Hurricane Paulette

Category 2 Atlantic hurricane in 2020

Hurricane Paulette
Hurricane Paulette just before its peak intensity north of Bermuda on September 14
Meteorological history
FormedSeptember 7, 2020
Post-tropicalSeptember 22, 2020
DissipatedSeptember 28, 2020
Category 2 hurricane
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS)
Highest winds105 mph (165 km/h)
Lowest pressure965 mbar (hPa); 28.50 inHg
Overall effects
Fatalities2 total
Damage≥$50 million (2020 USD)
Areas affectedCape Verde, Bermuda, East Coast of the United States, Azores, Madeira
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Part of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season

Hurricane Paulette was a strong and long-lived Category 2 Atlantic hurricane which became the first to make landfall in Bermuda since Hurricane Gonzalo in 2014, and was the longest-lasting tropical cyclone of 2020 globally. The sixteenth named storm and sixth hurricane of the record-breaking 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, Paulette developed from a tropical wave that left the coast of Africa on September 2. The wave eventually consolidated into a tropical depression on September 7. Paulette fluctuated in intensity over the next few days, due to strong wind shear, initially peaking as a strong tropical storm on September 8. It eventually strengthened into a hurricane early on September 13 as shear decreased. On September 14, Paulette made landfall in northeastern Bermuda as a Category 2 hurricane, while making a gradual turn to the northeast. The cyclone further strengthened as it moved away from the island, reaching its peak intensity with 1-minute sustained winds of 105 mph (169 km/h) and a minimum central atmospheric pressure of 965 mbar (28.5 inHg) on September 14. On the evening of September 15, Paulette began to weaken and undergo extratropical transition, which it completed on September 16. The hurricane's extratropical remnants persisted and moved southward then eastward, and eventually, Paulette regenerated into a tropical storm early on September 20 south of the Azores– which resulted in the U.S National Weather Service coining the phrase "zombie storm" to describe its unusual regeneration.[1][2] Paulette's second phase proved short-lived, however, as the storm quickly weakened and became post-tropical again two days later. The remnant persisted for several days before dissipating south of the Azores on September 28. In total, Paulette was a tropical cyclone for 11.25 days, and the system had an overall lifespan of 21 days (3.0 weeks).[3]

Paulette brought hurricane-force sustained winds and heavy rain to Bermuda, causing widespread power outages on the island. Paulette caused an estimated US$50 million in damage in the country.[4] Large swells affected the East Coast of the United States, and 2 people drowned off the coasts of New Jersey and South Carolina, respectively, after getting caught in rip currents generated by the hurricane. Minimal impacts were recorded in Azores from Paulette's second stint as a tropical cyclone.

Meteorological history

Map plotting the storm's track and intensity, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
  Tropical depression (≤38 mph, ≤62 km/h)
  Tropical storm (39–73 mph, 63–118 km/h)
  Category 1 (74–95 mph, 119–153 km/h)
  Category 2 (96–110 mph, 154–177 km/h)
  Category 3 (111–129 mph, 178–208 km/h)
  Category 4 (130–156 mph, 209–251 km/h)
  Category 5 (≥157 mph, ≥252 km/h)
  Unknown
Storm type
circle Tropical cyclone
square Subtropical cyclone
triangle Extratropical cyclone, remnant low, tropical disturbance, or monsoon depression