Hurricane of the Decade?

[MarioProtVI]

If we’re going by the Atlantic and nothing else then I think mine would be the following:

1. Harvey and Maria (2017) – These two take the top spot in a joint position because of how catastrophic their impacts were. Both caused catastrophic and unprecedented effects to the respective areas (Texas and Puerto Rico). Seeing the flooding of Houston and the destruction in PR was heartbreaking to say the least. I mean just the damages between the two accounted for more then 60% of the total damage caused by the historic 2017 season. The deaths also were horrific and in the case of the latter was the deadliest since at least 2005 (partially caused by some ignorance but I won’t go into that).
2. Sandy (2012) – This one is definitely up here not just because of all it’s characteristics and impacts but also because it had a really bad impact where I live. Power was knocked out for a week and then was further hampered by the snowstorm that followed about a week later. Should I also add Sandy had SNOW? That never happens in a TC, but when you get one of the biggest anomalous weather patterns that involve a large as hell TC, omega block and a strong cold front that can happen. $75B is nothing to laugh at and it also killed quite a lot in the Caribbean.
3. Irma (2017) – Practically was Ivan’s older sister. One of the most devastating Cape Verde hurricanes I’ve ever tracked and the amount of destruction it caused through the islands surrounding and including Barbuda, as well as the Bahamas and Cuba, all at C5, as well as the destruction it caused in the US. Plus it sustained C5 intensity for a long period time which is normally not the case (usually they only are C5 for like 12h and weaken, but Irma sustained it for I think 3 days, the 5th through the 8th).
4. Dorian (2019) - Simply put, this storm was absolutely nothing short of a monster. From the very beginning it looked like it would just be another name waster or such and then the center relocation happened and changed everything. The sheer intensity alone which looks to be rivalling Allen in '80 was historic, a 177 kt dropsonde and several 165-170 kt SFMR was nothing to screw around with. Add on the fact that Dorian then made landfall in the Bahamas at this intensity and THEN PROCEEDED to sit on the islands for about a day and a half causing unprecedented damage to the islands of beauty. The pictures that came out of those areas literally broke my heart and I fear we might’ve had another Maria situation there as some outlets reported that as many as 3,000 might be dead, hopefully not the case but still devastating.
5. Michael (2018) - I don’t really need to explain this one much, simply put, first C5 in US since Andrew (in the same state!) and practically did same amount of damage too. Unusual for the fact it intensified all the way to landfall rather then weakening prior to.
6. Matthew (2016) - Caused a lot of deaths in Haiti and was the first C5 in 9 years. Also razed the SE US with impacts as well as the flooding in the Carolinas.
7. Florence (2018) - Surprisingly this one doesn’t end up higher on the list and part of that was likely due to the few states that received the worst. Barring that though this one was very complex and was initially gonna be a weak MDR storm and then it unexpectedly ramped up to a C4 which no one predicted at all, then set its sights on the US. The flooding from Florence was very bad in the Carolinas and especially that slow motion just inland prolonged it.
8. Irene (2011) - Despite being a minimal C3 this had some big impacts up here in Jersey. Lost power here for a few days and it did a good amount of damage to NYC but less then expected. However that flooding up there in Vermont and surrounding areas was pretty bad from what I heard.
9. Imelda (2019) - For such a low end storm this one was pretty destructive. Pretty much a scaled down Harvey on areas that had already been hit by Harvey and the fact that it just popped out of nowhere just as it was coming in was amazing.
10. Karl (2010) - Surprisingly this one ended up here because of the fact that it did a lot of damage in Mexico and somehow he didn’t get retired (then fell flat on his face 6 years later). $3B damages and showed the BoC is always a mysterious place for TCs.

