JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Twenty tropical cyclones generated in the Atlantic basin this year, tying as the fourth most active hurricane season in recorded history.
This is particularly unusual as it was an El Niño year. El Niño usually inhibits cyclone formation due to enhanced wind shear.
However, extremely warm Atlantic waters, which provides fuel for hurricanes, battled against El Niño conditions. Statistics show the number of tropical cyclones have gone up in El Niño years, meaning we can hardly count on the ENSO cycle to keep things fairly quiet anymore. For example, one of the most inactive hurricane seasons of all was the El Niño year of 1983. There were only four cyclones, two of which became hurricanes.
El Niño also weakens the Bermuda High, which can steer cyclones directly towards the East Coast when strong.
The clash of El Niño and extremely warm waters this year, resulted in an overly active hurricane season without too many landfalls in the United States. One landfall was particularly devastating though, as Hurricane Idalia impacted the First Coast.
Hurricane Idalia was the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the Big Bend region in over 125 years.
Idalia rapidly intensified by 55 mph in just 24 hours over the Gulf of Mexico, becoming a major category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 130 mph. Right before landfall, an eyewall replacement cycle occurred, dropping intensity just slightly to a 125 mph category 3 hurricane. It made landfall in Keaton Beach, Fla. on Aug. 30, 2023 at 7:45 a.m.
Columbia County was under a hurricane warning, but Idalia stayed at hurricane strength all the way over southeastern Georgia counties. Many places across the First Coast clocked wind gusts over 60 mph and over 85,000 JEA customers lost power. Three tornadoes touched down in coastal southeast Georgia.
The 20 cyclones of the 2023 hurricane season included an unnamed subtropical storm in January 2023. While the Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30 every year, cyclones can form outside of the season. First Coast News' weather team closely monitors the tropics at all times. Stay with Jacksonville's Most Accurate Weather Team all year-long as they watch the Atlantic basin.
