The greatest number of named storms was in 1995 - 19 of them got us all the way to the letter "T" in the alphabet (there never is a "Q" storm). The record for the number of hurricanes in one season is 12, in 1969. Though that record may be safe, the record 19 named storms in 1995 could be in jeopardy if this season continues as it has so far. Emily, the fifth storm this year, formed on July 11. In 1995 the fifth storm, Erin, wasn't born until July 31.
This year's Dennis and Emily were both record breakers. When Dennis became a tropical storm on July 5, it was the earliest the season's fourth named storm had formed. Dennis grew to a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 150 mph. That made it the strongest June or July hurricane on record in the Atlantic basin. Dennis didn't hold that record very long, however. This past Saturday, Hurricane Emily's winds reached 155 mph, breaking the record Dennis held for a week and one day.
Is this a fluke or a trend? From 1950 through 1994, fewer than 10 hurricanes formed on average each season in the Atlantic. From 1995 through last year, the average number of named storms had jumped to almost 14. Last year 15 storms were named, nine of which became hurricanes.
More active Atlantic hurricane seasons, therefore, are a recent trend. Some will argue global warming is to blame, but the jury is definitely out on that. Instead, this may be part of a natural cycle, in which tropical Atlantic Ocean waters are a little warmer for a few decades. An ocean temperature rise of just a degree or two can make the difference between an average hurricane season and a season like last year, when Florida was hit four times, and what we have seen so far this year.