2013 Great Lakes hurricane season

The 2013 Great Lakes hurricane season was the first year on record in which tropical cyclones formed in the Great Lakes. It was very active, with 16 depressions, 12 storms, 7 hurricanes, and 2 majors forming. It officially started on June 1 and ended on November 30 (same bounds as the Atlantic). These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Great Lakes. However, the first storm, STD One, formed on April 29, more than a month before the official start of the season.

This season was very destructive, with Bob, Fred, and Ingrid responsible for most of the destruction. The strongest and most destructive of the season was Fred, a Category 5 that formed in Lake Michigan, crossed into Lake Superior, looped back into Lake Huron, and then crossed into Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. It caused $40 billion in damage and killed 232 people throughout the Great Lakes region. The name Fred, along with Bob and Ingrid, were later retired and replaced by Bud, Fabian, and Irene for the 2019 season. The Great Lakes rotates names every six years just like in the Atlantic and the Pacific.

Season summary
The season started with STD One, a subtropical depression that existed in Lake Huron during late April. It formed more than a month before the official start of the season. Later, in June, 2 storms formed. They were TD Two and Hurricane Allison. After that, July saw 4 storms, Bob, Cindy, Daniel, and TD 7. Bob was the most destructive of the month, hitting Syracuse and Toronto at C1 intensity. In August, 3 storms formed. They were Emily, Fred, and Greta. Fred was the strongest and most destructive of the month as well as the season, reaching C5 intensity and affecting a lot of land in the Great Lakes region. In September, 3 storms, Henri, Ingrid, and TD Thirteen formed. The most destructive of the month was Ingrid, which hit downtown Chicago at C2 intensity. In October, 2 storms, Jack and Kristy formed. Finally, in November, 1 storm, Lorenzo formed. Overall, this season was an active one.

Storm names
The following names were used to name tropical cyclones this year. This was the first time that names were used to name tropical cyclones that formed in the Great Lakes, since this is the first time on record that hurricanes formed there. The names will rotate every 6 years, with the same names used in 2013 to be used in 2019 except for retirements. Unused names are marked in.

Retirement
Due to extensive damage and deaths, the names Bob, Fred, and Ingrid were officially retired, and will never be used again for a Great Lakes hurricane. They were replaced by Bud, Fabian, and Irene for use in the 2019 season.

List for 2019: