The
2015 Atlantic hurricane season was an event in the annual
hurricane season in the north Atlantic ocean.(there were 15 different recorded hurricanes this year). It was the third consecutive year to feature below-average
tropical cyclone activity,[nb 1] with eleven
named storms. The season officially began on June 1, 2015 and ended on November 30, 2015. These dates, adopted by convention, historically describe the period in each year when most
tropical systems form.[2] However, systems can and do form outside these dates, as did the season's first storm,
Tropical Storm Ana, which developed on May 8; the season's final storm,
Hurricane Kate,
lost its tropical characteristics on November 11.
The year featured twelve tropical cyclones, of which eleven became tropical storms, including four hurricanes of which two intensified into
major hurricanes.[nb 2] While no hurricanes made
landfall on the
United States mainland during the year, two tropical storms, Ana and
Bill, struck the coastline of
South Carolina and
Texas respectively. Ana was earliest landfalling tropical storm on record in the United States and caused two fatalities, while Bill produced heavy rain and flooding and caused eight fatalities. Additionally, the precursor to Bill also caused significant flooding across
Central America. In late August,
Tropical Storm Erika brought heavy rainfall to several
Leeward Islands, especially to
Dominica. It caused widespread damage and 31 fatalities. In October,
Hurricane Joaquin, a
Category 4 hurricane, battered
The Bahamas for two days, causing extensive devastation to that nation while also contributing to historic flooding across the
Southeastern United States. Additionally, Joaquin was responsible sinking of the American cargo ship El Faro and for the deaths of its 33–member crew. Following the 2015 season, the names Erika and Joaquin were
retired from reuse in the North Atlantic by the
World Meteorological Organization.[4][5]
This timeline documents tropical cyclone formations, strengthening, weakening, landfalls,
extratropical transitions, and dissipations during the season. It includes information that was not released throughout the season, meaning that data from post-storm reviews by the
National Hurricane Center, such as a storm that was not initially warned upon, has been included.
By convention, meteorologists use one
time zone when issuing forecasts and making observations:
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), and also use the
24-hour clock (where 00:00 = midnight UTC).[6] The National Hurricane Center uses both UTC and the time zone where the center of the tropical cyclone is currently located. The time zones utilized (east to west) prior to 2020 were:
Atlantic,
Eastern, and
Central.[7] In this timeline, all information is listed by UTC first with the respective regional time included in parentheses. Additionally, figures for
maximum sustained winds and position estimates are rounded to the nearest 5 units (
knots,
miles, or
kilometers), following the convention used in the
National Hurricane Center's products. Direct wind observations are rounded to the nearest whole number. Atmospheric pressures are listed to the nearest
millibar and nearest hundredth of an
inch of mercury.
^Hurricanes reaching Category 3 (111 miles per hour (179 km/h)) and higher on the 5-level
Saffir–Simpson wind speed scale are considered major hurricanes.[3]
^Gutro, Rob (September 18, 2015).
"TD9 (Atlantic Ocean)". Hurricane and Typhoon Updates. Greenbelt, Maryland: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
^Brennan, Michael J. (September 19, 2015).
Remnants of Nine Discussion Number 14 (Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Retrieved July 14, 2021.