranking, and four of those five making landfall, including Hurricane King, which earned the title "King of all Hurricanes," after post-analysis was conducted by the NHC at the conclusion of the season.

Season Summary
The 2016 Atlantic Season was the most hyper-active season ever recorded in human history. The season broke so many records, it was featured in the 2016 issue of the Guinness Book of World Records. Some records shattered include, but are not limited to: Most Intense Storms, Most Storms in One Season, Costliest Season in Human History, Record Number of Category 5 Storms, and many more.

The season featured at least 35 tropical depressions (a record high), of which twenty-seven became named storms, including the formation of seventeen hurricanes, of which ten became major hurricanes (another record high). The season featured a record number of Category 5 hurricanes that had not been seen since the 2005 season, although the final Category 5 was Felix in the 2007 season. An interesting fact about this season is that there were more major hurricanes than hurricanes. The season also produced very destructive offseason major hurricanes during the month of November, including Hurricanes Walter and Ysabelle.

Also, the deadly and costly season featured four hurricanes in a row, three of which were major hurricanes. They were Category 1 Hurricane Jorge, Category 5 Hurricane Justin, Category 4 Hurricane Kate, and Category 5 (possibly 6) monster storm Hurricane Kingston.

The 2016 season started on June 6 with the formation of Tropical Depression One and ended with the dissipation of Hurricane Ysabelle on November 29, an event similar to that of 2012's Hurricane Sandy.

The first storm of the season to make landfall was Hurricane Anthony, arriving in the Dominican Republic in the middle of June. The storm was the first of the season to be a Category 5 in the Atlantic basin since Felix in the 2007 season, and the strongest since Wilma in the 2005 season. Hurricane Anthony's 190 MPH wind records were shattered later in the season by Category 5 Hurricane Kingston.

The most destructive hurricane of the season was Kingston, nicknamed "King" for its power and catastrophic destruction, and was the first Category 5 to make landfall at that ranking since Hurricane Andrew in Southern Florida in 1992. Hurricane King was almost a repeat, having made landfall in Tampa and engulfing the entire state. Hurricane King exceeded ground-level wind speeds recorded at 200 MPH, making NHC scientists consider this to be the first Category 6 hurricane ever recorded.

New Orleans suffered enormous damage from a multitude of Gulf Stream storms; including Hurricanes Anthony and Erick, and the levee that broke for Category 3 Hurricane Katrina upon making landfall broke again under the intense pressure from Hurricane Anthony, and the city flooded once again from a massive storm surge by Category 3 Hurricane Erick.

Mexico suffered greatly at the hands of several tropical storms, including the well-known Tropical Storm Leah. Total, Mexico lost over one hundred lives and reported $340 million in damages.

A final highlight of the season was Hurricane Ysabelle, the only hurricane of the season to make landfall along the East Coast of the United States, following the path of 2011's Hurricane Irene, making landfall as a Category 3 in North Carolina, and becoming a massive thunderstorm after losing strength while traveling northeast along the path of 2012's Superstorm Sandy. The season ended on November 29, 2016, when the remnants of Hurricane Ysabelle dissipated near London, having produced snow and gale-force winds off the coast of the United Kingdom.

The 2016 season resulted in the loss of over 900 lives and damages resulted in over $206.4 billion in damages, making this season the costliest Atlantic Hurricane Season recorded in human history.

Pre-Season Forecasts
The 2016 season was believed to showcase a record number of depressions and named storms. In late December 2015, Tropical Storm Risk issued an above-average season, due to the development of an La Nina event, resulting in warm, moist air; above-average sea surface temperatures, especially in the Gulf of Mexico; and relatively low wind shear. In January, the NHC predicted twenty-five named storms, of which twenty would reach hurricane status, and ten of those hurricanes would be major hurricanes. The prediction was mostly accurate, as the season started earlier than expected, with the development of Tropical Depression One on June 6, and then a later formation of the first major hurricane of the season, Hurricane Anthony, on June 12. The outlook was to be catastrophic.

Tropical Depression One
Onn June 6, 2016, a tropical wave formed over warm ocean water 24 nautical miles off the coast of Africa. The storm traveled Northwest for about eleven miles before hitting a trough of horizontal wind shear which blew the storm apart only a day after formation on June 7, 2016, resulting in zero fatalities and no damage.

