2041 Atlantic hurricane season (Mario's version)

The 2041 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active, deadliest, and most destructive hurricane season ever recorded, surpassing that of 2035. It was one of four seasons to use the Greek alphabet, the others being 2035, 2029 and 2005. It started on June 1 and ended on November 30, however the activity of the season exceeded both of these ends, with Tropical Storm Arlene forming on May 17, and Tropical Storm Omicron dissapating on January 10. Over $1 trillion in damages were attributed to the season, most of which was inflicted by Katia in late August–early September.

Most of the activity was attributed to the 2040–42 La Niña event, which was the strongest such ever recorded. This resulted in abnormally low wind shear across the Atlantic basin, record sea surface temperatures of near 34°C (93°F), and a relatively moist environment across the Atlantic. Subsequently, the 2041 Pacific hurricane season was one of the most inactive seasons on record.

The most notable storm of the season was Hypercane Katia, which became the first hypercane ever recorded in history, and as well as the strongest tropical cyclone ever recorded. With over $1 trillion in damages and close to 100,000 deaths attributed to the cyclone, Katia was the deadliest and costliest hurricane ever recorded.

Tropical Storm Arlene
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 Arlene. 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. Arlene later attained its peak intensity on May 20 before it moved southwards into Nicuraga on May 21, dissipating due to the mountainous terrains by the next day.

The remnants of Arlene 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 2064.

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

Hurricane Bret
A non-tropical low developed on May 27 over the eastern edge of the East Pacific 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 Bret. This was the first occurrence of two pre-season tropical cyclones in the Atlantic basin since 2064.

Originally, forecasters did not expect Bret 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 Bret over unusually warm sea surface temperatures of 28 °C (82 °F), 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 (190 km/h). This marked the first time a major hurricane formed before the official start of the season in history.

Bret maintained its peak intensity until landfall on June 1 in 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 Cindy
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 Cindy while situated to the south of Haiti.

Cindy 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 (137 km/h) as it turned to the northeast while passing through the Windward Passage. Once exiting into the Bahamas, Cindy began to accelerate as it pulled away. Resisting an extratropical transition, Cindy held on to hurricane strength and tropical cyclone characteristics for another four days before finally becoming extratropical about 650 miles (1,050 km) south of Greenland on June 25.

Hurricane Diane
On June 19, the National Hurricane Center began to monitor an area of disturbed weather near the Bahamas for possible development. The disturbance slowly organized over the next 3 days before reaching the Florida Keys on June 20. A reconnaissance aircraft had been scheduled to fly into the storm early on June 21, and results had shown that a tropical depression had formed. The newly-formed depression slowly moved into the Gulf of Mexico on June 22, further developing into Tropical Storm Diane later that evening. Diane 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 (249 km/h) late on June 24 while off the west coast of Florida. Initially, forecasters predicted that Diane would move more westward before turning, and as a result early advisories called for Dolly to rapidly intensify into a 220 mph (350 km/h) Category 5 due to record sea surface temperatures of near 34 °C (93 °F).

Diane made landfall early on June 26 as a powerful Category 4 with winds of 145 mph (233 km/h) and a pressure of 942 millibars (27.8 inHg) about 20 miles (32 km) east of, making it one of the strongest hurricanes to strike Florida since 2030, when Hurricane Claudette struck the state as a Category 3. Diane weakened steadily while over land, and the storm was last noted on June 27 as a remnant low before dissipating. The remnants of the system eventually contributed to the worst floods in 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 Diane one of the costliest hurricanes recorded.

Hurricane Emily
On June 23, a tropical disturbance formed near the Isthmus of Panama, and was monitored for potential development. The disturbance was slow to organize over the next three days until a decrease in wind shear began to mark more favorable conditions. A microwave satellite pass revealed the presence of a well-defined tropical depression, and the NHC initiated advisories on Tropical Depression Five on June 27 while situated about 300 miles (500 km) north of Colombia. The depression continued to organize and eventually became Tropical Storm Emily the next day. Gradual strengthening continued and Emily later became a hurricane on June 29, as it began to slow due to it approaching the edge of a building ride of high pressure and a weak trough approaching.

While slowing down, Emily began to rapidly strengthening as it sat over a warm area of 31 °C (88 °F) sea surface temperatures and little wind shear. Emily later began to slowly turn northwards and eventually peaked in intensity as a 145 mph (233 km/h) on July 1 with a decently-defined eye. Shortly after, Emily began to weaken due to an eyewall replacement cycle, but maintained Category 4 strength until landfall in central Cuba on July 2. Afterwards, it weakened to a Category 3 and remained at this intensity while passing through the Bahamas, before turning to the west and making landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on July 5 near Vero Beach, Florida.

Steady weakening took place as Emily moved north inland of Florida, and it passed Orlando as a high-end Category 1 later that night. Another trough, this one somewhat stronger then the previous one that turned Emily while in the Caribbean, turned and then accelerated the hurricane to the north-northeast, passing into the Atlantic Ocean, where Emily briefly re-attained Category 2 intensity before making its third and final landfall in North Carolina on July 7.

Emily continued to accelerate into the Northeast as it began to lose its tropical characteristics. It dropped to below hurricane strength on July 9, finally becoming extratropical while racing into Canada.

Tropical Depression Six
On June 27, a weak tropical wave exited the coast of Africa and was tagged for likely development, due to favorable conditions expected ahead. The wave quickly organized and was declared a tropical depression by June 28. Initially, forecasters called for the depression to strengthen into a tropical storm by June 30, with further strengthening expected beyond that point. However, dry air and high wind shear quickly encircled into the system, and the depression later degenerated into a remnant low by June 30, and meandered in a zig-zag direction near the Cape Verde Islands for another day before dissipating on July 1.

Impacts were limited to only light rain and some brief gusty winds as the depression moved through the islands, with only about an inch of rain reported at the most.

Tropical Storm Fetty
On July 8, an upper-level low became detached from the atmosphere about 200 miles (320 km) north of Puerto Rico. The low gradually began to organize, and on July 10, 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 July 11, it had developed enough tropical characteristics to be classified as Tropical Storm Fetty.

Intially, Fetty was forecast to steadily strengthen into a hurricane and impact the East Coast of the United States, however, it got too close to the mountains of Haiti and later dissipated that day.

Hurricane Gert
On July 10, a tropical wave moved off the western coast of Africa. Development was not expected due to moderate wind shear and Saharan dust that was lingering near the coast. However, in spite of this, the wave unexpectedly organised and became a tropical depression on July 12. Forecasted to quickly dissipate, the depression defied the forecast and strengthened into Tropical Storm Gert about 10 miles to the northwest of the Cape Verde Islands. Gert slowly moved to the northwest as it began to hug the edge of a subtropical ridge. As Gert began to slowly turn to the north, unusual sea surface temperatures began to fuel rapid intensification, and the cyclone eventually peaked as a Category 5 hurricane on July 18 about 600 miles (1,000 km) north-northwest of the Cape Verde Islands, making it the easternmost such storm on record.

Shortly after peaking in intensity, Gert underwent an eyewall replacement cycle as it began to steadily move towards the northeast, and as such began to weaken. By July 20, Gert had weakened to a category 2 before becoming an extratropical cyclone with hurricane-force winds as it raced into southwestern England by July 22.

Hurricane Harvey
Late on July 20, a weak disturbance moved into the Caribbean Sea. The disturbance gradually started to become better organized and shortly after moving into the area, the disturbed area was upgraded to a tropical depression on July 22, and then shortly Tropical Storm Harvey. Harvey began to turn to the west-northwest under the force of a ridge above it, and at the same time began to strengthen at a steady rate and eventually became a hurricane on July 24, then to a Category 2 on July. As it approached the Yucatan Peninsula, Harvey began to intensify more rapidly, and peaked as a Category 3 major hurricane just before it made landfall on July 25 to the south of Cancun. Harvey then moved out into the Gulf of Mexico as a weaker tropical storm, however sea surface temperatures allowed it to temporarily re-strengthen into a high-end Category 1 before making landfall near Corpus Christi, Texas on July 27. Harvey then rapidly weakened as it moved inland and was last noted as a remnant low on July 28 before dissipating while over northern Texas the following day.

Hurricane Ingra
On July 28, a supercell thunderstorm moved off the New Jersey coastline. As soon as it did, the thunderstorm quickly began to gain subtropical characteristics, with banding features developing near the center. At 1800 UTC, the National Hurricane Center began to issue advisories on Subtropical Storm Ingra, citing that "Ingra had undergone an unusual transition from a simple supercell thunderstorm to a subtropical cyclone, an extremely rare event only recorded three other times in history". Ingra later turned to the north and evolved into a full-fledged tropical storm and accordingly peaked as a minimal hurricane on July 30. Ingra later made landfall slightly weaker near the United States-Canada border on July 31, quickly becoming extratropical in the process. The remains of Ingra accelerated to the northeast and meandered near Greenland before dissipating on August 4.

Tropical Storm Jose
A broad area of low pressure formed near Africa on August 8 with scattered convection. Gradual organisation continued and the area was later designated as a tropical depression on August 10 while situated to the west of the Cape Verde Islands. Later that night, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Jose after a scatterometer pass revealed the presence of tropical storm force winds. Jose gradually strengthened over the next few days as it moved to the west, reaching its peak intensity of 70 mph (110 km/h) on August 13. However, dry air ingestion by the cyclone weakened it to a tropical depression by August 15.

Jose was able to mix out the dry air by late on August 16, and re-intensified into a tropical storm early on August 17. The tropical storm failed to strengthen beyond a moderate tropical storm again, and as it entered the Caribbean Sea, historic wind shear from the outflow of rapidly intensifying Hurricane Katia – which was already a Category 5 – quickly tore apart the tropical cyclone and Jose degenerated to a remnant low on August 19. The remnant circulation persisted for another day before dissipating.

Hypercane Katia
On August 7, a very well-organized tropical wave left the west coast of Africa, slowly moving at pace of 9–10 mph (14–16 km/h). The wave was not expected to develop until it reached the, 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 Katia later that day.

Continuing to move at a modest pace, Katia gradually strengthened until reaching the western Caribbean Sea, at which that point it underwent the most explosive deepening ever recorded due to historic sea surface temperatures of 42 °C (108 °F) and historic oceanic heat content indexes, as well as a very favorable anticyclone that had developed above it. In just 24 hours, Katia's wind speed went from 70 mph (110 km/h) (a high-end tropical storm) to 220 mph (350 km/h) (a low-end Category 6) and its pressure fell by nearly 160 millibars to near 848 millibars (25.0 inHg). Explosive deepening continued throughout the next few days, albeit a bit slower and not as extreme as the first period, Katia eventually made landfall on the western tip of Cuba as a Category 7 with winds of 445 mph (716 km/h). Soon thereafter, the historic hurricane entered the Gulf of Mexico where historic sea surface temperatures of near 49 °C (120 °F) prompted a second period of explosive intensification, and Katia eventually peaked in intensity on August 29 as a hypercane – the first such storm ever recorded on Earth – with winds of 520 mph (835 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 617 millibars (18.2 inHg). It maintained this intensity for another day before slightly weakening to a border-line hypercane with 500 mph (800 km/h).

Katia then struck about 20 miles (32 km) south of New Orleans, Louisiana on the afternoon of September 1 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 Katia 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 4. The cyclone was last noted moving off the coast near Boston, Massachusetts on September 8 before dissipating.

In total, Katia 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.

Hurricane Lee
On September 1, a broad area of low pressure associated with a tropical wave moved of the coast of Africa. Gradual organization continued until radar observations and a scatterometer pass revealed the presence of a closed circulation, signifying that the disturbance had strengthened into a tropical depression by September 4. A large burst of convection over the center prompted the upgrade to Tropical Storm Lee while located about 400 miles to the west of the Cape Verde Islands.

