The 2014 Atlantic hurricane season was a below average season, although 6 of the named 8 storms were hurricanes. All named storms impacted land. A total of 9 tropical cyclones formed, 8 of which were named storms, 6 hurricanes, and 2 major hurricanes.
The season's strongest hurricane, Hurricane Gonzalo, was a category 4 hurricane which made landfall in Bermuda as a category 2 hurricane. Hurricane Fay also made landfall in Bermuda as a category 1 hurricane. Hurricane Arthur became the earliest hurricane to strike North Carolina, and the first category 2 or stronger hurricane to make landfall in the United States since Hurricane Ike.
Having non-tropical origins, Arthur formed east of Florida and made landfall along the North Carolina coast as a category 2 hurricane (on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale). After producing storm surge flooding and high winds on the Outer Banks, Arthur continued northeastward but stayed offshore of the Mid-Atlantic coast and New England, bringing minor impacts to southeastern Massachusetts. Arthur became an extratropical cyclone by the time it reached the Bay of Fundy just west of Nova Scotia and caused extensive tree damage and power outages across Atlantic Canada.[1]
Bertha was a category one hurricane (on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale) that caused flooding, mudslides and power outages in the northeastern Caribbean islands when it passed through as a tropical storm. It also caused two rip-current deaths in the United States.[3]
Cristobal was a category 1 hurricane (on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale) that remained at sea over most of its lifetime, reaching its peak intensity at a rather high latitude. It produced very heavy rains over the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas.[4]
Edouard was a category 3 hurricane (on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale) that remained over the open Atlantic Ocean during its lifetime. Edouard was the first major hurricane to develop in the Atlantic basin since Hurricane Sandy of 2012. Multiple research missions, sometimes simultaneous, were conducted in Edouard by NOAA and NASA aircraft, including the first-ever release of an unmanned aerial vehicle into an Atlantic tropical cyclone.[6]
Fay was a short-lived hurricane of non-tropical origin that passed over Bermuda before turning east-northeastward into the north-central Atlantic Ocean. Fay became the first hurricane to make landfall on Bermuda since Emily of 1987.[7]
Gonzalo was a tropical cyclone that formed east of the Lesser Antilles and quickly strengthened into a hurricane just before moving through the northern Leeward Islands. A few days later, Gonzalo made landfall in Bermuda as a high-end category 2 hurricane (on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale), causing extensive damage. Gonzalo’s landfall occurred only six days after Hurricane Fay made landfall on the island as a category 1 hurricane.[8]
Hanna had two brief periods as a tropical cyclone and made landfall as a tropical storm near the Nicaragua/Honduras border.[9]
Storm Names[]
The following names were used to name Atlantic tropical cyclones in the 2014 season. They are part of List VI in the rotating naming list system. This is the same list used in the 2008, with the exceptions of Gonzalo, Isaias and Paulette, which replaced Gustav, Ike and Paloma respectively. No storm names were retired this season, the first occurrence of this event since the 2009 season.