Hurricane Anthony
Not only was Hurricane Anthony the first storm to transfer into a hurricane for the season, it was the first major hurricane of the season, and was the strongest recorded hurricane in the Atlantic since Wilma in 2005 and Larry in 2015, only to have its records shattered later in the season by Hurricane King. The storm first formed as TD 2 in the mid-atlantic on June 12, 2016. The storm then formed into Tropical Storm Anthony within hours of it first forming and headed Northwest on a course straight for the Dominican Republic. On the eve of June 12 at 10 P.M. EST, Tropical Storm Anthony passed over Santo Domingo with estimated near hurricane-force winds of 73 MPH. The storm continued to intensify straight into Category 2 range when striking Haiti, knocking out power and flooding beaches. The storm continued to strengthen near Cuba and reached Category 4 ranking, bringing damaging winds and torrential rain. The storm left Cuba on June 13, and then entered the Gulf Of Mexico, continuing to strengthen into a Category 5 hurricane. On the afternoon of June 13, the storm swept through the Florida panhandle, wiping out Pensacola Beach with an F3 tornado, drenching downpours, and winds in excess of 190 MPH. The storm continued to march West, blowing straight through Mobile, AL, in which the treasured survival story of the Leber family would later be told. The storm later weakened to Category 3 strength when hitting New Orleans, once again damaging the levee that was previously hit by Hurricane Katrina. Amazingly, only 45% of the city flooded as a result of this. The storm then continued to blow northward as a rapidly-weakening cluster of thunderstorms over Tennessee before completely dissipating over Memphis on June 14, 2015. While the storm only lasted a span of three days, the storm developed unnaturally fast a result of higher global air temperatures and warm ocean water, despite the time of year. The storm totaled one hundred lives in the Caribbean, eighty in Cuba, and one-hundred-and-sixty in the United States. The storm was the strongest ever to hit the United States since Hurricane Andrew in 1992, and Hurricanes Katrina, Wilma, and Rita in 2005, and totaled over $36 billion dollars in damages, making it the costliest hurricane in U.S. history on both a monetary and human life scale.

Tropical Depression Two
A weak cluster of thunderstorms developed over the Caribbean Sea on June 15 and lasted for five days before dissipating on June 20, 2016. This storm did make landfall in Jamaica, but only caused minimal damage.

Hurricane Brian
Hurricane Brian was a weak Category 1 hurricane that began as a TD off the coast of Africa before taking three days to travel across the mid-atlantic before strengthening into Tropical Storm Brian just north of the Caribbean. On June 23, the rapidly-strengthening tropical storm became Hurricane Brian and slowly angled northwest and missing a direct hit on the Florida Keys by 73 miles before catching a cold front and skirting the edge of Southern Florida and becoming extratropical before completely dissipating June 26, 2016. The storm claimed only two lives in Florida and caused an estimated 5 million dollars in damage.

Tropical Storm Bzeleka
TS Bzeleka formed over the mid-atlantic on June 23, 2016, a day after Hurricane Brian had left Florida on-course to becoming extratropical. The TD ambled slowly towards southern Mexico over a one-day period before reaching tropical-storm force on June 25. The storm then angled west and made a direct landfall on Mexico but quickly dissipated thereafter when becoming stalled over Veracruz said to be caused by an area of high-pressure centering over the central region of Mexico. The storm dissipated on June 26 after being cut off from movement into the Pacific and no longer being over water to keep the storm fueled. The storm caused no major damage in Mexico due to it stalling and dying quickly thereafter.

Tropical Storm Carrie
Within hours of the death of Tropical Storm Bzeleka, a new TD formed near Cape Verde late afternoon on June 25. The cluster of storms caused no major damage near the islands and quickly moved Southwards towards the Barbados region of the Caribbean and then briefly strengthening into TS Carrie after exiting Saint Lucia after bringing a day of heavy rain and an F1 tornado, causing $1.3 million dollars in damage and five deaths. However, the storm moved into its demise on June 27 by moving into an area of horizontal shear which blew the storm apart before moving into the Trinidad and Tobago region of Venezuela.

Hurricane Catherine
An extended period of no activity was recorded from the death of Tropical Storm Carrie until July 7, when a new Tropical Disturbance was recorded forming along the concourse of preceder TS Carrie. The storm formed near Cape Verde but instead of moving South the storm angled northwest and quickly strengthened into Tropical Storm Catherine on July 8, 2016. On July 9, the slow-churning storm strengthened into a Category 1 before narrowly missing Puerto Rico and continued to shift Northeast and into the northern-atlantic before quickly strengthening into a Category 2 and then becoming extratropical and then dissipating on July 12, 2016.

Tropical Depression Three
A cluster of active thunderstorms was recorded to start merging on July 12, 2016. The cluster of storms then collided with an area of low-pressure, causing the disorganized multi-cell cluster to merge into an area of rotating thunderstorms which then moved into Haiti and then stalling over the island after colliding with a stationary front, bringing about an extended period of dreary, gray clouds; heavy rain; and flash flooding. The storms then weakened at this point before breaking apart completely on July 16, 2016.

Hurricane Celeste
Even though the name takes on a religious and holy meaning, this Category 4 hurricane was anything but. The storm started over Ponta Delgada as a tropical depression before rapidly intensifying into Tropical Storm Celeste on July 14. The storm was pushed eastward by a jet stream, resulting in a southward trajectory along the coast of Africa. The storm almost broke apart near Cape Verde and was ignored for several days by the National Hurricane Center. On July 17, its reformation into a Category 1 hurricane had gone unnoticed by Hurricane Center experts while they remained focused on TD 3 and the developing Hurricane Deanna. When the new hurricane was noticed, it was given the name Celeste and blew directly into San Juan, Puerto Rico as a strengthening Category 3 hurricane. The storm took the path of Category 5 preceder Hurricane Anthony and made a direct hit on Punta Cana as a now-rapidly weakening Category 3 hurricane, causing twelve deaths and eighteen million dollars in damage. The storm continued to lose strength as it passed over Cuba, at that point a Category 1 hurricane on the borderline of sinking into Tropical Storm territory. The storm exited Cuba as Tropical Storm Celeste on July 24 and Hurricane Center experts concluded that the storm could not strengthen back into a hurricane. However, Hurricane Celeste surprised them once, and the next shock they were about to receive was beyond anything they could have imagined with this storm.

On July 25, the failing Tropical Storm Celeste looked like it was on the verge of dissipating; the structure was poor, the wind speed kept falling, and clusters of storms were breaking off the main cell and moving away. The final straw for Celeste was when it was stalled off the coast of Key West, Florida by a high-pressure system. On July 26, the remnants of Tropical Storm Celeste broke apart off the coast of Florida and it looked like they were not going to pull back together. On the morning of July 27, National Hurricane Center scientists received a huge shock: a healthy-looking and large Category 2 hurricane had developed in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico, seemingly overnight. The storm had gone unnoticed (again) for several days because of the developing (and later devastating) Hurricane Deanna. The reformed Hurricane Celeste was on a collision course with the Mississippi Coast, and scientists issued an emergency evacuation for all Gulf Coast residents to avoid a catastrophic impact from a forecasted Category 4 hurricane. The storm continued to strengthen while traveling the Gulf, even being recorded as a sustained Category 4 hurricane shortly before reaching land. Fortunately, on July 30, the storm dropped two rankings down to a Category 2 before making landfall in Biloxi, MS later that day. The storm moved out the next day, July 31 as a Category 1 hurricane before dropping to a TD over Georgia and moving out and later dying over the Northern Atlantic.

Hurricane Deanna
While Hurricane Celeste was passing over the Dominican Republic, a new TD over the mid-Atlantic had caught the eye of Hurricane Center scientists on July 18, 2016. The storm quickly strengthened into a Tropical Storm and later Hurricane Deanna on July 19. The Category 1 hurricane narrowly missed a direct hit on Venezuela before making a sharp northwest turn into the Dominican Republic as a strengthening Category 3 hurricane, only a few days after a direct hit by Category 1 Hurricane Celeste. After exiting the Dominican Republic, another wind shift caused the hurricane to a westward turn towards the Bahamas as a Category 4 hurricane, shortly after making a direct hit on the Turks and Caicos. The hurricane made a direct hit on Nassau, Bahamas as a Category 4 hurricane, soon a Category 5 shortly before making landfall on Miami, FL as a weakening Category 4 hurricane. It is estimated that the hurricane caused over $41.1 billion dollars in damage in the Caribbean as a Category 3-4 hurricane, and a further $60 million dollars in damage in the Bahamas alone. The storm continued on a northward path along the edge of eastern Florida before taking a direct eastward turn on August 1, and dying out as a Category 1 hurricane over the Northern Atlantic. In the U.S., the storm totaled over $26.3 billion dollars in damage, resulting in $67,460,000,000 in damages total. Overall, the damage was catastrophic. In the Bahamas, it was reported that the 178 MPH winds blew a frame house straight from its foundation and carried it 500 feet into the air, intact, before a powerful microburst sent it flying into Nassau's central power grid, causing a widespread electrical fire and blackout. Fortunately, the death toll was limited to eleven people total due to widespread warning already created by Hurricane Celeste earlier in the week. It was a result of these two storms that resulted in an excellent evacuation and preparedness procedure that proved effective against record-breaking successor Hurricane King at the end of September.

Tropical Storm Dominick
A new TD had formed 15 miles east of Cape Verde on July 27, 2016. On July 30, the winds were recorded at tropical storm force, giving the storm the name Dominick. However, the storm only lasted a tropical storm for less than a day because on July 31, the storm made landfall in Puerto Rico as a weakening tropical depression and dissipating before it could reach the Dominican Republic on July 31, 2016.

Hurricane Ella
Shortly before the death of Tropical Storm Dominick, on July 29, a tropical depression quickly formed off the coast of Venezuela and moved Northwest towards Nicaragua and made landfall as Tropical Storm Ella on August 2, 2016. A high-pressure system forced the storm out of Central America and pushed it northeast into Jamaica on August 3 as a strengthening Category 2 hurricane. The storm brought torrential rain and strong winds into the town of Montego Bay, causing a twelve-foot storm surge which resulted in fifty million dollars in damage. The storm weakened into a Category 1 by the time it reached Cuba, only within a matter of hours to drop to a Tropical Storm, and by August 6 the storm had died over the northern Atlantic. The storm caused over fourteen million dollars of damage to Cuba, and claimed over thirty lives. The reason for a high death toll was a beachfront bar called Pescádes y Los Tamariños. The wooden building was hosting a luau when the Category 1 hurricane made landfall over Santiago de Cuba, bringing incredibly rough surf from when the storm was a Category 2 only a day before. The storm surge was an incredible eleven feet high, and it easily swallowed the wooden structure, claiming every life in the building.

Tropical Depression Four
On August 2, a cluster of thunderstorms broke off from Hurricane Ella and quickly gathered under a centralized low-pressure system moving off the coast of Honduras. The storms quickly formed into a tropical depression and moved Northeast towards the Cayman Islands. After bringing high winds and heavy rains, the storms quickly entered an area of cooler water, killing all energy the storms had. A disorganized low-pressure system moved over central Cuba on August 3, bringing rotating clouds and light rain. The TD then died after moving out of Cuba at 10:37 P.M. EST on August 3, 2016.

