2019 Atlantic Hurricane Season (LckyTUBA's version)

The 2019 Atlantic hurricane season was a slightly-above average season which featured a total of 12 storms, all of which were named, 8 of which became hurricanes and 3 of which attained major hurricane status. The three storms in particular which caused major damage were Hurricanes Dorian, Imelda and Karen. All three of these storms struck the Gulf Coast. Dorian caused deadly flooding when its remnants stalled out over Mississippi and Alabama, dropping torrential rainfall in the area. Imelda was the costliest and deadliest storm of the season, striking coastal Mississippi as a high-end Category 4, making it the strongest Mississippi landfall since Camille. Before striking the US, Imelda also caused mudslides in the Caribbean causing hundreds of deaths. Karen struck the area which was still recovering from the impact of Imelda 4 weeks prior, causing even more damage.

In total, the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season caused 747 fatalities and $49.6 billion in damage.

Subtropical Storm Andrea
Subtropical Storm Andrea formed from a tropical wave about 500 miles west of the Cape Verde islands, and stayed at open sea. It never made landfall, so it caused no deaths or damage.

Hurricane-2 Barry
Hurricane Barry started as a non-tropical wave of thunderstorms became organized and gained tropical characteristics. It struck Bermuda as a tropical storm on July 21, causing $2.4 million damage. There were no fatalities.

Hurricane-4 Chantal
Hurricane Chantal tracked through the Atlantic starting as a Cape-Verde style storm. It was steered northward by an area of high pressure in the eastern Caribbean, keeping it away from most land. It became extratropical east of Newfoundland on August 9, and would later go on to impact the UK as a windstorm. Its impact on the UK caused 13 deaths and the equivalent of $471 million in damage.

Hurricane-1 Dorian
Hurricane Dorian formed as a tropical wave south of Puerto Rico. Warm waters allowed it to intensify, but moderate wind shear limited it to a category 1. It made landfall in Cuba at peak strength, claiming the lives of 12 people. It then went on to make landfall in Mississippi as a 75-mph hurricane. Its remnants stalled out over the region, causing major flooding in cities including Birmingham and Jackson. The flooding caused many more fatalities in this area and significant crop losses. In total, Dorian caused 127 fatalities and $7.9 billion in damage.

Due to the significant deaths and damage, Dorian was retired and will be replaced by Derek for the 2025 season.

Tropical Storm Erin
Tropical Storm Erin formed in the open Atlantic on August 9 and dissipated due to high wind shear a few days later.

Hurricane-2 Fernand
Hurricane Fernand formed just east of the Windward Islands and tracked through the Caribbean through the following week and a half. It never made landfall on any of the islands, but brought heavy rain to some of them. It made landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula as a tropical storm. Isolated cases flash flooding claimed the lives of 4 people, and slick roads caused a multi-vehicle accident claiming another 3 lives. In total, Fernand caused 7 deaths and $341 million damage.

Subtropical Storm Gabrielle
Subtropical Storm Gabrielle was a fast-moving storm which formed from a line of non-tropical thunderstorms south of Cuba. It made landfall in New Orleans at peak intensity, causing minor to moderate flooding in areas surrounding the city which were unprotected by levees. It dissipated suprisingly slowly due to absorbing moisture from the wetlands and soil that had been saturated due to storms earlier. It completed an extratropical transition on September 7 and caused some wind damage in Kentucky after that. In all, Gabrielle caused 11 deaths and $330 million in damage.

Hurricane-2 Humberto
Hurricane Humberto formed in the open Atlantic from a tropical wave. Warm water allowed it to gain some strength, but moderate wind shear limited it to a peak of 105 mph, and it lost most of its strength due to cold water as it went further north. It made landfall in Boston as a 50-mph tropical storm. No deaths were reported, but the storm caused $52 million damage when a school's roof collapsed.

Hurricane-4 Imelda
Hurricane Imelda was the most intense, costliest, and deadliest storm of 2019. A tropical wave about 150 miles south of Cape Verde became organized on September 17, and favorable conditions allowed further development as the storm tracked west. The storm made its first official landfall in Saint Lucia, as a 110-mph Category 2, and it also battered the nearby islands of Martinique, Dominica, Grenada and Barbados with heavy rain and winds of up to 90 mph. A building collapse in Dominica caused 7 deaths. The storm continued northwest, skimming the Cayman Islands, Cuba, and the Yucatan Peninsula. These locations suffered only minimal damage and nobody was hurt. However, the storm started to rapidly intensify as it moved out over the open, warm water of the Gulf. At this point, forecasts showed decreased wind shear in the Gulf, and the NHC issued additional advisories for the Gulf Coast as well as declaring a state of emergency for Mississippi and Alabama. The storm was moving north at around 15 mph at this point, so citizens had less time to prepare for the storm. Imelda made its final landfall in Gulfport, Mississippi at peak intensity. This tied Imelda with 2018's Michael for the 4th highest wind speed for a U.S landfall. Imelda brought a storm surge of up to 11 feet in this area, causing severe flooding, especially in the low lying areas, which had already been saturated from Gabrielle earlier that month and several rounds of non-tropical thunderstorms. The extreme winds were devastating to the area, leaving over 600,000 without power in Mississippi and Alabama alone. The storm weakened over land, although slower than normal, as the warm moisture in the soil was reabsorbed into the storm. Winds in Jackson topped out at 90 mph, and sustained winds of 40 mph were reported as far north as Cincinnati, Ohio. The storm was finally absorbed into a frontal system after becoming extratropical on October 2. The storm caused a total of 487 deaths and $23 billion damage in its path. Due to the extreme death and damage from the storm, Imelda was retired in the spring of 2020 and was replaced by Idetta for the 2025 season.

Hurricane-1 Jerry
Hurricane Jerry formed in the southern Carribean from a tropical wave. Very warm waters allowed it to strengthen to a Category 1 before making landfall in Cuba. The storm would continue on a northward path and make its final landfall in Florida as a 60-mph storm. Jerry caused 14 deaths and $195 million in damage, mainly due to wind damage.

Hurricane-3 Karen
Hurricane Karen was the second of the two major hurricanes in 2019. It formed about 650 miles south-southwest of Havana, and strengthened due to low wind shear and above-average SSTs. Advisories were issued for the Yucatan, Cuba and the Gulf Coast. The Yucatan and Cuba were battered with tropical-storm force winds and bands of torrential rain, one of which was particularly intense and triggered a mudslide in Cuba. The storm retained its hurricane strength as it took aim at the Gulf Coast, prompting hurricane warnings from the NOAA. Karen made landfall as a 115-mph storm in New Orleans, bringing heavy rain and destructive winds to the same areas still recovering from Imelda's impact 4 weeks prior. In all, Karen caused 88 deaths and $17.3 billion damage. Due to the extensive damage, Karen was retired and was replaced by Kristine.

Tropical Storm Lorenzo
Tropical Storm Lorenzo formed in the open Atlantic, and did not have any effects on land.

Retired/Replacements

Dorian --> Derek

Imelda --> Idetta

Karen --> Kristine