The 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season was a particularly active and destructive season that lasted from June 1 to November 7, 2017, with a total storm count of 20, of which 6 of those became major hurricanes. The season was considered to be one of the worst ever recorded, with Hurricane Henry considered to be the most powerful and destructive. Henry was notorious because he hit the city of Wilmington, North Carolina during the Labor Day weekend, leading to multiple hundreds of fatalities and a total of $40 billion in damage.
The 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season also produced Cheyenne and Noah, both of which were major hurricanes that also made landfall.
Background[]
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted that this hurricane season wouldn't be as active, based on records stretching from 1950 to 2016. The 2016 Atlantic Hurricane season wasn't as destructive, with only 10 storms, and one becoming major. The extreme winter of 2016-2017 was expected to make it more unlikely for major hurricanes to form, due to unusually cool waters caused by the extreme winter.
In March 2017, the University of Colorado predicted that the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season of 12 storms, which is about average, of which three would turn major. By June 2017, though, they predicted more storms for the season, in part because they started noticing conditions that were ripe for a major La Nina.
Storms[]
Tropical Depression 01[]
| Tropical depression (SSHWS) | |
 | |
| Duration | June 20 – June 23 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 35 mph (55 km/h) (1-min) 1003 mbar (hPa) |
Tropical Depression 02[]
| Tropical depression (SSHWS) | |
| | |
| Duration | June 25 – June 28 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 35 mph (55 km/h) (1-min) 1003 mbar (hPa) |
Tropical Storm Anthony[]
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) | |
| | |
| Duration | July 3 – July 10 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 65 mph (100 km/h) (1-min) 985 mbar (hPa) |
Tropical Storm Anthony was an intense tropical storm that formed 400 miles east of the Lesser Antilles on July 3. It made landfall on Haiti on July 8, producing enormous amounts of rain and high winds, killing over 100 people.
Hurricane Bonnie[]
| Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS) | |
| | |
| Duration | July 10 – July 17 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 80 mph (130 km/h) (1-min) 979 mbar (hPa) |
Hurricane Bonnie was an intense hurricane that made landfall in the Lesser Antilles at peak strength, killing 7 people.
Hurricane Clyde[]
| Category 2 hurricane (SSHWS) | |
| | |
| Duration | July 12 – July 20 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 100 mph (155 km/h) (1-min) 961 mbar (hPa) |
Hurricane Clyde was a Category 2 hurricane that slammed into the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico on July 17, killing 20 people in the region.
Tropical Depression 06[]
| Tropical depression (SSHWS) | |
| | |
| Duration | July 25 – July 29 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 30 mph (45 km/h) (1-min) 1005 mbar (hPa) |
Tropical Storm Danielle[]
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) | |
| | |
| Duration | July 10 – July 17 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 70 mph (110 km/h) (1-min) 990 mbar (hPa) |
Hurricane Emanuel[]
| Category 3 hurricane (SSHWS) | |
| | |
| Duration | July 25 – August 7 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 125 mph (205 km/h) (1-min) 945 mbar (hPa) |
Hurricane Emanuel was a major hurricane that made landfall in the Dominican Republic on August 2, producing a storm surge of up to 16 feet. The storm surge, combined with wind speeds in excess of 120 mph (190 km/h), killed over 400 people in the city of Santo Domingo and other cities.
Hurricane Fargo[]
| Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS) | |
| | |
| Duration | August 3 – August 10 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 80 mph (130 km/h) (1-min) 979 mbar (hPa) |
A hurricane that, fortunately, didn't hit land.
Hurricane Garry[]
| Category 4 hurricane (SSHWS) | |
| | |
| Duration | August 12 – August 21 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 145 mph (230 km/h) (1-min) 935 mbar (hPa) |
Hurricane Garry formed 400 miles east of the Lesser Antilles on August 12. It continued west, eventually hitting the Lesser Antilles as a Category 2 hurricane, killing 10 people. The storm system then moved west, eventually hitting Cuba as a Category 4 hurricane, killing over 200 people, many in Santa Cruz del Sur, which reported a storm surge of up to 20 feet. It also became the costliest Cuban hurricane, with damages reaching $9 billion in damages.
Hurricane Henry[]
| Category 5 hurricane (SSHWS) | |
| | |
| Duration | August 19 – September 4 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 185 mph (295 km/h) (1-min) 895 mbar (hPa) |
Hurricane Henry began 500 miles west of the Cape Verde Islands on August 19. The system developed into a hurricane in two days, and continued to grow. It reached peak intensity just two days before it hit the East Coast of the USA. It began to weaken, but it hit Wilmington, North Carolina as a high-end Category 4 hurricane, with a wind speed recorded at 155 mph (250 km/h) and a pressure of 925 millibars. The enormous storm, which had hurricane-force winds extending 90 miles (145 km) from the 35-mile-wide-eye, with a radius of maximum winds exceeding 25 miles, produced a storm surge of 30 feet. The 155 mph (250 km/h) winds caused major destruction to much of the North Carolina coast. It moved inland at a speed of up to 25 mph (40 km/h). It caused major flood damage and wind damage in Virginia and Washington, D.C., eventually moving back into the ocean and dissipating on September 4.