Tropical Depression Five
On August 4, a low-pressure system developed over the Caribbean Ocean and quickly developed into a tropical depression later that day. The storm moved West into Central America on August 5, bringing heavy rains, mudslides, and flash flooding which caused rivers to overflow. The storm, while only a tropical depression, caused over eight million dollars in damage and claimed four lives, but experts estimate this toll could have been much higher had it had more time to develop into a Category 1 or Category 2 hurricane.

Hurricane Erick
On August 3, a low-pressure system developed over the Caribbean Ocean, quickly becoming an organized tropical storm, receiving the name Erick. Like so many tropical systems before it, Tropical Storm Erick took the path of breezing through the Caribbean, blowing through Cuba with an estimated wind speed of 72 MPH. The storm, after causing twelve million dollars in damage to the town of La Habana, was blown away from the Florida Keys in a northwesterly direction into the Gulf of Mexico. There, the failing storm moved into an area of little shear and massive updrafts, causing the storm to develop into a Category 1 hurricane on August 6. Later that day, the storm continued to develop in the vertical trough region and caused more clouds to rise, increasing the size of the massive storm and the wind speed to 115 MPH. As a Category 3 hurricane, the storm slammed into New Orleans, LA, already hit hard by Hurricanes Celeste and Anthony before him. One notable thing about this hurricane was its massive surge at a Category 3 ranking. The surge it brought in from the Gulf was a striking 23 feet high, wiping out most wooden homes, power lines, trees, and small businesses. This was the point noted meteorologist Jim Cantore said, "New Orleans is now considered part of the Gulf due to it now being located at sea level and mainly underwater." The storm then continued to blow through the United States, quickly dying off as a strong low-pressure system over Lake Erie on August 9. The storm caused an estimated $13 billion dollars in damage in the United States due to gusty winds and a destructive storm surge, resulting in twenty deaths in New Orleans alone.

Tropical Storm Gregory
On August 7, a tropical depression moved off the coast of Cape Verde and over the warm waters of the Atlantic. On August 9, the death of Hurricane Erick, the storm hit the mid-atlantic and quickly earned the name Tropical Storm Gregory. However, the system only reached Tropical Storm-ranking because a jet stream over the mid-U.S. caused the upper-level winds to change, blowing the storm over the Northern Atlantic, causing it to quickly lose power and die as an extratropical on August 13, 2016.

Hurricane Haley
This Category 4 storm developed as a tropical depression off the coast of Cape Verde on August 8, 2016. Trade winds blew the system over the mid-atlantic in a westerly direction right into an area of vertical lift, causing the newly-formed storm to develop into Tropical Storm Haley. The storm continued to strengthen into a Category 1 on August 12 while moving over to the mid-atlantic on a course towards the Virgin Islands. The upper-level winds pushed the storm on a course northward, narrowly missing the islands and causing the storm to be put back over warm waters, strengthening the Category 2 hurricane into Category 3 intensity. On August 14, the storm reached peak intensity at Category 4 ranking, continuing its march Northeast over the North Atlantic Ocean, where it quickly lost strength and became extratropical on August 15 and finally dissipating altogether on August 18, 2016. Because the storm remained mainly over water for the majority of its life, no deaths were reported and no damage reports were made.

Tropical Storm Hendrick
Tropical Storm Hendrick started as a tropical wave over the Cape Verde islands near Africa on August 12, 2016. By August 13, the storm crossed the mid-atlantic at 60 MPH and quickly earning the name Hendrick. Continuing its fast track over the Caribbean, missing a direct hit on the Virgin Islands by 200 miles but was still strengthening. There was possibility that the storm became a Category 1 hurricane while passing over Jamaica, but this has since been ruled out as a possibility since an anemometer measured the winds peaking at 68 MPH on August 15 when the storm passed through Kingston. The storm continued on a westward path towards Mexico after losing much strength while passing over Jamaica. The system once again became tropical while on a path through the Cayman Islands, continuing Northwest while emerging over the Gulf of Mexico. A shift in the jet stream turned the storm away from the Gulf and pushed it directly west into Mexico, making landfall as a weakening Tropical Storm. The storm entered Mexico on August 17 with an estimated top speed of 53 MPH. The storm produced several tornadoes once hitting land, including an EF2 in Poza Rica that killed thirty people and destroyed over seventy homes, causing over $4.2 billion dollars in damage. The storm continued to lose strength as it passed over Mexico City as nothing more than a cluster of disorganized squall lines. Tropical Storm Hendrick died over Mexico City on August 19, 2016, with a total of 59 lives claimed and an estimated $6.7 billion dollars in damage.

Tropical Depression Six
Shortly after the death of TS Hendrick, a low-pressure system moved off the coast of Cuba and over the Gulf of Mexico. The system pushed Northwest, becoming a subtropical depression on August 21. Tropical Depression 6 retained its strength throughout its course through the Gulf, but failed to strengthen into anything more than a complex tropical cluster. The system made landfall in Corpus Christi, Texas on August 22, bringing much needed rain to the area that was stricken by hot temperatures and drought for a period of five months. However, TD 6 was a mixed blessing because it produced a tornado near Kingsville, TX that damaged five homes and injured eleven. Once reaching land, the storm quickly died only one day after on August 23 near San Antonio.

