Prior to the start of the 2015 hurricane season, meteorologists and weather researchers predicted the strong El Niño conditions out in the Pacific would likely reduce the number of hurricanes and tropical storms developing in the Atlantic this year. Watch video
Prior to the start of the 2015 hurricane season, meteorologists and weather researchers predicted the strong El Nino conditions out in the Pacific would likely reduce the number of hurricanes and tropical storms developing in the Atlantic this year.
Turns out they were right.
Eleven named storms formed in the Atlantic Ocean this year -- one less than average. Just four of those storms strengthened into hurricanes, below the typical average of six to seven. And none ended up making landfall along the eastern seaboard, which was great news for New Jersey.
For the third straight year, New Jersey managed to survive hurricane season -- which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30 -- untouched by a named storm. Prior to that, the Garden State was hammered by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 and Tropical Storm Irene in August 2011.
In 2013, only two hurricanes formed in the Atlantic basin, in what was the quietest hurricane season in more than two decades. Last year, six hurricanes developed in the Atlantic, a more active season but with far fewer named storms -- eight -- compared to the seasonal average of 12.
"It was a very quiet season" this year, said David Robinson, the state climatologist at Rutgers University.
Even though ocean temperatures in the Atlantic were warmer than average, and hurricanes tend to thrive in warmer water, the storms that formed in 2015 "tended to be on the weaker side and short-lived," Robinson said.
Weather experts believe the quiet Atlantic hurricane season was influenced by El Nino, the periodic warming of temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean -- an event that causes unusual shifts in storm tracks and weather patterns around the world.
ONE BIG SCARE
New Jersey, and other states along the Atlantic, had one big scare this year: Hurricane Joaquin. Fueled by warmer than usual ocean temperatures, that storm morphed into a rare Category 5 hurricane in early October -- and early computer forecast models showed it was on track to slam into New Jersey, putting the state on high alert.
Instead, Joaquin churned for several days off the southeastern coast of the United States, leading to massive flooding in North Carolina and South Carolina before wreaking havoc on the Bahamas and moving out to sea. Although Joaquin steered clear of New Jersey, another strong storm system, with the characteristics of a nor'easter, pounded the Jersey Shore with heavy rain and strong winds in early October.
NAMED STORMS IN 2015
These 11 storms earned names during the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season: Ana; Bill; Claudette; Danny; Erika; Fred; Grace; Henri; Ida; Joaquin, and Kate.
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2016
Wondering what names will be picked for next year's hurricane season? The National Hurricane Center has designated these names for Atlantic storms that develop in 2016: Alex; Bonnie; Colin; Danielle; Earl; Fiona; Gaston; Hermine; Ian; Julia; Karl; Lisa; Matthew; Nicole; Otto; Paula; Richard; Shary; Tobias; Virginie, and Walter.
Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @LensReality. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
