As the season ends, the numbers tell the story. What might you do next year to prepare?

We’ve made it to the end. A novela-like season is rapidly winding down in the face of a beautiful stretch of late-November weather.

Following Sara’s demise eight days ago, a parade of cold fronts have knocked out the season and spread calm across the tropics.

In the wake of a busy season, one that remained consistent in generating storms once September hit, let’s look back at what 2024 delivered.

Producing 18 named storms, the season went on to spin up 11 hurricanes and five major hurricanes. Of those storms, five made landfall in the U.S., with three hitting Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Using the metric of ACE (Accumulated Cyclone Energy) to weigh the season’s performance, 2024 produced a value of 161.6, which equates “extremely active.” It’s interesting to note that a single storm accounted for about 22% of this season’s ACE reading. Hurricane Beryl produced a value of 35.1, peaking as a Category 5 while cruising through the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico for just over six days.

While the season had some lulls in the first two weeks of June and a good portion of July, storms blossomed in the period of Sept. 9 through Nov. 17. In that time frame, 13 named storms developed and accounted for 53 named storm days.

That’s a lot!

That stretch of time was swift to drown out July’s calls that the year’s seasonal forecasts were a bust and underachieving. As we now know, that was not the case.

The busy season pushed through November, becoming the 9th since 2010 to produce a named storm. In fact, 2024 produced three named November storms…Patty, Rafael and Sara.

So now that it’s over, I’d ask that you take some time to consider how you felt when South Florida and the Keys ended up in a Tropical Storm Watch or Warning.

Did you feel prepared?

What might you do next year to mitigate any identified vulnerabilities?

Thankfully there is some time to contemplate and act, if necessary.

In due time, the dance will begin again next year. Hopefully with lessons learned and new ideas for how you’ll navigate the season…whether here in South Florida or wherever life takes you.

While I’m unsure that we can turn down the noise of seasonal forecasts, there will remain some value in them for years to come. Even this season’s aggressive, if not outlandish, forecasts helped to draw some attention to the message of preparation. If anything, they’ll still remind coastal and vulnerable communities that the season is on its way.

But that’s for April, May and June. 

For now, let’s settle in and enjoy the best months of the year in South Florida.