Infamous November hurricanes that ended seasons with a bang
November may be the last month of hurricane season but it is no time to let down your guard, as a handful of storms this month have left their mark on history.
Tropical Storm Sara swept through Honduras from Nov. 15-15, causing widespread flooding that resulted in numerous water rescues.
November is a time to start snuggling in front of the fireplace and drink hot cocoa. Hurricane season is over, right?
Not necessarily.
"November is not known for its tropical activity," Dan Kottlowski, AccuWeather's chief hurricane expert, said. However, hurricane season in the Atlantic basin officially starts on June 1 and doesn't end until Nov. 30.
"By November, the westerlies are well entrenched across the southern U.S. and into the northern Gulf of Mexico," he explained, referring to the prevailing winds from the west toward the east in the middle latitudes. "The best opportunity for tropical development is in the southern Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. Even there, strong vertical wind shear can make it rather difficult for tropical formation."
But there have been significant exceptions. Since 1850, 135 tropical storms have been tracked during the month. Approximately 75 of those formed on or after Nov. 1. Most stay away from the United States coast but not all.
What was the most recent November hurricane to hit the U.S.?
Since 1900, only three Atlantic hurricanes have made landfall on the continental U.S. in November. The most recent November storm was Hurricane Nicole in 2022.
Hurricane Nicole
Hurricane Nicole made landfall as a Category 1 storm south of Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Nov. 10, 2022. The storm exacerbated damage from Hurricane Ian, which hit east-central Florida just six weeks earlier.
Waves lap the eroded beach below the half-collapsed homes of Nina Lavigna, at left, and her neighbor, after Hurricane Nicole swept away sand from the beach and from under foundations, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022, in Wilbur-By-The-Sea, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Hurricane Kate
Nearly 40 years before Nicole, Hurricane Kate hit the Florida Panhandle as a Category 2 storm on Nov. 21, 1985, the latest November hurricane landfall on record for the country.
The hurricane unleashed drenching rains and powerful winds along the Gulf Coast and caused hundreds of millions in economic damage.
The 1935 "Yankee Hurricane"
A hurricane moving in from the north, prompting the nickname "The Yankee Hurricane," made landfall near Miami, Florida, on Nov. 4, 1935. The storm caused significant damage in the area and killed five people after killing 14 in the Bahamas.
A National Weather Service weather map shows the Miami Hurricane off the coast of Florida on Nov. 4, 1935.
Central America is a more common landfall location
While November hurricanes typically stay away from the United States coastline, close to a dozen hurricanes have made landfall in Central America since 1900. The most recent were Eta and Iota in 2020, both Category 4 hurricanes that hit the central coast of Belize just two weeks apart in November.
There has been only one Category 5 hurricane in November
Since 1900, only one Category 5 hurricane has been observed in the Atlantic during November, an unnamed hurricane that remained at that strength in the Caribbean for three days. That storm hit Cuba as a Category 4 hurricane on Nov. 9, 1932.
Also known as the Huracán de Santa Cruz del Sur, the massive storm was responsible for the deaths of over 3,500 people, primarily due to a storm surge, which reached 20 feet according to a re-analysis conducted by the National Hurricane Center.
The storm is considered the deadliest and one of the most intense hurricanes in Cuban history. At sea, a ship measured 200-mph winds from the storm before accruing heavy damage that forced it to be towed ashore days later.
What about Hurricane Mitch?
Although Hurricane Mitch is often included in lists of infamous November hurricanes because it made landfall in Florida as a tropical storm on Nov. 5, 1998, it was not at peak strength. Mitch reached Category 5 status in late October while it was over the Caribbean before making landfall in Honduras on Oct. 29.
Mudslides in Central America emerged as the big story from Mitch. Despite making landfall as a much-weakened Category 1, the storm killed nearly 20,000 people with heavy rain that caused severe flooding and mudslides in Central America between Oct. 29 and Nov. 1. It was the most deadly tropical storm in modern history.
Francisco Portillo, 9, stands inside his house, destroyed by Hurricane Mitch, in Villa Chilanguera, 115 kilometers (71 miles) east of San Salvador on Dec. 19, 1998. (AP Photo/Jaime Puebla)
Mitch was also the strongest Atlantic hurricane on record at the time, with 180-mph sustained winds. The storm caused billions in economic damages. Its trail of destruction was staggering, spanning from Central America to Florida and all the way to the United Kingdom.
"Wrong Way" Lenny was a November Cat 4
In November 1999, Hurricane Lenny was 2 mph shy of being a Category 5 storm, but it was more famous for its unusual track—moving west to east in the Caribbean. The powerful hurricane packed a punch when it roared over Puerto Rico, Colombia, Saint Croix and the Leeward Islands. There were 17 deaths directly associated with the storm, and it caused considerable damage to many of the islands in the northeastern Caribbean.
"Lenny remains the only storm in Atlantic history to track the most days west to east across the Caribbean," Kottlowski said.
Category 4 Hurricane Michelle was Cuba's worst
In 2001, Hurricane Michelle hit Cuba at Category 4 strength. The storm was the most damaging tropical storm to hit the nation at the time, causing $2 billion (2001 USD) in damage. Although five people were killed, this was fewer than expected, and the storm was heralded as a civil defense success.
A television transmission tower destroyed by Hurricane Michelle lies in ruins Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2001, in the Bay of Pigs, south of Havana, Cuba. Cuban officials who traveled to regions hit hard by Hurricane Michelle have found vast destruction: sugar mills wrecked, crops ruined, hundreds of homes destroyed.(AP Photo/Jose Goitia)
Hurricane Otto was the farthest south hurricane landfall
"In recent memory, Hurricane Otto has got to be one of the more memorable November hurricanes," Kottlowski said. "Otto was named a tropical storm on the 20th and eventually became a major hurricane with winds of 115 mph. What is so unusual about Otto is where it formed, only about 100 miles north of Panama."
One of the latest November hurricanes, Otto, made a historic trip across Central America in November 2016. The fierce hurricane tracked over Nicaragua and Costa Rica after a record late hurricane landfall on Thanksgiving Day. Although Hurricane Otto hit during Thanksgiving, it did not impact the U.S.
People cross a road that flooded after the passing of Hurricane Otto in Cardenas, Nicaragua, on Nov. 25, 2016. (AP Photo/Miguel Alvarez)
"Otto was the farthest south landfalling hurricane in Central America and the only known hurricane to cross over Costa Rica. Otto managed to maintain its tropical circulation and moved across northern Costa Rica into the East Pacific, where it remained a named tropical storm for a short period of time," Kottlowski said.
Otto is blamed for at least 18 direct deaths in Central America.
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