The year 2020 has already been quite a rough storm already, and the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season has been and will continue to be just as hectic throughout the next few months on the East and Southeast coast of the United States. This hurricane season has been an ongoing pattern of tropical cyclones since the beginning of June. So far, by late September, there were already 23 named Atlantic storms. This is about double the average amount of hurricanes of an average season, according to the Washington Post. 

   North Carolina has not received much permanent damage from the hurricane season and has only minor injuries. The only official hurricane that hit the NC coast was a category 1 known as Hurricane Isaias which lasted from July 30, 2020 to August 6, 2020. However, Hurricane Isaias led to the formation of a tornado outbreak along the coast. As for the rest of the United States and other global regions, most people might recall Hurricane Laura, Hurricane Cristobal, or Hurricane Marco who all had more detrimental effects on land and had a more memorable news presence. 

   While the reasoning behind the surging storms are not proven, there are a few theories. Some scientists believe that it is due to climate change. The Atlantic waters are warmer this year with some areas even reaching record temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico and subtropical Atlantic specifically. The warm waters may be the factor behind these numerous storms, which is alarming since the effects of climate change on the Earth, such as high tides, melting of ice caps, etc., are already extremely negative and concerning. The hurricane patterns continue to change and will continue to occur throughout the rough 2020 Atlantic season until around November 30. Remember to be prepared and stay safe.