If worldwide then I think the only three I think would be the most notable were:
1. Haiyan, WPac (2013) - One of the most intense TCs we’ve seen this pretty much laid waste to many Philippine towns and killed over 6,000 at that intensity. Truly horrific and I really hope they don’t get another storm like that again (Hagupit almost did the following year but it failed)
2. Patricia, EPac (2015) - Simply put, that intensity was amazing and something we'll very likely never see again in our lifetime (barring a near-impossible asteroid impact in an area where a strengthening TC was going but that’s not gonna happen so). Really good how we had recon right at the peak and I still believe it was stronger then Tip.
3. Noru, WPac (2017) - Despite being downed from a C5 in JTWC’s best track, this storm had quite the weirdest track and I think Leslie might’ve inherited some genes from him the following year in the Atlantic

[CrazyC83]

I'll have a list of Top 10 Weather events of 2019 and the decade next week (probably next Friday) but here is my list for the top 10 hurricanes (9 in the Atlantic, 1 in the EPAC):

1. Maria (2017) - No doubt, the catastrophe in Puerto Rico was something that was unthinkable before it happened. I don't think we would ever think that 3,000+ lives would be lost on American soil. It was also the hurricane of a lifetime for Dominica.

2. Patricia (2015) - If this had been a worse hit on land, it would be #1. However, Patricia was the kind of storm that seemed inconceivable in the Western Hemisphere. I don't think we could ever imagine seeing 200+ mph winds confirmed by Hurricane Hunters.

3. Harvey (2017) - The flood disaster was unimaginable and the amount of rain was literally biblical. How Harvey stalled over Texas for a week is difficult to imagine. I just wonder what the rainfall would have been if Harvey's rain bands were pushed into mountains for a week?

4. Sandy (2012) - Sure, it only barely reached category 3. But what it did afterward...get caught in the jet stream twice with perfect precision and then hit the most densely populated region in this part of the world, while as large as a continent, was truly historic.

5. Irma (2017) - Irma may not have been as bad as feared in the US. But it still did severe damage to so many places...and remaining a category 5 for nearly a week? No comparison.

6. Lorenzo (2019)- Admittedly, the record is short for storms like this (only 50 years or so) and the land impacts weren't that severe. But to reach category 5 in the eastern Atlantic was virtually unthinkable. It didn't just break records, it destroyed them.

7. Dorian (2019) - It seemed impossible that a storm could have 180+ mph winds in the northern Bahamas, at a fairly high latitude, and then to stop and stand still for a couple days? I don't think anywhere on Earth had ever seen category 4-5 winds as long as they had.

8. Joaquin (2015) - Yes, the impact to the Bahamas was very severe with Joaquin as well, and we all remember El Faro. But for a storm to intensify to nearly a category 5, in a strong El Nino, coming out of an upper-level low really caught us off guard. There are few comparisons.

9. Michael (2018) - The Florida Panhandle had never seen a category 4, let alone a category 5, before Michael came along. The fact it rapidly intensified right up to landfall on the northern Gulf Coast was something we hadn't seen in a long time.

10. Ophelia (2017) - A questionable addition to the list but a major hurricane not too far off the European continent was extremely impressive. It should be a wakeup call for the Azores too...a major hurricane CAN hit them.

Dishonorable mentions: Igor (2010), Irene (2011), Matthew (2016), Otto (2016), Florence (2018), Lane (2018)

Globally, the tropical cyclone of the decade was definitely Haiyan (2013). Few storms could do what it could - legendary for its intensity, damage and death toll all at once.

[1900hurricane]

Let's go by basin, here's what I think.

WPac/overall: Haiyan '13. From intensity to impact and tragedy, Haiyan was near the top in every single category over the entire decade.

NAtl: tie between Harvey '17 and Maria '17. It was essentially a tossup between these two systems for me. Harvey ended the record US major hurricane drought and became the costliest TC in world history, beginning a four week period of insanity in the NAtl. That period of insanity was concluded with Maria, which had perhaps the greatest human impact of any NAtl TC since Mitch '98. Irma '17 and Dorian '19 are worth mentioning as well, but not quite with these two.

EPac: Patricia '15. It became the strongest TC on record north of the equator in the W Hemisphere, and even after considerably weakening, it became the strongest landfalling system in the basin.

NIO: I guess I'm going to give it to Phailin '13 out of respect of it being the only ATCF category 5 of the decade, but no system in particular really stood out to me, which is great for this basin considering its history of tragic TCs.

