For the second straight year, the Atlantic hurricane season had an early start with Subtropical Storm Andrea in May and Hurricane Barry in July, which was a PCS®-designated catastrophe exceeding $25 million in insured losses.
June marks the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season (June 1 – November 30). According to forecasters, 2019 will be a slightly below-average season for the area that covers the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Sea.
May is normally an active month for catastrophes and leads up to the beginning of the hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30 in the Atlantic basin and from May 15 to November 30 in the Eastern Pacific.
Historically, April is an active month for violent tornadoes. There have been more violent tornadoes—EF4 and EF5—in April than any other month from 1950 through 2013. And just last year, there were 146 tornado reports for the month.
October marks the end of peak hurricane season. While the fourth quarter generally tends to be less active than the third, insurers should still be vigilant in preparing to assist policyholders in case of late-season events.
It’s becoming more likely that we’ll have a mild Atlantic hurricane season, as forecasters from the NOAA Climate Prediction Center have raised the likelihood of a below-normal season to 60 percent.
With parts of the United States still reeling from winter storms in March, Verisk's PCS looks ahead to April. Though overall tornadic activity typically peaks in May and June, April is an active month for violent tornadoes.