It's Over! Atlantic 2017 Hurricane Season officially ends today
It's over! The 2017 Hurricane season has officially ended, according to the NOAA NHC. It was a record-setting year and one of the worst hurricane seasons ever; the most significant since 2005, the year that Hurricane Katrina struck. The record for the most category 4 hurricanes to make U.S. landfall was set this year with Harvey, Irma, and Maria all causing significant damage.
This year, a total of 17 named storms formed in the Atlantic, with 10 hurricanes, and 6 major hurricanes -- three of which reached Category 4/5 status and impacted the U.S.
Also, September 2017 was the most active month on record for Atlantic hurricanes ever.
Hurricane Harvey wrecked havoc since it first made landfall on Aug. 25, creating a crisis in Southeast Texas and leaving behind a devastating flood in Houston.
Here's a look at Harvey by the numbers:
THE STORM
3 landfalls: Harvey made landfall not once, but three times. First it hit Texas near Corpus Christi on Friday. It inched through Texas before eventually returning to the Gulf Coast. On Wednesday, it made a second and third landfall in western Louisiana.
56 years: The last time a storm was stronger when it made landfall in Texas was in 1961, when Hurricane Carla also made landfall as a Category 4. Hurricane Carla was one of the strongest storms of the 20th centuryand killed dozens of people.
THE FLOOD
20 trillion gallons: Harvey dumped 20 trillion gallons of rain on Houston alone. According to ABC News, that's enough to supply water to New York City for five years.
51.88 inches: Harvey lingered in Houston and the surrounding area for days, dumping feet of rain in most places. Cedar Bayou's preliminary totalwas 51.88 inches. This sets a record for tropical cyclone rainfall in the continental U.S.
6 million Texans: The area where the most rain was dumped is densely populated. It's estimated that 6 million Texans were impacted by 30 inches or more of rain.
185,149 homes: According to the latest estimate from the Texas Division of Emergency Management, 185,149 homes were either damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Harvey and the resulting flooding. That number is expected to rise.
Luckily, the season is now over and we get a prolonged break from any tropical worries. Our continued thoughts and prayers are with all who are still recovering.
Meteorologically, we will likely continue to learn from this historic year, and from Harvey, for decades to come.
