History Demonstrates That November Tropical Weather Can Pack a Punch

Just because November is the last month of the Atlantic hurricane season, it does not mean that the action cannot be fierce and frequent. While the tropics tend to quiet down this time of the year, there are still plenty of storms that have churned up and turned deadly in the Atlantic.

Most of the storms that form in November come to life in the southern edge of the Gulf of Mexico and across the Caribbean. This is typically the part of the basin that is still boasting ocean water temperatures that are warm enough to support tropical weather development. According to the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory out of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), there were 50 hurricanes that formed in November between 1851 and 2020. Only three of these 50 made landfall in the U.S.

Here is a look back at some of the more infamous November hurricanes over time.

Hurricane Eta - 2020

The record-breaking 2020 Atlantic hurricane season went out with a bang when Hurricane Eta went through the process of rapid intensification, going from a tropical storm to a Category 5 monster over the first few days of the month. Eta made landfall in Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, as a Category 4 storm. The event killed dozens of people and left hundreds more residents missing.

Eta then made second and third landfalls as a tropical storm in Cuba and the Florida Keys. The long-lived tropical feature made a fourth and final landfall in western Florida near Cedar Key.

Hurricane Otto - 2016