ABC News November 10, 2020

How the 2020 hurricane season just set a new record

WATCH: How do hurricanes get their names?
By Emily Shapiro & Daniel Manzo

2020 has become a year for the record books for yet another reason.

The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season has now reached 29 named storms, setting a new single season record for the most storm names used.

Denise Cathey/AP
Max Lopez looks for useable items, Sept. 21, 2020, as he walks through piles of trash and debris swept in by outer winds from Tropical Storm Beta over the weekend on Boca Chica Beach outside Brownsville, Texas. Beta is expected to make landfall on the central coast of Texas.

This record-breaking storm, named Subtropical Storm Theta, developed overnight in the Northeast Atlantic.

This beats a record previously held by the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. The very active 2005 season -- which included Hurricane Katrina -- had 28 named storms in the Atlantic basin.

MORE: What to know about floodwater safety

Theta is likely to churn over the open ocean before dissipating.

Also in the Caribbean Sea is yet another tropical wave that could become a tropical depression or storm. This storm would be called Iota.

The 2020 hurricane season ends on Nov. 30. Off-season tropical cyclones, however, may develop after this date.

Up Next in News