National Hurricane Center: Your Go-To Source for Reliable Storm Information
Today is the start of hurricane season. So, it seems timely to talk about NOAA’s National Hurricane Center (NHC). NHC maintains an authoritative website with a wealth of information about everything from current storms to storms dating back 175 years.
Their home page shows no named storms expected in the next 7 days. Whew! So, I started exploring their climatology page. It contains a wealth of useful information. For instance…
When Do Named Storms Become a Weekly Occurrence?
Answer: On average, August is the first month in the season with a named storm every week. Before that, you can expect one or two named storms every month. September also averages a named storm every week, but they start tailing off after that.
When is the Statistical Peak of Hurricane Season?
In the Atlantic Basin, when averaging 100 years, the peak occurs on September 10.
When Are Named Storms Most Likely to Start Popping Up In the Gulf?
NHC offers a dozens of charts that show the number of named storms that pop up in different areas in ten days periods throughout the season. These “points of origin” charts each average the last 75 years.
June 10-20 is the first period where storms really start popping up in the Gulf.
See other charts on NHC’s climatology page to see how the season builds in certain areas and when/where activity starts to tail off in others. Different regions spawn storms at different times. Planning a vacation? Check here first.
Which Counties are Hurricane Magnets?
Harris County ranks pretty high. Between 1900 and 2010, named storms hit us somewhere between 17 and 19 times.
How Frequently Do Hurricanes Strike the Houston Region?
Our average “return period” is nine years. But keep in mind that this is an average that does not include tropical storms.
Hurricane Harvey was nine years ago. And since then, we’ve been hit by two hurricanes: Nicholas in 2021 and Beryl in 2024. So, we’ve tripled the average lately.
Remember also that Tropical Storm Imelda struck us in 2019, causing catastrophic flooding in many parts of the region. It was the fourth wettest storm in Texas history.
And who could forget Tropical Storm Allison in 2001? It doesn’t take a hurricane to dump lots of rain.
How Frequently Have Named Storms Hit Us in the last 100 Years at Season’s Peak?
When you add up tropical storms, hurricanes and major hurricanes, you get “named storms.” If you add up those categories, you see that Houston falls into the band of areas that have received 30-49 named storms per hundred years during September alone (the peak of the season). That’s one about every two or three years, which is consistent with the observation above about Harvey, Nicholas, Beryl, and Imelda.
Houston is not as bad as some other areas. The Mississippi Delta, the Atlantic Coast of Florida, and North Carolina all have higher rates.
Is Tropical Activity Increasing?
It appears to be. But be careful. If you filter out the statistical outliers (2005 with 28 storms and 2020 with 30), any increase is much less pronounced. Also consider that many storms before the satellite era may have escaped detection or reliable measurement.
An obvious conclusion from this chart is that tropical activity is cyclical. We build for a few years, then drop for a few before the cycle starts building again.
Here’s the raw data behind this chart in a tabular format.
Where Do Most Storms Start?
The graphic below shows that despite occasional pop-up storms in the Gulf and storms that cross Mexico/Central America, the vast majority start off the coast of Africa. Then they travel west across the Atlantic. As they approach the Caribbean, the Coriolis force makes them turn north and recurve like a boomerang.
What to Do?
Prepare. On Thursday, June 4, from 5-6:30 PM, Houston City Council Member Fred Flickinger will host an open house at Kingwood Community Center (4102 Rustic Woods Drive, Kingwood TX 77345) with:
- Houston Office of Emergency Management
- CenterPoint Energy
- Comcast
- xfinity
- UnionPacific
- Trees for Houston
According to the Council Member, the event will feature practical safety information about resources designed to help you, your family and your neighborhood prepare with confidence, such as:
- Safe vegetation practices and the Right Tree, Right Place approach
- When and why to call 811 before you dig
- How to stay safe around railways and utility equipment
- Hurricane preparedness tips and local resources
Flickinger said, “Ask questions, explore helpful information and share what matters most in your neighborhood so we can better support the community we serve.”
One of the first things people often lose in Kingwood is power when trees fall against overhead lines. And with the loss of power comes loss of communication. So it’s important to have a plan before that happens.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/1/2026
3198 Days since Hurricane Harvey