Hurricane Jorge
On August 26, a tropical depression developed from a relatively small area of low-pressure over the mid-atlantic. The relatively slow-moving storm passed to the south of Puerto Rico as a tropical storm, earning the name Jorge on August 28. The storm reached Category 1 intensity near Jamaica, but never made landfall there and shifted directly west on a course towards Nicaragua. While the storm did indeed make landfall there, it made landfall as a tropical storm after being stalled over San Andrés for several days by a large high-pressure system towards the north. The storm officially made landfall over Bluefields, Nicaragua on August 31, bringing heavy rains and strong winds that destroyed farms and knocked out power for over 102 square miles. Tropical Storm Jorge continued to move west out over the Pacific but quickly died before making it on September 2, 2016. While on land, the storm caused over $23 million dollars in damage but resulted in no deaths.

Hurricane Justin
On September 2, 2016, after a quiet period of little activity when several high-pressure systems stalled over the Northern Atlantic, a new tropical depression formed over Cape Verde and quickly strengthened to a Tropical Storm only several hours later. Tropical Storm Justin, as it was then called, moved at a speed of 50 MPH over the mid-atlantic, quickly surpassing the Category 1 ranking and jumping to Category 2. Before moving over land, a high pressure system sitting over Puerto Rico pushed the intensifying storm on a course northward by September 8, sending it back over warm water, causing the strong hurricane to surpass Category 3 ranking and reach Category 4 intensity while over Turks and Caicos, basically plunging the islands under fifteen feet of water and shrinking their total size by thirty-two square miles, causing twenty deaths and an estimated $78 million dollars in damage, leaving over one thousand homeless. This was the storm's only landfall as a hurricane. The storm continued to push west on a course towards Florida, becoming a Category 5 hurricane along the way, but quickly losing intensity when the wind shifted and the storm was pushed towards its demise over the Northern Atlantic. There were several reasons for the death of Hurricane Justin: 1) The storm was pushed over the Northern Atlantic, where the waters are cooler, causing the system to lose energy; 2) The storm collided with a cold air mass with downdrafts, causing air to fall, which broke the structure of the eye wall; and 3) Horizontal shear stopped cloud rising, basically killing any energy the storm once had. Hurricane Justin officially died several miles off the coast of England as an extratropical depression on September 11, 2016.

Hurricane Kate
On September 8, a new tropical depression formed over the mid-atlantic over very warm water. Within days, the very organized cluster of storms became Tropical Storm Kate late on September 10, 2016. Tropical Storm Kate made landfall over Puerto Rico on September 11, still strengthening, after making the Virgin Islands a direct target. It had only been a month since the previous hurricane, Category 5 Hurricane Deanna, tore through the area, killing and injuring many and causing billions of dollars in damages. Because the islands were evacuated, the death toll from Tropical Storm Kate was limited to just two people. After exiting Haiti and the Dominican Republic as a waning tropical storm, Hurricane Center experts figured the storm would end just like Celeste; a weakening tropical depression that would break apart over Cuba before having time to regain strength over the Gulf of Mexico. They were exactly right, however, they were also wrong about it breaking apart. This storm would be just like Celeste.

Tropical Storm Kate exited Cuba as nothing more than a group of weak thunderstorms held together by slow-churning circulation. The storm continued to push Northwest, skirting the Florida peninsula before a surge of polar air forced the storm over the Gulf of Mexico, giving it time to strengthen back to hurricane-intensity. It was at this point in time that Hurricane Kate had finally developed on September 14. By September 16, the destructive hurricane was bearing down on the Florida panhandle as a Category 4 hurricane at peak intensity. However, Hurricane Kate dropped to a Category 3 on September 17 and made landfall in Panama City, FL as a strong Category 3 hurricane, with an estimated surge height of seventeen feet and wind speeds over 134 MPH. The system officially died as a hurricane on September 18 while pushing over Georgia as a low-pressure system with very heavy rains that caused flash flooding in both Alabama and Georgia, before dissipating completely over Tennessee on September 21, 2016, causing over $2.4 billion dollars in damage and claiming over twenty-six lives in total.

