Safe from the Storm: A Look Back at the Record-Setting 2020 Hurricane Season
Alabama News Network is working to get you prepared for the 2021 hurricane season. But we also want to remind you of last year’s record-setting year for tropical weather.
2020 will be remembered for producing a record 30 named storms, either tropical storms or hurricanes. Two of the storms formed before the season officially started on June 1.
Tropical Storms Arthur and Bertha both formed in May.
Once all the storm names were used up, the storms were named after letters in the Greek alphabet, for only the second time in history. The first time was in 2005. That process has now been changed.
Hurricane Sally was a storm that made a direct hit on Alabama, hitting near Gulf Shores in September with winds of more than 100 mph and dropping at least a foot of rain in some areas.
Hurricane Zeta also had an impact on Alabama, even though it made landfall in Louisiana. It was still at tropical storm strength as it veered into west central Alabama in late October.
The 2021 hurricane forecast calls for another above-average year, though forecasters don’t expect it to eclipse last year’s records.