SIO: I could go with Fantala '16 for intensity, but I'm giving it to Idai '19 for the impact that its landfall in Africa had.

SPac: Going with Winston '16 for intensity and impact in Fiji.

[cycloneye]

Well,I endured the fury of Maria 17 that caused over 3,500 fatalitles and catastrofic damage that folks, still right now there are over 20,000 families with the blue tarps so in my case is #1.

[Kingarabian]

In the Atlantic my top hurricane for this decade is: Harvey 2017. While Irma was impressive and Maria was both impressive and devastating, the shock and surprise that people got when the Euro and other global models (with less than 72 hours before landfall), suddenly flipped Harvey's remnants from tracking west into Mexico to instead turning north into the GOM and hitting Texas as a major hurricane -- is almost second to none. It reaffirms that computer weather models can be erroneous and one should always remain vigilant and prepared.

In the EPAC it has to be Patricia. The most amazing hurricane I've ever tracked and I was happy to be a member of Storm2k and got to share this moment in time with all of you on here. After Patricia for me is Hurricane Lane.

[Kazmit]

I'm gonna say Irma just because of how many places it impacted. It also had a long duration and track and incredible strength.

[Yellow Evan]

Maria - solely for long-term human destruction in Puerto Rico
Irma - epic long tracker is probably the best term to describe it
Dorain - extreme intensity and destruction to Bahamas
Harvey - for the record rainfall and slow post-landfall motion
Sandy - due to its unique hybrid nature

Quite a decade considering it included possibly the worst season ever (2013).

[SconnieCane]

Quite a decade considering it included possibly the worst season ever (2013).

Interesting in that it included one of the worst (slowest, from a meteorological perspective) NATL seasons ever (2013), and one of the worst seasons for impacts (2017).

The decade did the same for tornado seasons. 2011 was not only hyperactive, but the most violent tornadoes kept hitting cities and towns resulting in a death toll thought inconceivable in the NEXRAD era. Then in 2018, chasers were pulling their hair out wondering when spring was actually gonna start (it never really did that year).

[CrazyC83]

Some of the storms in my top 10 list (especially Lorenzo and Ophelia) were more due to the historical nature than the impacts, although both are considered.

[Astromanía]

I just want to say, talking only about EPAC basin wich had some pretty intense and interesting hurricanes this active decade (due mostly to the strong el niño 2014-15) Hurricane Manuel was just so bad, so so bad seriously, even when it was only a category 1 it was the deadliest of the decade by far (killing 169 people) and and the costliest epac hurricane ever (4.2 billion USD), it made and unusually regeneration after landfall in Mexico, it's overall destruction was agravated due to hurricane Ingrid in the ATL basin (that also made landfall within a day prior to Manuel in Tamaulipas and caused fatalities and economic lost), just in the other side of Mexico, such and unusually event especially considering that year (2013) to be a low tropical season worldwide, an overall event to remember. I can´t stop reading an article from wikipedia about La Pintada, a town in Guerrero that was erased from the map due to an mudslide caused by Manuel rainbands, half of it was destroyed and sepulted with many people and the ones who survived where traslated to a new founded town named "La nueve Pintada" in 2014. It is sad that the article says "La Pintada fue una localidad rural del estado mexicano de Guerrero" meaning in english: La Pintada WAS a rural town from the mexican state of Guerrero. (The article it's not dissponible in english) https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Pintada_(Guerrero)

So yes, for me Manuel was the Hurricane of the decade on EPAC for it's catastrophic damage, of course many will say it was Patricia and indeed it was but on it's category as the most intense hurricane not only in the basin and not only in the decade but in the western hemisphere in both wind speed and pressure and that's something it will be hard to beat in hundreds of years, also the most intense at landfall on EPAC. The problem with Patricia (good thing for us the people of Mexico) was that it significally weakened a lot before made landfall (still a high end category 4 tho) and impacted a low density area so it's impact wasn´t that impressive.