Hurricane King
Hurricane King is an example of the reason why no person should ever try to take on Mother Nature. The storm was noted as one of the most catastrophic and powerful storms, surpassing destruction of that including Andrew in 1992 and Wilma in 2005. Hurricane King was truly the King of all Hurricanes. Not only was it the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in human history, it was the largest in square miles (over 200 miles across) and was known as the storm that swallowed TD 7. The system started out as an area of low-pressure near Cape Verde as a tropical wave brought very humid and hot conditions to the area, making it the ideal place for a very strong system to start developing. The system officially became a tropical depression the day it formed on September 22, after a very quiet period of no tropical activity. The system quickened its pace across the mid-atlantic as Tropical Storm King, later forming into a Category 1 hurricane on September 24. The reason it earned the name King was because scientists nicknamed it for its relatively large size and quick development, but the name was also short for "Kingston." When halfway across the Atlantic, the system collided with a warm air mass filled with vertical shear, allowing for more centralized winds and hot tower formation. On September 26, the system became a full-fledged Category 3 hurricane with plenty of room for development. At this point, it was only two days from nearing the Virgin Islands, where TD 7 was starting to develop. On September 27, Hurricane Kingston jumped to the Category 4 ranking, with winds of 150 MPH. Only one day away from making its first landfall, Hurricane Kingston did something extraordinary: TD 7 had just made landfall on the Virgin Islands when only a few hours later, Hurricane Kingston, a rapidly-increasing and full-fledged Category 4 hurricane, made landfall in the Virgin Islands and swallowed TD 7, which increased it strength, size, and intensity, all in a heartbeat. The Category 4 hurricane had not even reached peak intensity yet! On September 28, the large-scale storm slammed into Puerto Rico with winds of 155 MPH, basically destroying anything the island had left. In San Juan, skyscrapers with windows intact from the previous storms were blown out. Residents on the street and in cars said glass was flying everywhere. Yet, the storm's fury was not over. The storm continued on a Northwest path straight through the Caribbean, flying through the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Cuba, claiming over one hundred lives and causing $36.9 billion dollars in damage. Once exiting Cuba, the storm had weakened a little, but had plenty of time to gain intensity when moving over the Gulf of Mexico.

Category 4 Hurricane Kingston officially exited Cuba on October 1, 2016. The storm then pushed a northernly path across the Gulf, and within a matter of days, had nearly doubled its strength and size. The storm now had an area of over 200 miles across, and wind speeds over 200 MPH. On October 2, the name was shortened to Hurricane King, making if the official "King of all Hurricanes." Later that same night, at 11 P.M., Hurricane King made landfall in Tampa, FL, barely losing any strength. The storm was estimated to have winds over 200 MPH and a thirty foot storm surge that devastated Clearwater, FL, killing over three hundred people. The next destination was Tampa Bay, FL, where the storm hit at peak intensity, with winds in excess of over 201 MPH, and there was no record of any tornado formation. The storm shattered previous records set by Hurricane Anthony earlier in the season. However, the storm started to weaken when crossing Florida, and dropped to a Category 3 ranking once reaching Orlando. Hurricane King continued to travel Northeast, and emerged over the northern Atlantic as a Category 3 hurricane. A jet stream forced the storm Northeast, over the cooler waters, which killed all rising energy and blew the storm apart only five miles away from England on October 5. Hurricane King was one of the strongest and most catastrophic hurricanes that the United States ever experienced in human history. The storm was large, powerful, and destructive. It was especially noted that this storm swallowed TD 7 and was one of the only hurricanes with winds over 200 MPH that were not caused by a tornado. The city of Tampa was swallowed under nine feet of water from Old Tampa Bay, where pounding waves and debris from Clearwater killed over 2 million fish and seabirds. Electrical lines were knocked out all the way to Tallahassee due to the massive span of the storm, which was large enough to engulf the entire Florida peninsula. The extreme wind speed caused massive destruction; ripping up wooden houses from their foundations and severely deforming steel structures. In the end, Hurricane King resulted in a mass loss of life of over three hundred and fifty people, and leaving over ten thousand homeless. The mass destruction resulted in over $56.6 billion dollars in damage, the equivalent of an 8.0 earthquake. Due to the massive surge and incredible wind speed, Hurricane King may soon be placed in a ranking all in its own: the Category 6 Hurricane. The most destructive winds ever recorded from a storm were over 185 MPH. Hurricane King clocked in at 200 MPH. There is still doubt of whether or not Hurricane King truly reached speeds over 200 MPH, but if they did, there is little doubt left as to whether or not this was the first Category 6 Hurricane on record.

Tropical Depression 7
While Hurricane King had finally reached Category 3 intensity in the mid-atlantic, a new set of tropical thunderstorms had developed several miles offshore near the Virgin Islands on September 25, 2016. The system was relatively weak in its development, with winds reaching speeds no faster than 35 MPH. TD 7 crossed into the Virgin Islands on September 27, bringing rain showers and gusty winds. Residents compared it "to that of a sea-breeze thunderstorm." And that it was. The storm only lasted in the Virgin Islands for a few hours before Category 4 Hurricane Kingston swept through and practically engulfed TD 7, instantaneously doubling the size of the colossal storm. TD 7 may have been the reason for Kingston's intensity and large size, but there is a way to make this certain. TD 7 was forecasted to go right through the Caribbean and make landfall in Central America, where it would have certainly made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane had Hurricane Kingston not swept up the storm and made it a part of itself forever.

