Overview
- NOAA’s final tally lists 13 named storms, five hurricanes and four major hurricanes, including three Category 5s, with overall season strength near the long‑term average.
- The continental United States saw no hurricane landfalls for the first time since 2015, with only Tropical Storm Chantal making a U.S. landfall in South Carolina in July.
- Experts cite a persistent trough over the eastern U.S. and a weakened western Bermuda High, along with a Humberto–Imelda Fujiwhara interaction, for repeatedly curving storms away from the coast.
- Activity featured a quiet late‑August to mid‑September lull followed by bursts of rapid intensification, including Erin and Category 5 Melissa, which hit southwestern Jamaica and damaged Hispaniola and eastern Cuba.
- NOAA says AI model guidance, including Google DeepMind, was used operationally and aided intensity forecasts, and Tropical Cyclone Reports will be published in the post‑season.