This is San Andrés and Providencia, devastated by 2 hurricanes 2:22
(CNN Spanish) -
The 2020 hurricane season in the Atlantic not only broke record after record but, with several tropical storms, left a gloomy outlook in its wake.
This year was the first in history in which 30 named storms were recorded (the record was broken with number 29).
But apparently the busy - and disastrous - season has come to an end.
Technically, the hurricane season begins on June 1 and ends on November 30.
However, some years, the storms have started earlier and have continued after those dates.
Thirteen of the 30 named storms this year have reached hurricane strength.
According to the National Meteorological Service, a hurricane is a "tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds of 119 km / h or more."
These are classified according to the intensity of the sustained winds on the Saffir-Simpson scale of 1 to 5, which estimates the potential damages.
A Category 3 or higher hurricane is considered a major hurricane.
How are storms named?
Storms are named in alphabetical order.
This excludes names that start with the letters Q, U, X, Y, or Z (because there aren't enough names to fill those letters, as the World Meteorological Organization explains).
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In the event that a season is exceptionally busy and there are more than 21 named storms, the Greek alphabet is used.
This is the second time on record that the National Hurricane Center (NHC) has had to use the Greek alphabet.
In 2005, the NHC used six letters of the Greek alphabet to account for the record number of cyclones.
Four of those systems reached tropical storm strength (Alpha, Gamma, Delta, and Zeta), while the other two reached hurricane strength (Beta and Epsilon).
LEE
: Chronology: These are the 30 named tropical storms of 2020 (for now)
This was the chronology of the tropical storms with names that hit the Atlantic this year.
1. Arthur
Arthur, the first tropical storm of the 2020 season 0:30
Tropical Storm Arthur formed off the coast of Florida on May 16, marking the sixth consecutive year that a named storm has formed before the formal start of hurricane season on June 1.
2. Bertha
Tropical Storm Bertha forms off the coast of South Carolina 1:42
Tropical Storm Bertha formed off the coast of South Carolina on May 27 and then made landfall approximately 30 km east of Charleston.
3. Christopher
Tropical storm Cristóbal hits Mexico 0:29
On June 2, it formed in the southern Gulf of Mexico and a day later made landfall in southern Mexico near the city of Atasta.
On June 7 it made landfall in Louisiana.
4. Dolly
Dolly formed on June 23 and the next day it weakened to a post-tropical cyclone.
5. Edouard
Tropical Storm Edouard formed July 5 and then weakened.
6. Fay
On July 9, Fay was formed off the coast of North Carolina.
The next day it made landfall in New Jersey and then weakened.
7. Gonzalo
Tropical storm Gonzalo moves towards the Caribbean 2:13
Storm Gonzalo formed on July 22, but three days later it weakened to a tropical depression.
8. Hanna
This was the damage of Hurricane Hanna in Tamaulipas 3:58
Hanna was formed on July 23 in the Gulf of Mexico.
It strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane and made landfall on Padre Island, Texas.
9. Isaiah
Inflatable barriers in New York due to the arrival of Isaiah 0:24
On July 30, Isaías became a hurricane and days later made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane near Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina.
At least nine people were killed, including several people whose deaths are attributed to falling trees.
10. Josephine
Tropical Storm Josephine forms in the Atlantic 1:52
Josephine was formed on August 13 and weakened three days later.
11. Kyle
Storm Kyle formed on August 14 and weakened to a post-tropical cyclone on August 16.
12. Laura
Devastation from Hurricane Laura remains in Louisiana 3:32
It was formed on August 21.
At least nine people died in the Caribbean, including several in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, due to the rains and floods caused by Tropical Storm Laura.
It then strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane. When it made landfall near Cameron, Louisiana, at least 27 people were killed.
LOOK
: Victims of Hurricane Laura show how their homes were in Louisiana
13. Frame
Marco strengthens to hurricane 4:15
On August 23 Marco became a Category 1 hurricane. It made landfall on August 24 as a tropical storm near the mouth of the Mississippi River.
14. Nana
Tropical Storm Nana is off Honduras 2:35
Nana was formed on September 1 and weakened two days later.
15. Omar
Like Nana, Tropical Storm Omar formed on September 1 in eastern North Carolina, only to weaken days later.
16. Paulette
Paulette became a hurricane on September 12 and touched Bermuda on the 16th. After weakening to a post-tropical cyclone on September 16 and regenerating to a tropical storm on September 22, it weakened again on September 23.
