November is not known to produce a high number of hurricane activity, even though it is technically the last month of the Hurricane season. By November, the warm ocean waters have begun to cool at the same time the winds change in the Northern Hemisphere, making the conditions less favorable for tropical development. But you shouldn’t put your emergency kit away just yet.
According to data from NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (from 1851 to 2018), 47 hurricanes have formed in November and 5 of those made landfall in the US. September has shown to be the busiest month for hurricanes in the Atlantic (1851 to 2018), with 406 hurricanes to form, and 44 making US landfall since 1950.
Here are some of November’s most infamous hurricanes.
Hurricane Otto – 2016
Though Otto did not impact the US, it did track a horrific path across Central America during Thanksgiving. It is the only known hurricane to cross over Costa Rica into the Eastern Pacific, where it weakened to a named tropical storm for a while. It is responsible for at least 18 deaths in Central America.
It is the latest Caribbean formed hurricane on record and the strongest late season hurricane on record. Otto sustained Cat 3 winds of 115 mph and hit Costa Rica, Columbia, Panama and Nicaragua.
Hurricane Ida – 2009
Ida formed in the Caribbean Sea on November 4th and tracked over Nicaragua on the 5th. Though no deaths were reported, it affected about 6,000 people.
By November 8th, it had re-emerged over the Caribbean, growing into a Cat 1 and Cat 2 as it entered the Gulf of Mexico. Though it weakened to a tropical storm before it made two landfalls in the US (Dauphin Island, AL and Bon Secour, AL), Ida was the second latest hurricane on record to develop so late in the season and make landfall along the northern Gulf Coast.
Hurricane Lenny – 1999
Hurricane Lenny is the strongest November hurricane on record, moving through the Caribbean from November 13th through November 23rd. The hurricane moved over Puerto Rico, Columbia, Saint Croix and the Leeward Islands, sustaining maximum winds of 155 mph at its peak. It was given the nickname ‘Wrong Way Lenny’, due to its unusual path and unfortunately caused major damage and 17 deaths. The name Lenny was retired from rotation, due to the severity of the storm.
Hurricane Mitch – 1998
Hurricane Mitch was a deadly storm (over 9,000 known victims, with another 9,100 still missing post storm) that formed in October but continured its cycle until November 9th, leaving behind staggering destruction.
The hurricane reached Cat 5, producing some of the highest wind speeds on record (177 mph) in the month of November. Mitch left catastrophic economic damage and destruction, stretching from Central America to Florida all the the way to the United Kingdom.
Hurricane Kate – 1985
Kate started out very disorganized and eventually strengthened to a Cat 3 hurricane. It made landfall as a Cat 2 hurricane on Mexico Beach, FL, with 100 mph winds and an 11 feet storm surge on November 21st. Its the strongest storm to hit the US in November and caused millions of dollars in damage.
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