Lee continued to organize while moving to the west at a gradual pace. Lee eventually strengthened into a hurricane late on September 7 about 1,000 miles from the Lesser Antilles.

Steady strengthening continued over the next 36 hours, and by late on September 9 Lee had intensified into a high-end category 2 hurricane as it began to turn more to the north. Afterwards, rapid intensification ensued and Lee eventually peaked as a category 5 hurricane on September 12 with winds of 175 mph (280 km/h) and a pressure of 910 millibars. The cyclone maintained its peak intensity for another day before weakening to a high-end category 4 as it underwent an eyewall replacement cycle. Afterwards, Lee was able to again become a category 5 on September 15 before weakening once again. As Lee weakened, it also began to accelerate, and by September 17 it had become extratropical while situated 300 miles (500 km) to the south of Greenland.

Hurricane Maria
On September 12, a disorganized tropical disturbance moved into the western Caribbean Sea. Moderate wind shear prevented tropical cyclogenesis. However, it abruptly diminished, allowing the disturbance to gradually organize. By September 15, it had developed into a tropical depression about 300 miles (500 km) north of the Isthmus of Panama, later strengthening into Tropical Storm Maria. A subtropical ridge of high pressure caused the cyclone to slowly move west towards Nicaragua. Late on September 16, less then 24 hours before landfall, Maria underwent rapid intensification and became a category 3 major hurricane early the next morning, while also attaining its peak intensity with winds of 125 mph (205 km/h) and a central pressure of 954 millibars. Initially, some forecasters proposed that Maria could become a Category 4 before landfall based on its rapid deepening, however this failed to occur.

Maria later made landfall in Nicaragua at its peak intensity, becoming the strongest hurricane to strike the nation since Hurricane Sean in 2035. Soonafter, rapid weakening occurred due to the cyclone interacting with the mountainous terrain of Nicaragua, and by September 18, Maria had degenerated into a remnant low. The circulation persisted for another day before dissipating.

Tropical Depression Sixteen
On September 16, a broad area of low pressure formed in the Yucatan Channel. Development was not expected due to its proximity to land. It slowly moved to the southwest while dropping heavy rains over the areas. The disturbance later emerged into the extreme southern Bay of Campeche late on September 17, where rapid organisation took over, and the disturbance was later classified as Tropical Depression Sixteen early the next morning.

It was forecast to strengthen into a tropical storm before landfall – it never did so, and it later moved inland on September 19 in Veracruz, Mexico. Afterwards it rapidly dissipated and was no longer traceable the next day.

Hurricane Nelson
A broad area of low pressure formed to the southwest of the Leeward Islands on September 16, and was monitored for tropical development. Aiding from low wind shear and warm sea surface temperatures, and a moist environment, the disturbance gradually organised into a tropical depression by September 19. The depression quickly gained strength and was later declared Tropical Storm Nelson by the evening. Early on September 21, Nelson underwent explosive intensification and became a Category 5. Later that evening, it further intensified to reach its peak intensity as a Category 6 hurricane about 1,200 miles (2,000 km) to the southeast of Bermuda. Soon afterwards, it began to weaken, but slowly, as it crept northwards throughout the day of September 22–23.

The hurricane then executed a cyclonic loop and further weakened throughout the day. By the time Nelson completed the turn on September 24, it had weakened to a Category 1. Nelson later began to accelerate to the northeast and became extratropical on September 26. The cyclone persisted near Greenland for a while before dissipating on September 29.

Hurricane Ophelia
On September 20, an upper-level low that had moved off the coast of Mexico detached from the atmosphere, gradually strengthening over the next 48 hours to become Tropical Storm Ophelia in the Bay of Campeche. Ophelia slowly drifted to the north into the Gulf of Mexico, where favourable conditions caused the storm to rapidly intensify.