A Look at 2020's Tropical Storms

9/21/2020 (Permalink)

If your Kennesaw home/business experiences storm damage give SERVPRO of Marietta West a call. We can storm damage, "Like it never even happened."

What are tropical storms? How do we quantify and classify tropical storms? How frequently do tropical storms occur? These are some of the questions we plan to answer over the course of this blog as well as give a brief history of 2020’s tropical storms. For more information on this year's hurricane and storm season visit www.nhc.noaa.gov or www.blogs.nasa.gov. 

This year's storm season has been a busy and active season for tropical storms throughout the southeastern and Gulf coast of the US. Hurricanes and tropical storms have caused extensive damage to the coastal regions which require record relief and restoration efforts. Thus far into the hurricane and storm season we have experienced over 22 named storm/hurricane events, 8 being named hurricanes. This is quite active when compared to the seasonal average of 10.1 named storms per season and average of 5.9 hurricanes (2.5 of which become major storm events, categorized as category 3 or higher). 

What makes a storm a tropical storm? Tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes are typically classified based on sustained wind speed. Tropical depressions wind speeds fall between 0 and 38 mph. Tropical Storms wind speeds fall between 39 and 73 mph. Hurricane wind speeds start at 74 mph and can be deemed a major hurricane if wind speeds exceed 111 mph. Hurricanes are also classified by category number. Category one being the minimum and graduating all the way up to category five for the most intense with highest wind speeds. This system of categorization is called the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

2020 Atlantic Tropical Storms

• Tropical Storm Arthur - 5/19/20 - Tropical Storm Authur made landfall 190 miles east-northeast of Cape Hatteras, NC with peak wind speeds of 60 mph.

• Tropical Storm Bertha - 5/27/20 - Tropical Storm Bertha makes landfall about 20 miles east of Charleston, SC with peak wind speeds of 50 mph.

• Tropical Storm Cristobal - 6/2/20 - Tropical Storm Cristobal made initial landfall about 20 miles west of Ciudad del Carmen, Mexico with peak wind speeds reaching 60 mph. On June 7th Cristobal made a second landfall 50 miles south-southeast of New Orleans, LA with peak wind speeds of 50 mph before weakening to a tropical depression on June 8th about 40 mile north of Baton Rouge, LA. On June 10th Tropical Depression Cristobal became a post-tropical cyclone about 60 miles northwest of Madison, WI with winds reaching 35 mph.

• Tropical Storm Dolly - 6/23/20 - Tropical Storm Dolly develops from a subtropical depression/tropical cyclone about 370 miles south-southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia and on the 24th degenerates 370 miles off the coast of Cape Race, Newfoundland.

• Tropical Storm Edouard - 7/6/20 - Tropical Storm Edouard developed from a tropical depression about 685 miles south-southwest of Cape Race, Newfoundland and reached a peak wind speed of 45 mph about 435 miles off the coast of Newfoundland then stagnated died out roughly three hours before midnight on that same day.

• Tropical Storm Fay - 7/9/20 - Tropical Storm Fay developed off the coast of NC close to the Outer Banks about 195 miles from Ocean City, MD and made landfall the next day about 10 miles north-northeast of Atlantic City, then again 90 miles south of NYC with wind speeds peaking at 50 mph before dying out 30 miles south of Albany, NY.

• Tropical Storm Gonzalo - 7/22/20 - Tropical Storm Gonzalo developed from a tropical depression about 1,290 miles west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands, where it stagnated for several days until the 25th when it weakened into a tropical depression before it opened up into a tropical wave.

• Tropical Storm Josephine - 8/13/20 - Tropical Storm Josephine developed from a tropical depression about 975 miles east-southeast of the northern Leeward Islands and remained in the area for a few days until the 16th when it was downgraded back to a tropical depression.

• Tropical Storm Kyle - 8/14/20 - Topical Storm Kyle formed about 185 miles southeast of Atlantic City, NJ and on the 15th wind speeds peaked at 50 mph. Shortly thereafter the tropical storm transitions into a post-tropical cyclone on the morning of the 16th and would further degenerate into non-existence throughout that evening.

• Tropical Storm Omar - 9/4/20 - Tropical Storm Omar developed about 415 miles east-northeast of Bermuda with maximum sustained winds near 30 mph with varying gust above that mark. It dissipated that very same day lasting less than 24 hours.

• Tropical Storm Rene - 9/10/20 - Tropical Storm Rene developed about 800 miles west-northwest of the Cabo Verde Islands with maximum wind speeds of 50 mph. At the time this blog was written, Tropical Storm Rene is expected to develop into a possible hurricane but is not expected to make landfall.

• Tropical Storm Vicky - Tropical Storm Vicky developed about 1,000 miles west-northwest of the Cabo Verde Islands with wind speeds approaching 35 mph, and at the time this blog was downgraded to a tropical depression. 

If your Marietta or Kennesaw home or business suffers storm damage, call the professionals at SERVPRO of Marietta West. We are preferred services providers for most major insurance companies and have a longstanding and great working relationship with our local agents. In many cases we can even help you file a claim should storm damage occur to your property. SERVPRO of Marietta West is the name both homeowners and property managers have come to know and trust in the restoration industry. Don’t get left out in the cold when it comes to storm damage restoration, and call SERVPRO of Marietta West today!

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*Check out some of our previous Storm Restoration Blogs: “Marietta Homeowner Calls SERVPRO of Marietta West After Home Flood”; “SERVPRO of Marietta West Restores Homes and Businesses After Storm Damage”; “Flash Flood Home Repair and Restoration in Smyrna, GA”; “Flood and Storm Damage in Marietta Georgia”; “Georgia’s Most Common Storm Damage Questions”; “When Storms or Floods Hit Marietta West, SERVPRO is Ready!”; “It Doesn’t Cost a lot to be Prepared”