17. René
Triple tropical threat in the Atlantic Ocean 1:03
On September 14, the NHC issued advisories for five tropical cyclones over the Atlantic basin (Paulette, René, Sally, Teddy, and Vicky).
This ties the record for the largest number of tropical cyclones at the same time, last set in September 1971.
18. Sally
They found a huge crocodile in the backyard of their house 1:08
Sally was the fourth hurricane to make landfall in the United States in 2020, the most for that same date in 16 years.
After making landfall as a Category 2 hurricane, it wreaked havoc on the Gulf Coast, knocking down power lines and turning streets into rivers.
LEE
: Hurricane Sally flooded Florida with "4 months of rain in 4 hours," according to authorities
19. Teddy
After forming on September 14, two days later Teddy became a hurricane.
Despite having approached Bermuda, it did not make landfall.
20. Vicky
Vicky also formed on September 14, but quickly weakened.
21. Wilfred
On September 18, with the naming of Tropical Storm Wilfred in the eastern Atlantic, the NHC officially used all of their names for the 2020 hurricanes.
22. Alpha
Shortly after Wilfred, subtropical storm Alpha also formed on Friday about 120 km from Lisbon, Portugal.
It touched down and grew weak.
23. Beta
Forecast: Another storm, close to making landfall in Texas 1:37
On September 21, Beta made landfall as a tropical storm off the east coast of Texas.
24. Gamma
Thousands of victims reported in Mexico after passage of Gamma 2:37
On October 2, Gamma was formed 217 km southeast of Cozumel, Mexico.
It made landfall near Tulum and then weakened to a post-tropical cyclone.
25. Delta
Delta strengthened as a hurricane on October 5.
Two days later, it made landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula.
On October 9 it made landfall near Creole, Louisiana, as a Category 2 hurricane. At least four people were reported to have died in its wake.
26. Epsilon
Possible hurricane threatens Bermuda 1:10
On October 21, Epsilon intensified to a Category 3 hurricane. It passed east of Bermuda as a Category 1 hurricane.
27. Zeta
These were the ravages of Hurricane Zeta 2:22
On October 26, Zeta made landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula, north of Tulum, Mexico, as a Category 1 hurricane. Two days later, a Category 2 hurricane made landfall in Louisiana as a Category 2 hurricane. At least seven people died.
LEE
: Zeta leaves more than 2.1 million homes without electricity and several dead after hitting the Gulf Coast
28. Eta
The images of the ravages of Eta in Central America 0:58
Storm Eta, which formed on October 31, has made landfall at least twice before, and now threatens Florida.
It made landfall in Cuba Sunday morning and last week as a Category 4 hurricane in Central America, still reeling from the ravages.
LOOK
: PHOTOS |
Eta's devastating passage through Central America and Mexico
29. Theta
On November 10, Tropical Storm Theta formed in the Atlantic Ocean, making 2020 the most active hurricane season on record with 29 storms so far.
Five days later it weakens into a post-tropical cyclone.
30. Iota
The testimony of a resident of an island hit by Iota 0:50
On November 13, Iota was formed in the Caribbean.
Two days later it became a hurricane.
On November 16, it made landfall in Nicaragua as a Category 4 hurricane.
At least 26 people died from the impacts of Iota: 16 people in Nicaragua, 6 in Honduras, 2 in Guatemala and 2 in Colombia.
The hurricane dissipated on November 18 over Central America.
MIRA
: Thousands waiting for humanitarian aid after the passage of Iota in Nicaragua
Are names still left from the Greek alphabet in case the 2020 hurricane season is extended?
In case this year's hurricane season continues to break records and surpasses the November 30 date, yes, there are still names available for tropical storms from the Greek alphabet.
These are:
Kappa
Lambda
Mu
Wildebeest
Xi
Omicron
Pi
Rho
Sigma
Tau
Upsilon
Phi
Chi
Psi
Omega
Are the names of the 2021 hurricane season already known?
Yes, the World Meteorological Organization, which depends on the United Nations, has already established the lists of names for storms.
There are six lists for the Atlantic Ocean and the names are repeated every six years (for example: in 2025 the same names of 2019 will be used).
The requirement is that they be short and easy to remember.
If you want to know if a storm will have the same name as you, you can look up your name in these lists.
(If you can't find it among the Atlantic names, you can also search the two Pacific lists).
These are the names for the Atlantic in 2021:
Ana
Bill
Claudette
Danny
Elsa
Fred
Grace
Henri
Going
Julian
Kate
Larry
Mindy
Nicholas
Odette
Peter
Rose
Sam
Teresa
Victor
Wanda
Hurricane season