Hurricane Lane
Hurricane Lane started out as a cluster of thunderstorms that broke off from Hurricane King when the storm reached Category 2 intensity over the mid-atlantic. This cluster of storms quickly became Tropical Storm Lane on September 27, at the precise moment Category 4 Hurricane King made landfall in the Virgin Islands and TD 7 was being engulfed by the same storm. Tropical Storm Lane was scheduled to make landfall in Barbados on September 29, but the full-fledged Category 1 storm entered a wind shift and was spiraled northwards, away from land. Hurricane Lane then entered the warm and humid waters of the mid-atlantic, spinning northwards at speeds of 40 MPH. The slow travel speed allowed for the hurricane to gain intensity and move to the Category 2 ranking while traveling the Northern Atlantic, where it began to lose energy after moving over cooler waters. Hurricane Lane quickly lost strength, becoming extratropical near Delaware, and then dissipating altogether on October 5, 2016. The storm never touched land, but resulted in three deaths when the BP oil tanker White Star was battered by the storm at peak intensity. Crews encountered fifteen-foot waves and winds in excess of 105 MPH. Luckily, the ship survived the storm, but three crew members were flung from the main deck when the seas first started getting rough. The captain may have even reported a waterspout, but the storm hit at night, when no light is visible, so he was not sure.

Tropical Storm Leah
On October 4, 2016, a tropical depression developed over the mid-atlantic and moved on a northwesterly course towards Barbados. The storm made landfall there without causing much damage and resulted in no death, and continued on a course over the Caribbean Ocean, allowing the system to gain strength. On October 7, the storm reached tropical storm strength and earned the name Leah, and on October 8, Tropical Storm Leah made landfall in Cancún, Yucatan, bringing a five-foot storm surge and 70 MPH winds. TS Leah continued to travel Northwest, briefly gaining strength in the Gulf before making another landfall in Mexico, this time in Poza Rica, where several F0 tornadoes were said to have formed. TS Leah began losing strength after making this landfall, traveling Northwest at a slow 25 MPH, weakening along its path, but causing much trouble for Central Mexico. Heavy rains created flash flooding and mudslides in Ciudad Valles, Mexico, and in San Luis Potosí, 70 MPH gusts blew down large trees, blasted out windows, and knocked out power. TS Leah officially dissipated over Torreón, Mexico on October 11, 2016. Total, the storm caused sixteen million dollars in damage and resulted in the deaths of eleven people when a church roof collapsed and killed the eleven members of the clergy that were sitting inside.

Tropical Storm Marcía
TS Marcía developed as tropical disturbance near Cuba on October 9, 2016, almost colliding with fellow Tropical Storm Leah. However, this storm spun out at a sharp northwest, almost in a straight northern direction, into the Gulf of Mexico, while TS Leah continued almost west, exiting Cancún and making landfall in Poza Rica. On October 10, only a day after its formation, the tropical disturbance strengthened to tropical storm force, earning it its name and continuing to gain energy supplied by the warm waters of the Gulf. One day later, October 11, TS Marcía made landfall in Mississippi as a relatively weak system with light rains and gale-force winds at 45 MPH. The storm quickly weakened over land, breaking apart into an organized low-pressure system with severe thunderstorms. This is considered the official death of the storm, however, the low-pressure system it left behind produced gusty winds in MS and AL, a tornado in Birmingham, and hail in Nashville, totaling only $2.7 million dollars in damage and resulting in one death. The reason for this chaos was because of the warm air left behind by a warm front that swept the region only a few days before. The low-pressure system known as TS Marcía officially dissipated on October 13, 2016; killed off by a stationary front stalled over northern Ohio.

Tropical Depression Eight
TD 8 developed in the Gulf of Mexico on October 12, 2016, near Key West, Florida. An anti-cyclone that moved into the Gulf at around the same time of this system's development caused TD 8 to lose energy and move east into Southern Florida, bringing nothing more than a tropical shower. On October 14, TD 8 became extratropical and died over the northern Atlantic seventy miles offshore from St. Marys, Georgia.

Hurricane Nelson
A new tropical depression developed forty-six nautical miles offshore of Cape Verde on October 16, moving west at 40 MPH. The tropical depression took three days to cross the mid-atlantic, becoming Tropical Storm Nelson on October 19 near the Virgin Islands, making landfall on October 20 with 65 MPH winds and an eight-foot storm surge. The storm pushed northwest as a tropical storm, making landfall in Cuba on October 22, having weakened slightly. TS Nelson took an entire day to cross Cuba, and landed in the Gulf Of Mexico at 10:30 P.M. EST on October 22. Using the gulf stream winds and energy from the warm water, TS Nelson became a Category 1 hurricane the next day. On October 24, Hurricane Nelson once again weakened and became a tropical storm, landing in Houma, LA, causing problems with a ten-foot storm surge and near hurricane-force winds of 72 MPH. TS Nelson continued northwest as a weakening low-pressure system traveling through Arkansas and dissipating October 25 over the city of Little Rock. In total, the storm totaled $24.5 billion dollars in damages, much of it attributed to the surge that swept through Louisiana. Hurricane Nelson resulted in the deaths of sixteen people in Louisiana, attributed to the surge that came about when the storm was a hurricane.

Tropical Storm Rilla
TS Rilla began as a tropical depression over the Caribbean Ocean on October 25, 2016. Not gaining in strength, the storm remained a depression while passing over the Cayman Islands on October 26. This changed, however, when the system entered the Gulf of Mexico and gained strength, becoming a tropical storm on October 28. TS Rilla then made landfall in Galveston, TX as a weakening tropical storm with 50 MPH winds. On October 30, TS Rilla dissipated near Dallas, TX, resulting in no deaths.

