The Atlantic hurricane season typically begins in June, but in most years since the mid-2010s, there has been at least one storm forming before that. During the “preseason” period from 2015 to 2024, only two seasons did not see a named storm in the Atlantic Basin prior to June. Some of these storms have had significant impacts, resulting in at least 20 deaths and around $200 million in damages from May storms between 2012 and 2020.
In 2016, Tropical Storm Bonnie hit the Carolinas in late May, followed by Hurricane Alex in the eastern Atlantic, the second known January Atlantic hurricane. In 2012, Tropical Storm Beryl almost reached hurricane strength before making landfall in northeast Florida over Memorial Day weekend.
The official Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, encompassing over 97% of all storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic. The season’s dates were originally set from June 15 to Nov. 15 in 1935 but were adjusted to June 1 and Nov. 30 in 1964 and have remained the same since. In 2021, the National Hurricane Center moved the start date for issuing tropical weather outlooks to May 15 to cover potential preseason storms.
While seasons with a pre-June 1 storm tend to have more storms overall, the number of hurricanes and major hurricanes does not significantly differ between early and non-early starting seasons. Most hurricanes and major hurricanes occur between August and October, making the presence or absence of a pre-June 1 storm less predictive of the entire hurricane season.
It is advisable to develop or review your hurricane plan well before the season’s first hurricane.
