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Midway Point of Hurricane Season
September 10 marks the climatological peak of the hurricane season. Even though this season started out slowly, we have now seen roughly the normal amount of storms develop:
2009
- 6 Named Storms
- 2 Hurricanes
- 2 Major Hurricanes
Average Year (through Sept. 10)
- 5 Named Storms
- 3 Hurricanes
- 1 Major Hurricane
Although Sept. 10 is the peak of the hurricane season, it is not necessarily the midway point in terms of number of storms. Notice how the right side of this graph is not as sharply sloped as the left side. There is a quick ramp-up to get to the peak, then a more gradual decline after September 10.
Number of Tropical Cyclones per 100 Years
The number of storms is one thing, the Accumulated Cyclone Energy is another. The ACE index is a derived by a complicated equation that gives an approximation of the energy used by a tropical system over its lifetime. The seasonal ACE index is an accumulation of each storm’s individual ACE index. To date, the ACE index is around 40. The ACE index at the peak of the hurricane season averages about 50. So, although we’ve seen an average, or slightly above average, number of storms, we have seen a lower than average ACE.
The date to keep an eye on around here is October 1. In the past 100+ years, there has not been a direct strike from a hurricane along the Southern New England coast after October 1.