2020 vs 2019: Comparing hurricane seasons, so far

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - We’re halfway through the 2020 hurricane season and it certainly hasn’t been a disappointing one if you’re looking to get your name checked off the list. So far we have seen 9 named tropical storms, and two of those (Hanna and Isaias) strengthened to CAT 1 hurricanes. But how does this year compare to the same time in 2019? Let’s take a look.

By August 4, 2019, the Atlantic basin had only seen 2 named systems. Andrea formed in May before the official start of the season, and Barry, which became the first hurricane of the season, forming in mid-July.

You might look at that and think 2019 ended up being a boring season. You’d be wrong. The 2019 season ended up as the 4th most active season in history with 18 named storms, 6 of them hurricanes, and three major hurricanes (CAT 3 and higher).

The strongest hurricane of the season was Dorian, with winds 185 mph. The latest storm of 2019 was Sebastien, lasting almost to Thanksgiving.

WHAT WILL THE REST OF THE SEASON BE LIKE?

Since no seasons are alike, it’s often hard to tell specifically how many more storms will develop in the Atlantic basin. However, the National Hurricane Center will hold a mid-season outlook on August 6th to look at the remainder of the season and give a best estimate on what to expect. We’ll cover the findings on WDBJ7 Thursday afternoon.