A Comparison of Tropical Cyclone Occurrence Dates Between the North Atlantic and Eastern North Pacific Basins

Keywords: tropical cyclones, North Atlantic, Eastern North Pacific, climatology, hurricanes
Session Type: Virtual Poster
Day: Friday
Session Start / End Time: 4/9/2021 11:10 AM (Pacific Time (US & Canada)) - 4/9/2021 12:25 PM (Pacific Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 51

Abstract

Tropical cyclones (TCs) are among our world’s most significant hazards, annually bringing devastation to communities around the world. One aspect of TC climatology is the occurrence date of TCs––specifically nth TCs, i.e., 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.––and the rate of TC development in a particular basin. This research investigates the climatologies of TC occurrence dates in both the North Atlantic (NATL) and Eastern North Pacific (ENP) basins, both of which generate TCs that bring significant impacts to the United States, Mexico, and other Latin American countries. By assessing TC data from the HURDAT2 database, we find that these sister basins have different occurrence date climatologies, with the NATL having more outlier nth TC occurrence dates than the ENP, while the nth TCs for the ENP showing a more clear alignment with the ENP hurricane season. This research also places the hyperactive 2020 NATL hurricane season into context, where we acknowledge that 2020 generated the earliest (or only) nth TC during the satellite era for nearly all nth TCs. Results of this research have the potential to improve intraseasonal forecasting of TC activity for both the NATL and ENP, as well as provide additional context for future coverage and analysis of NATL and ENP hurricane seasons.