Others honorable mentions for this basin in this decade, IMO:
Walaka 2018: it reach category 5 on par with typhoon Kong-key on WPAC
Rosa 2018: a tropical cyclone that made landfall in the state of Baja California for the first time since 1997 (peak as a category 4 and made landfall as a tropical depression)
Tropical depression 19E 2018: just because it formed in the gulf of california, the first time in recorded history, it also caused some fatalities
Olivia 2018: the first time a tropical cyclone made landfall on Maui and Lanai in recorded history, so so difficult (it peak as a cat 4 and made landfall as a tropical storm)
Lane 2018: due to it's goddanm recurve track that caused rainfall records on Hawaii, and because it reached category 5 so close to the islands, closer than anyone
Hector 2018: it spent time as a major like 7-8 days? the most in this basin, also it crossed all three basins in the north pacific and produced the highest ACE number this decade (50.5), it peaked as a high end category 4
Selma 2017: it made landfall in EL Salvador, the first time on record for a tropical cylcone, did it at as a tropical storm and it caused many deaths
Barbara 2019: just because it peaked as a high end category 4 at the same time a total solar eclipse ocurred in south America but close to it, stunning images!, strongest b hurricane on EPAC
Madeline and Lester 2016: major hurricanes at the same time, both peaked at category 4 and treatened Hawaii at some point
Pali 2016: earliest named tropical cyclone on EPAC, forming at january 7th, it reached category 2
Sandra 2015: strongest hurricane in November on record as well as the latest-forming major hurricane, formed at November 23th, reaching major status at 26th and peaking as a category 4
Kiko, Ignacio, Jimena 2015: three majors hurricanes at the same time, just amazing, all three preaked at cat 4, Jimena also is the long lasting tropical cyclone on EPAC this decade? 15 days
Odile 2014: tied as the most intense landfalling tropical cylone in the Baja California Penninsula on record and the most intense this decade, peaked as a category 4 and made landfall as a category 3, it had also the lowest pressure for a cat 4 hurricane on EPAC, maybe on record worldwide?
Genevieve 2014: just because it crossed the three north pacific basins but not as impressive as Hector 2018
Amanda 2014: strongest Epac hurricane on May, peaked as a high end cat 4, almost 5
Iselle 2014: it made landfall in the Bid Island (Hawaii) as a tropical storm, rare, it peaked at cat 4
Darby 2016: it made landfall in the Big Island as well as a tropical storm, it peaked at 3
2010-2012: nothing interesting

Ok I know to much... sorry

[supercane4867]

Patricia, both in terms of hurricane or tropical cyclone in general.

[Hypercane_Kyle]

In the Atlantic my top hurricane for this decade is: Harvey 2017. While Irma was impressive and Maria was both impressive and devastating, the shock and surprise that people got when the Euro and other global models (with less than 72 hours before landfall), suddenly flipped Harvey's remnants from tracking west into Mexico to instead turning north into the GOM and hitting Texas as a major hurricane -- is almost second to none. It reaffirms that computer weather models can be erroneous and one should always remain vigilant and prepared.

In the EPAC it has to be Patricia. The most amazing hurricane I've ever tracked and I was happy to be a member of Storm2k and got to share this moment in time with all of you on here. After Patricia for me is Hurricane Lane.

I remember this especially vividly. I had just gone on a roadtrip to see the 2017 solar eclipse and I was completely without internet for a few days. When I left, Harvey had died in the Caribbean with little-to-no model support for regeneration. When I came back on August 23, Harvey suddenly was looking like it would be the first major hurricane to hit the USA in over a decade.

The top for me is Irma, mostly from a personal perspective. We knew it was going to be bad when it formed, but not that level of bad. The terror everyone in Florida felt watching Irma's track shift slowly more west with every update while consistently maintaining 180mph winds was insane. Everyone here in Tampa went from taking Irma as something of a joke to full panic mode as it was becoming obvious Irma wasn't just coming to Florida, Irma was coming here. I still remember seeing the NWS forecast 150mph gusts over my house and issuing an extreme wind warning, absolutely surreal. Although it weakened, I'll never forget standing outside in the eye of Irma when it passed over Hillsborough County.

[wxman57]

It's gotta be Irma, right?

There's six main hurricanes that were absolutely historical classics this decade - Harvey Irma Maria, Michael Dorian and Sandy. None of the others are really in the same class IMO. But Irma absolutely took the cake.

