Overview
- NOAA’s final tally lists 13 named storms, five hurricanes and four major hurricanes, with overall activity slightly above average by ACE at about 133.
- Three Category 5 hurricanes formed, tying for the second-most on record in the Atlantic basin.
- Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica with sustained winds of 185 mph, produced a record 252 mph dropsonde gust and caused at least 90 deaths across Jamaica, Cuba and the Bahamas.
- A long-lived upper-level trough over the eastern U.S. and a Fujiwhara interaction between Imelda and Humberto steered systems away from the U.S. coast.
- Even without a U.S. hurricane landfall, coastal impacts mounted, including 16 house collapses on North Carolina’s Outer Banks in September and October.