Tropical Storm Thomas
TS Thomas began life as a tropical depression only a few miles northwest from the Yucatán. The storm continued on a northwesterly direction across the Gulf of Mexico. The storm then officially made landfall on November 3, two days after formation, as a strong tropical storm near Houston, TX, bringing heavy rains and hurricane-force winds in excess of 70 MPH. TS Thomas continued to plow across northeastern Texas and dissipated on November 5, 2016 near Lake Charles, LA.

Hurricane Timothy
Another warm tropical wave formed near Cape Verde on November 2, leading to the formation of a tropical depression on November 3. This depression continued on a westerly course towards to the Caribbean. On November 4, the storm reached tropical storm intensity, earning the name Timothy, and made landfall later that day in Haiti, causing problems with heavy rain and flash flooding. The tropical storm continued its path over Cuba and crossed into the Gulf of Mexico, becoming a Category 1 hurricane on November 5. The storm made landfall in Corpus Christi, TX as a weakening Category 1 hurricane with winds of 78 MPH on November 6, disrupting Election Day activities. On November 7, the storm moved out of Texas, no longer a hurricane, before dissipating altogether later on November 8 in Oklahoma.

Tropical Storm Victoria
A tropical depression began churning over the mid-atlantic on November 10, 2016, and continued moving northwest towards Puerto Rico over a period of two days. On November 13, the storm reached an intensity level of tropical storm, earning this system the name Victoria. Later that day, the storm made landfall in Puerto Rico with winds estimated at 60 MPH and a storm surge of gauged at seven feet. TS Victoria continued a northward spiral and passed to the east of the Turks and Caicos, and then continued to move as a tropical storm, moving west at 55 MPH. TS Victoria was still going strong towards the Bahamas and made landfall there November 16, producing an F1 tornado in Nassau. Tropical Storm Victoria weakened over the Bahamas and moved into Florida November 17 as an extratropical depression, bringing high winds and heavy rain. Amazingly, the storm did not dissipate over Florida and continued to push northwest and even crossed part of the Gulf before making another landfall in the Florida panhandle on November 18. Later that day, the storm continued to push across the U.S. as a depression that finally dissipated over Tennessee.

Hurricane Walter
The final Category five hurricane of the season, a tropical wave formed over Cape Verde on November 16 and pushed directly northwest across the mid-atlantic, soon becoming a tropical storm and later a Category 1 hurricane the next day. The storm pushed across the mid-atlantic at an increasing intensity, soon becoming a Category 4 hurricane bearing down on the East Coast of the United States. However, on November 23, a large wind shift pushed the jet stream way down South, sending Category 5 Hurricane Walter Northeast, across the Northern Atlantic. The strong system showed signs of strength against the cooler waters of the Northern Atlantic, only dropping one ranking, Category 4, by November 25. Unbelievably, the hurricane was on a collision course with England, scheduled to make landfall November 30 as a Category 2 hurricane. Fortunately, things did not work out that way, and Hurricane Walter dropped two more rankings by November 26, becoming a Category 1 hurricane. Later that day, the storm entered horizontal shear, causing even more disorganization. The storm became an extratropical depression on November 27, dying off later that day, caused by a surging polar vortex over Europe; cold temperatures in the upper atmosphere completely killing all inflow into the center of the storm.

Hurricane Ysabelle
This was the last major hurricane, and the last hurricane of the 2016 season. On November 18, a tropical wave over the mid-atlantic caused a surge in ocean air temperature that resulted in the formation of several thunderstorms. On November 19, the final tropical depression of the season had developed and was moving at a sharp northwest at an incredible 60 MPH. Later that day, the newly formed tropical depression became a tropical storm, passing to the east of the Virgin Islands, and then making a northwesterly turn towards the United States on November 21, gaining strength and becoming an incredible Category 2 hurricane. Over the next several days, Hurricane Ysabelle was forecasted to make a direct landfall on North Carolina, the only hurricane to make landfall there during the 2016 season. On November 23, the storm had reached an intensity level of Category 3 and was several miles offshore from the target location: Wilmington, NC. Later that night, the storm entered the state as a weakening Category 3 hurricane with peak winds estimated at 130 MPH. After wreaking havoc by knocking out power to the city and disrupting Winterfest celebrations, the weakening storm dropped to an extratropical and moved Northeast, holding together much of its structure. On November 25, the storm hit Philadelphia, and the next day, entered New York, causing problems with 60 MPH winds and flash flooding along coastal areas. The weakening depression finally moved out of the U.S. on November 28, and officially dissipated over the Northern Atlantic on November 29, 2016 as a low-pressure system that brought snow to London before officially dying. In total, Hurricane Ysabelle caused $16.8 million dollars in damage and claimed a total of eight lives. Because of its intense nature and relatively large size, Hurricane Ysabelle was nickmaned "Superstorm Ysabelle" by the NHC, just like Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Storm Names
The following names will be used for the 2016 season. A complete revision was made, resulting in a list of brand-new names being used for the first time.

The following names will enter retirement: Anthony, Celeste, Deanna, Justin, Kate, Kingston, and Ysabelle. These names will not be re-used for the 2022 season because of the extraordinary damage these storms caused. They will be replaced with Alexander, Caitlyn, Danielle, Jaden, Karina, Kacey, and Yvonne for the 2022 season, respectively.