Crazy how all of them except for Sandy happened in the past three seasons.

There was a major hurricane landfall drought in the U.S. that went from Oct. 24, 2005 to August 24, 2017. We had Ike hit SE TX, Gustav in south Louisiana in 2008, and a rather weak but large Sandy strike the NE U.S., but that 12-yr period was relatively quiet as compared to the past. Looking back to 1900, the U.S. is struck by a major (Cat 3-4-5) hurricane once every 2 years. The last few years were closer to normal than the previous 12.

As for the "hurricane of the decade" question, it's very vague. I'm considering only the Atlantic Basin. What are the qualifications for such a nomination? Deaths caused? Impact on society (not just in dollars of damage)? I wouldn't consider max sustained wind as a factor. Overall impact would be the deciding factor.

Using impact on society, I'd put Harvey well above Michael or Irma. Harvey struck the most populous region in the southern U.S., producing 25+ inches of rainfall over 9 Texas counties, and over 60" in some areas. People across SE Texas are still struggling to rebuild. Sure, Michael had stronger winds, but its impact was over a much smaller area with much fewer people. Maria would rank right up there with Harvey, but only because of the very poorly maintained power grid in Puerto Rico. Sandy would be in the top three as well due to the number of people impacted. Dorian was quite strong, but its impacts were confined to a relatively lightly-populated northern Bahamas.

[stormlover2013]

Harvey

[GSBHurricane]

I would personally peg Maria as the winner in the Atlantic though. It was the most intense based on pressure and the third strongest based on wind speed. While Harvey and Irma that same year were very damaging too, nearly 3,000 died from Maria's impact as opposed to just 107 for Harvey and 134 for Irma. All were bad for sure but Maria's extreme death toll makes it exceptionally scary in my mind.

[TheStormExpert]

It's tied for me between Michael in 2018 and Dorian in 2019. I had a friend who had a house on Man-O-War Cay in the Abacos say just 3 miles or so east of Marsh Harbor and fortunately all she lost was her second floor and the first floors structure remained intact, still no power on the island though so not much can be done yet.

[ncforecaster89]

I prefer to assign my picks for "hurricane of the decade" by region. Such as shown below:

Western Gulf: Harvey
Eastern Gulf: Michael
East Coast: Sandy or Florence
Bahamas: Dorian
Western Carribean: Earl 2016 (edges out Matthew)
Eastern Carribean: Irma or Maria
Bermuda: Gonzalo 2014

Entire Atlantic Basin:

1) Irma: Devastated land areas from the Eastern Caribbean to Cuba, through the Florida Keys and onto the U.S. mainland...all at an intensity of Cat 3+. Multiple Cat 5 landfalls, as well. Its overall impacts/credentials (combination of intensity, collective damage totals, geographic size of devastation, and number of direct deaths) earn it the #1 spot on this list.

2) Harvey: Totality of the damage totals and deaths, combined. Merits include: The highest damage figure; first USA MH landfall in 12 years; first Cat 4 USA landfall in 13 years; its rapid intensification up to landfall, widespread and historic rainfall totals; catastrophic flooding, and a death toll exceeding 100 persons.

T3) Maria: Its placement complicated by the conflicting reports of fatalities. Disregarding the unofficial 3000+ figure, for now, due to the seeming political nature of this tally (as to what figure may be accurate). Truth is we may never know the real numbers, sadly. Otherwise, its high-end Cat 5 intensity, its Cat five landfall on Dominica, and the devastating impact on Puerto Rico - all justify its ranking on this list.

T3) Dorian: Although the most intense hurricane of the decade, the current totals for both damage and deaths are less than that for Irma and Maria, comparatively. The fact it made a direct landfall on Great Abaco and Grand Bahama Islands at such an extreme intensity, alone, warrents its classification as one of the top hurricanes of the decade.

T3) Michael: Intentionally listed these last three as a tie for third place...as one could make a legitimate argument for each to be elevated above the others. Michael's case focuses on the historic Cat 5 USA landfall, as well as totals of damage and deaths in the same general range (collectively) as the other two shown above.