2050 Atlantic hurricane season
| File:2050 Atlantic hurricane season tracks.png Season summary map | |
| Seasonal boundaries | |
|---|---|
| First system formed | June 13, 2050 |
| Last system dissipated | November 17, 2050 |
| Strongest storm | |
| Name | Pixel |
| • Maximum winds | 220 mph (350 km/h) (1 minute sustained) |
| • Lowest pressure | 868 mbar (hPa; 25.99 inHg) |
| Seasonal statistics | |
| Total depressions | 21 |
| Total storms | 20 |
| Hurricanes | 15 (record high, tied with 2005) |
| Major hurricanes (Cat. 3-5) |
7 (record high, tied with 2005 and 2020) |
| Extreme hurricanes (Cat. 6) |
0 |
| Hypercanes | 0 |
| Total fatalities | 57,123 (Deadliest tropical cyclone season on record) |
| Total damage | $2.58 trillion (2050 USD) (Costliest tropical cyclone season on record) |
| Related articles | |
| • Hurricane Calhoun • Hurricane Pixel | |
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| Atlantic hurricane seasons 2048, 2049, 2050, 2051, 2052 | |
The 2050 Atlantic hurricane season was a highly active and destructive season that resulted in significant damage and loss of life across the Atlantic basin. The season officially began on June 13, 2050, and ended on November 17, 2050. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. However, tropical cyclone activity began earlier than usual, with Hurricane Achillean becoming the earliest Category 4 hurricane on record in the Atlantic basin, forming in early June and striking Louisiana at peak intensity.
The season featured several powerful and record-breaking storms, notably Hurricane Calhoun, which became the second-costliest hurricane on record and the third deadliest in Atlantic history. Additionally, Hurricane Neptune ranked as the third-costliest hurricane ever recorded. The most intense system of the season was Hurricane Pixel, which reached Category 5 intensity on the Sharkius-Leaf scale with peak winds of 220 mph (354 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 868 mbar (hPa). Pixel broke records as the most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded in history, surpassing both Typhoon Tip and Hurricane Patricia in intensity. Pixel remains the strongest Atlantic hurricane on record, causing catastrophic damage across Florida and the Bahamas.
The 2050 season saw a total of 21 tropical depressions, 20 named storms, 15 hurricanes (a record high, tied with 2005), and 7 major hurricanes (a record high, tied with 2005 and 2020). The season's above-average activity was attributed to exceptionally warm sea surface temperatures and a strong La Niña pattern that fostered favorable atmospheric conditions for tropical cyclone development. With over 266 ACE being generated, the season was classified as hyperactive. This season broke the record for the most ACE generated in a single season, surpassing 1933.
In addition to the powerful storms, several systems produced significant impacts across coastal and inland regions. Flooding from tropical storms like Damaris and Merrick caused widespread disruption, while the rapid intensification of storms such as Calhoun and Pixel highlighted the unpredictable and volatile nature of the season.
The 2050 season became the costliest hurricane season on record, with total damages reaching $2.58 trillion (2050 USD). It was also the deadliest Atlantic hurricane season in history, with 57,123 fatalities reported. The devastation prompted renewed discussions on climate change's role in fueling extreme weather events, with meteorologists warning that future hurricane seasons could bring even stronger storms. As a result, coastal communities were urged to improve their resilience and disaster preparedness to mitigate potential impacts from increasingly intense hurricanes.
Seasonal forecasts
| Source | Date | Named storm |
Hurricanes | Major hurricanes |
Extreme hurricanes |
Hypercanes | |
| Average (1991–2020) | 14.4 | 7.2 | 3.2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Record high activity | 30 | 15 | 7† | 0 | 0 | ||
| Record low activity | 1 | 0† | 0† | 0 | 0 | ||
| TSR | December 15, 2049 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Actual activity |
20 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 0 | ||
Prior to the start of the season, several organizations released seasonal forecasts predicting the overall activity for the 2050 Atlantic hurricane season. These forecasts took into account various factors such as sea surface temperatures, atmospheric conditions, and the presence of El Niño or La Niña patterns.
The Tropical Storm Risk (TSR) forecast, released on December 15, 2049, predicted a slightly above-average season with 15 named storms, 7 hurricanes, and 3 major hurricanes. At the time, no extreme hurricanes or hypercanes were anticipated.
TSR's conservative forecast stemmed from conflicting environmental signals. While sea surface temperatures (SSTs) across the Atlantic basin were recorded at 1.2°C (2.2°F) above average — notably warm enough to fuel robust tropical cyclone development — other environmental factors were less supportive. A combination of higher-than-average wind shear, particularly across the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, along with drier air masses originating from the Saharan Air Layer (SAL), was expected to inhibit storm formation and intensification.
These conflicting conditions led TSR to predict only a moderately active season, as the unfavorable atmospheric setup was expected to counterbalance the unusually warm waters. However, as the season progressed, the SST anomaly played a far greater role in enhancing tropical cyclone development than initially anticipated. This resulted in several intense systems forming, including record-breaking storms such as Pixel and Calhoun.
Subsequent forecasts from other agencies adjusted their predictions as oceanic and atmospheric conditions evolved closer to the season's peak. These revisions included higher storm counts as indicators of a hyperactive season became evident.