Hurricane Henry killed over 750 people in North Carolina, of which over 600 were in New Hanover County, North Carolina. The high death toll came in part because Henry made landfall during the Labor Day weekend, catching thousands of tourists off-guard. Another 33 died in Virginia and Washington, D.C. Total economic costs exceeded $57 billion in damage.
Hurricane Ina[]
| Category 3 hurricane (SSHWS) | |
| | |
| Duration | September 1 – September 11 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 115 mph (185 km/h) (1-min) 950 mbar (hPa) |
Hurricane Ina was a major hurricane that, on September 8, made landfall in Cuba, killing over 20 people and causing over $1 billion in damage.
Hurricane Jimmy[]
| Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS) | |
| | |
| Duration | September 15 – September 23 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 80 mph (130 km/h) (1-min) 984 mbar (hPa) |
A hurricane that missed Puerto Rico and didn't affect any land at all.
Hurricane Kevin[]
| Category 3 hurricane (SSHWS) | |
| | |
| Duration | September 20 – September 30 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 125 mph (205 km/h) (1-min) 950 mbar (hPa) |
Hurricane Kevin was a Category 3 hurricane that, on September 25, hit Puerto Rico as a large Category 2 hurricane, producing wind speeds of 100 mph and a pressure of 960 millibars. The heavy rain and the 10-foot storm surge killed over 25 people, and injured 100 others.
Hurricane Laura[]
| Category 1 hurricane (SSHWS) | |
| | |
| Duration | October 1 – October 7 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 90 mph (150 km/h) (1-min) 980 mbar (hPa) |
It made landfall in Haiti at peak strength, producing hurricane-force winds and a storm surge of 7 feet. Heavy rains produced flash floods and landslides that killed a total of 200 people in the country.
Hurricane Marlin[]
| Category 4 hurricane (SSHWS) | |
| | |
| Duration | October 6 – October 17 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 150 mph (240 km/h) (1-min) 925 mbar (hPa) |
Hurricane Marlin was a Category 4 hurricane that made landfall in Cozumel as a Category 4 hurricane, with 140-mph winds. The storm system killed 25 people on the island, and it crossed into the Yucatan Peninsula, killing 35 more. It crossed into the Bay of Campache as a Category 2 hurricane, but it intensified back into a high-end Category 3 hurricane, with 125-mph winds. It hit the city of Brownsville, Texas as a high-end Category 2 hurricane, with 110 mph winds, a pressure of 955 millibars, and a diameter exceeding 500 miles across. The storm's size and intensity produced a major storm surge and flash floods, killing 50 more in the city. All told, Hurricane Marlin killed an estimated 110 people, and it caused over $35 billion in damage, of which half of that was in Texas.
Tropical Storm Nicole[]
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) | |
| | |
| Duration | October 20 – October 25 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 70 mph (110 km/h) (1-min) 990 mbar (hPa) |
It formed in the Gulf of Mexico and hit Louisiana, producing floods that killed 7 people.
Tropical Depression 18[]
| Tropical depression (SSHWS) | |
| | |
| Duration | October 23 – October 27 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 35 mph (55 km/h) (1-min) 1003 mbar (hPa) |
It was a weak tropical depression that made landfall in Monterrey. Fortunately, the mountainous regions quickly tore apart the storm, but the flash floods killed seven people in the region.
Tropical Storm Onan[]
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) | |
| | |
| Duration | October 25 – November 1 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 60 mph (95 km/h) (1-min) 992 mbar (hPa) |
It was a weak tropical storm that didn't hit land.
Hurricane Peter[]
| Category 2 hurricane (SSHWS) | |
| | |
| Duration | October 30 – November 7 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 105 mph (165 km/h) (1-min) 958 mbar (hPa) |
Hurricane Peter was a Category 2 hurricane that made landfall in the Dominican Republic, producing a storm surge of 10 feet and wind speeds of 105 mph (165 km/h). The storm system produced flash floods in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, killing over 100 people in the country. It was the last storm of the season.
Records[]
The 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season broke the 12-year hiatus of major hurricanes hitting the United States, after Hurricane Henry hit. Hurricane Henry was one of the most intense, and most devastating, storms to hit the country.
Hurricane Garry was considered to be Cuba's worst storm in decades.