2023 Hurricane Season Wraps Up As One Of The Most Active Years On Record

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) specialists have called the recently concluded 2023 hurricane season as one of the most tumultuous on record.

With a staggering tally of 20 named storms, including seven hurricanes, three of which reached the formidable status of major hurricanes, this season has drawn attention as a particularly intense period of weather activity, Dominica News Online reported.

The hurricane season officially ended on Thursday, November 30. Experts from NOAA released their assessment, highlighting the exceptional intensity and frequency of storm formations throughout the period.

The season’s 20 named storms surpassed the annual average significantly, despite the presence of the El Niño weather phenomenon, marking a remarkable occurrence in meteorological patterns. Traditionally, El Niño tends to subdue Atlantic storm activity, resulting in fewer named storms.

Matthew Rosencrans, the lead hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, highlighted the exceptional nature of the 2023 hurricane season within El Niño-influenced years, stating, “The Atlantic basin witnessed the highest number of named storms on record despite the influence of El Niño.”

“The exceptionally warm ocean temperatures in the Atlantic acted as a potent counterforce to the typical impacts of El Niño,” he further explained.

Dominica narrowly avoided direct impact from any of the named storms this year, although it faced near misses from Bret and Philippe. The small eastern Caribbean island, previously affected by Typhoon Erika in 2015 and Hurricane Maria in 2017, has been actively engaged in enhancing its climate resilience. Collaborating with MMC Development Ltd., a steadfast infrastructure development partner, Dominica has been focused on constructing more robust homes and public facilities capable of withstanding intense rainfall and adverse weather conditions.