When Was the Last Time the Atlantic Basin Saw a Quiet Hurricane Season?
Alexis Thornton
3 weeks agoThe 2026 Atlantic hurricane season is just days away. This year, forecasters are calling for a quieter-than-usual season, raising a timely question: when was the last time the Atlantic basin actually saw a quiet hurricane season? The answer depends on how you measure “quiet,” but by most seasonal activity standards, the last clearly below-normal stretch came in the mid-2010s.
Diving Into the Average Statistics
Over the 30-year period from 1991 through 2020, there has been an average of 14 storms that came to life in the Atlantic basin. Of those 14 named storms, seven went on to become hurricanes during the average year. Three of those hurricanes intensified to a major status of a Category 3 or higher. Historically, the U.S. averages about one to two hurricane landfalls per year somewhere along the Gulf or Atlantic coastline, though that number varies widely from season to season.
Activity has remained elevated in several recent years, although not every season has been hyperactive. Two of the last five completed seasons, 2021 and 2023, produced at least 20 named storms. The 2022 season was closer to average, producing 14 named storms and eight hurricanes. That year also brought catastrophic Hurricane Ian, which made landfall near Cayo Costa, Florida, as a powerful Category 4 storm.
Going back to 2024, the Atlantic basin generated 18 named storms, to come in well ahead of the historical average. Five of these named tropical features went on to make landfall on U.S. soil as hurricanes. Last year's most prolific storms to impact the U.S. were Helene and Milton, happening less than two weeks apart.
The 2025 season brought another reminder that “quiet” can be complicated. NOAA described the season as near normal overall, with periods of calm interrupted by bursts of very intense activity. The basin produced 13 named storms, five hurricanes, and four major hurricanes, including three Category 5 hurricanes. For the first time in a decade, however, no hurricane made landfall in the U.S.
The last clearly calm Atlantic hurricane season happened in 2015. El Niño was the dominating climate phase at the time, contributing to hostile conditions across the basin. That year produced 11 named storms, four hurricanes, and two major hurricanes. What stood out most was that the U.S. did not see a single hurricane landfall.