The 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season officially came to a close on Nov. 30, and was the third-busiest Atlantic season on record following last year’s unprecedented 30 named storms, and the 27 named storms and one unnamed storm that developed in 2005.
This year, a total of 21 named storms formed, seven of which became hurricanes. Of these, four were considered major (Category 3 or above) on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale—Hurricanes Grace, Ida, Larry, and Sam. In all, the season was the fourth-costliest on record behind 2012, 2005, and 2017, causing more than $70.5 billion in damages and 161 fatalities.
Read more about this season as well as how NOAA’s early forecasts helped safeguard communities.