Tropical Storm Wanda is no more a threat. The storm, which formed in the north-central Atlantic on October 30, never threatened land. It was recently ruled a post-tropical storm and taken off the National Hurricane Center’s hurricane tracking board. Wanda was the 21st storm of the year and the last name on the 2021 list.
If any more storms occur, they will be named from a supplemental list created by the World Meteorological Organization. In the past, the names on the supplemental list relied mostly on the Greek alphabet, like Hurricane Zeta last year. But this year’s supplemental list is unique, given that it uses names that are more common.
Wanda – the 7th most active hurricane of the season
Wanda was only briefly classified as subtropical before becoming a tropical storm and gaining strength. It ranked as the 7th most active hurricane of the season, contributing to the Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) this hurricane season.
Wanda has an ACE of 5.7, whereas Hurricane Ida had an ACE of 10.8. While Ida was a severe storm, it had only been a designated storm for around seven days. Also, Ida had only been classified as a major storm for a single day.
Hurricane Sam, a Category 4 hurricane, had an ACE of 53.8 after being at hurricane status for 11 of its 12 days as a named storm. It was a significant storm for seven of those days.
The season’s total ACE is 145.0, compared to a 30-year average of 116.4 from 1991 to 2020. The ACE for the 2020 Atlantic season was 179.8.
Is Wanda the last storm of this year’s hurricane season?
Many people are now wondering if Wanda could be the final storm of the 2021 hurricane season. But, just recently, the NHC has added a new development to watch to its board. This disturbance is not expected to pose a threat to the United States, but it could bring a weather system that may cause nor’easter-like weather conditions. The National Hurricane Center announced that the disturbance could develop some features of a subtropical storm in the next few days.
Apart from this development, the Atlantic is quiet, and weather forecasters haven’t identified any other potential trouble spots to monitor. The Atlantic hurricane season will come to an official close on November 30.
This year, there have been a total of 21 named storms and 7 hurricanes. Four of these hurricanes — Grace, Ida, Larry, and Sam — became severe (Category 3 or stronger).