Seasonal timeline
Systems
Hurricane Pixel
| Category 5 hurricane (SLHWS) | |
|---|---|
  | |
| Duration | October 5 - October 23 |
| Peak intensity | 220 mph (350 km/h) (1-min); 868 mbar (hPa) |
Hurricane Pixel emerged as the sixteenth named storm, sixth major hurricane, and second Category 5 hurricane of the 2050 Atlantic hurricane season, originating as Invest 95L on October 6, 2050, in the southwestern Caribbean Sea with initial winds of 5 mph and a pressure of 1019 mb. The system intensified into Tropical Storm Pixel by October 7 at 12:00 UTC (40 mph, 998 mb) and underwent rapid strengthening in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, reaching Category 1 by October 8 at 18:00 UTC (80 mph, 986 mb), Category 3 by October 9 at 12:00 UTC (125 mph, 956 mb), and Category 5 by October 9 at 18:00 UTC (175 mph, 908 mb). It achieved its peak intensity, the most intense hurricane on record with a minimum central pressure of 868 mb and the strongest hurricane on record with sustained winds of 220 mph (354 km/h) on October 10, 2050, at 00:00 UTC, north of the Yucatán Peninsula. Following its peak, Pixel underwent an eyewall replacement cycle (ERC), briefly weakening to 155 mph by October 10 at 12:00 UTC (915 mb), before restrengthening to Category 5 status, reaching 205 mph (879 mb) by October 11 at 18:00 UTC. Pixel then made a catastrophic landfall along the Gulf Coast of Florida near the Florida Panhandle on October 11, 2050, at 12:00 UTC, as a strong Category 5 hurricane with 200 mph winds and 884 mb pressure, bringing devastating storm surges up to 25 feet and winds that demolished coastal infrastructure. Before landfall, Pixel spawned an EF4 tornado in the Florida Panhandle, causing widespread destruction. The storm weakened to Category 4 by October 12 at 12:00 UTC (155 mph, 923 mb) over land, moved northeast, looped off the southeastern U.S. coast with winds fluctuating between 130 and 185 mph from October 14 to 15, transitioned into an extratropical cyclone on October 18 at 18:00 UTC (70 mph, 990 mb), and dissipated east of Newfoundland by October 23 at 06:00 UTC (5 mph, 1020 mb). Pixel contributed 73.84 points to the season’s Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE), the highest of any storm in 2050, and was the costliest hurricane ever in recorded history, with an estimated $1.5 trillion (2050 USD) in damages.
Following its landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida, Hurricane Pixel unleashed torrential rainfall across the southeastern United States, with totals exceeding 20 inches in parts of Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi, triggering widespread freshwater flooding and necessitating numerous high-water rescues. The storm’s unprecedented power resulted in catastrophic destruction, with the $1.5 trillion (2050 USD) damage estimate reflecting extensive losses to homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure across the Florida Panhandle and adjacent Gulf Coast regions. In Florida, three deaths were reported due to flooding and structural collapse, while offshore, two individuals perished from rip currents near Alabama; the EF4 tornado before landfall added further fatalities and damage. Pixel’s expansive wind field generated additional tornadoes, including two EF0 tornadoes in Georgia, compounding the storm’s toll. Coastal areas of Louisiana, including Grand Isle, experienced moderate flooding from a 10–15 foot storm surge, while Texas saw minor wave impacts. The storm’s severity prompted mass evacuations and a federal emergency declaration, cementing its status as a historic disaster.
Storm names
The following names have been designated for the 2050 Atlantic hurricane season:
Season effects
| Sharkius-Leaf scale | ||||||||||||||||
| TD | TS | C1 | C2 | C3 | C4 | C5 | C6 | HY | ||||||||
| Storm name |
Dates active | Storm category at peak intensity |
Max 1-min wind mph (km/h) |
Min. press. (mbar) |
Areas affected | Damage (USD) |
Deaths | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achillean | June 9–21 | Category 4 hurricane | 150 (240) | 947 | Mexico (Yucatán Peninsula) Greater Antilles (Western Cuba) Cayman Islands Southeastern United States (especially Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia) Midwestern United States (Tennessee) | $61 billion | 154 | |||
| Brielle | July 14–21 | Category 2 hurricane | 100 (160) | 978 | Bahamas (Lucayan Archipelago), Florida (Southern and Central Florida), Southeastern United States (especially Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia) | $5 billion | 2 | |||
| Calhoun | August 1–8 | Category 5 hurricane | 165 (266) | 928 | Mexico (northeastern Yucatán Peninsula and parts of the Gulf Coast), Southeastern United States (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle), and Eastern United States (Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and extending into the Mid-Atlantic region) | $133 billion | 869 | |||
| Damaris | August 7–11 | Tropical storm | 55 (89) | 999 | Lesser Antilles (particularly Antigua, Barbuda, Guadeloupe, and Dominica), Puerto Rico (including San Juan), US Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, Greater Antilles (Northern Venezuela, and possibly Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire) | $25.5 million | 0 | |||
| Eureka | August 10–12 | Category 1 hurricane | 85 (137) | 986 | Central America (specifically Honduras and Nicaragua), Cayman Islands, Greater Antilles (including Jamaica, eastern Cuba, and the western Dominican Republic), and Southeastern United States (particularly southern Florida and the Florida Keys) | $1 billion | 24 | |||
| Falun | August 16–21 | Category 3 hurricane | 125 (201) | 965 | Bermuda, U.S. East Coast (New Jersey, New York, Connecticut), New England, and Eastern Canada (including Quebec and New Brunswick) | $500 million | 7 | |||
| Gideon | August 19–23 | Tropical storm | 65 (105) | 996 | None | $0 | 0 | |||
| Season aggregates | ||||||||||
| 7 systems | June 9 - Season Ongoing | 165 (266) | 928 | $201 billion | 1,056 | |||||