Sep 7, 2017

Thirty years of Atlantic hurricanes

This is a history of every Atlantic storm tracked by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration since 1987.

Expand chart

Note: The Atlantic storm season spans June 1 through November 30. Storms do occur outside of that window, but not all of them are shown here; Data: National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration; Chart: Chris Canipe / Axios

Hurricane Irma is forecast to be the second major hurricane to stroke the mainland United States in as many weeks. With two devastating storms already in the books, the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season is shaping up to be the busiest in a decade. The last time two major hurricanes made landfall in the United States in quick succession was in 2005, when Katrina and Rita wreaked havoc on the Gulf Coast.

How to read this chart: Each line represents the life of a storm as recorded by NOAA. The higher the line within each year, the higher the recorded wind speed. Storms that reached Category 5, the strongest of the strong, are highlighted in red. Mouse over each storm to see the name, dates, and highest recorded windspeed of each storm.

Go deeper

Rashaan Ayesh

Surprisingly warm weather forecast for much of the U.S. ahead of the holidays

Temperatures could be 15–20 degrees higher than average in parts of the country ahead of the holidays, while two storms may bring as much as half a foot of rain to the Southeast and a mix of snow and rain to the Pacific Northwest, the Washington Post reports.

What to watch: A storm is brewing and is expected to move through the middle of the country late next week, as many people plan post-Christmas travel, the Post writes. It's too early to know for sure, but the storms could be disruptive to those plans, per the Post

Go deeperDec 21, 2019

Rebecca Falconer

Tornado-spawning storms kill 3 people in the South

A severe storm system spawning tornadoes across the Deep South killed at least three people as it damaged homes, downed trees and caused power outages Monday, AP reports.

Go deeperDec 17, 2019

Fadel Allassan

The Atlantic Ocean and states in the Northeast are warming dramatically

Storm clouds on the skyline of Manhattan in New York City before a powerful storm brought nasty wind gusts Photo: Kena Betancur/VIEWpress

States in the Northeast are warming more over the long and short-term than other U.S. regions, according to a USA Today analysis of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data.

Why it matters: The changes have manifested in the unusual appearance of warm-water fish off the New England coast, the warming of the Great Lakes, and higher ocean temperatures, which influence coastal weather and push snowfall farther inland.

Go deeperDec 26, 2019