January 2024 Tropical Cyclones Report

Summary

Six named storms occurred across the globe in January, which was around the 1991-2020 average of seven. Two of those reached tropical cyclone strength (≥74 mph), and one reached major tropical cyclone strength (≥111 mph). The global accumulated cyclone energy (ACE: an integrated metric of the strength, frequency, and duration of tropical storms) was about 115% of the 1991-2020 average for January.

The only major tropical cyclone was Intense Tropical Cyclone Anggrek in the South Indian Ocean. On average, a major tropical cyclone occurs in the South Indian Ocean every 8 in 10 Januaries. Anggrek peaked with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph and a minimum central pressure of 944 mb. Anggrek remained in the central part of the South Indian Ocean and did not approach any major land masses.

Severe Tropical Storm Alvaro, made landfall in Madagascar at the beginning of the month resulting in significant impacts and numerous fatalities. Alvaro peaked as a tropical storm strength system with winds of 70 mph and a pressure of 989 mb. Also in the South Indian Ocean, Tropical Cyclone Belal peaked as a tropical cyclone strength system with winds of 100 mph and a central pressure of 968 mb. Belal caused extensive flooding in Mauritius and also impacted La Reunion. Two other storms formed in the South Indian Ocean, Severe Tropical Storm Candice and an unnamed tropical storm, which both peaked at tropical storm strength and did not impact land.

In the Australian region, Tropical Cyclone Kirrily brought heavy rains and wind to northeastern Australia. Kirrily peaked with winds of 70 mph and a minimum pressure of 982 mb before weakening to a remnant low and bringing rains to Australia.

No storms were active in the North Atlantic, East Pacific, West Pacific, or elsewhere in the Southern Hemisphere. This is only the fifth time since 1981 that no storms occurred in the Southwest Pacific Ocean during January. However, the lack of activity is more typical for the other basins.

North Atlantic

No North Atlantic Tropical Cyclones occurred during January 2024.

North Atlantic Tropical Cyclone January Counts

Storm Type	Count	1991-2020 Mean	1981-2024 Rank*	1851-2024 Record
Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts)	0	0.1 (1 in 10 Januaries)	4th (tied with 40 other Januaries)	1 (7 Januarys)
Hurricane Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts)	0	0.0 (0 in 10 Januaries)	2nd (tied with 42 other Januaries)	1 (1938, 1955, 2016)
Major Hurricane Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts)	0	0.0 (0 in 10 Januaries)	1st (tied with 43 other Januaries)	0
Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt²	0.0	0.3 (3 in 10 Januaries)	3rd (tied with 41 other Januaries)	6.5 (1955)

North Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Season Counts January 2024

Storm Type	Count	1991-2020 Mean	1981-2024 Rank*	1851-2024 Record
Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts)	0	0.1 (1 in 10 seasons)	4th (tied with 40 other seasons)	1 (7 seasons)
Hurricane Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts)	0	0.0 (0 in 10 seasons)	2nd (tied with 42 other seasons)	1 (1938, 1955, 2016)
Major Hurricane Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts)	0	0.0 (0 in 10 seasons)	1st (tied with 43 other seasons)	0
Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt²	0.0	0.3 (3 in 10 seasons)	3rd (tied with 41 other seasons)	6.5 (1955)

East Pacific

No East Pacific Tropical Cyclones occurred during January 2024.

East Pacific Tropical Cyclone January Counts

Storm Type	Count	1991-2020 Mean	1981-2024 Rank*	1949-2024 Record
Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts)	0	0.1 (1 in 10 Januaries)	4th (tied with 40 other Januaries)	1 (1989, 1992, 2016)
Hurricane Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts)	0	0.1 (1 in 10 Januaries)	3rd (tied with 41 other Januaries)	1 (1992, 2016)
Major Hurricane Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts)	0	0.0 (0 in 10 Januaries)	1st (tied with 43 other Januaries)	0
Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt²	0.0	0.5 (5 in 10 Januaries)	4th (tied with 40 other Januaries)	9.0 (2016)

East Pacific Tropical Cyclone Season Counts January 2024

Storm Type	Count	1991-2020 Mean	1981-2024 Rank*	1949-2024 Record
Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts)	0	0.1 (1 in 10 seasons)	4th (tied with 40 other seasons)	1 (1989, 1992, 2016)
Hurricane Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts)	0	0.1 (1 in 10 seasons)	3rd (tied with 41 other seasons)	1 (1992, 2016)
Major Hurricane Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts)	0	0.0 (0 in 10 seasons)	1st (tied with 43 other seasons)	0
Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt²	0.0	0.5 (5 in 10 seasons)	4th (tied with 40 other seasons)	9.0 (2016)

West Pacific

No West Pacific Tropical Cyclones occurred during January 2024.

West Pacific Tropical Cyclone January Counts

Storm Type	Count	1991-2020 Mean	1981-2024 Rank*	1945-2024 Record
Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts)	0	0.4 (4 in 10 Januaries)	19th (tied with 25 other Januaries)	2 (1957, 1965, 1978, 1985)
Typhoon Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts)	0	0.1 (1 in 10 Januaries)	8th (tied with 36 other Januaries)	1 (19 Januarys)
Major Typhoon Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts)	0	0.0 (0 in 10 Januaries)	3rd (tied with 41 other Januaries)	1 (8 Januarys)
Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt²	0.0	1.2	19th (tied with 25 other Januaries)	44.7 (1958)

West Pacific Tropical Cyclone Season Counts January 2024

Storm Type	Count	1991-2020 Mean	1981-2024 Rank*	1945-2024 Record
Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts)	0	0.4 (4 in 10 seasons)	19th (tied with 25 other seasons)	2 (1957, 1965, 1978, 1985)
Typhoon Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts)	0	0.1 (1 in 10 seasons)	8th (tied with 36 other seasons)	1 (19 seasons)
Major Typhoon Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts)	0	0.0 (0 in 10 seasons)	3rd (tied with 41 other seasons)	1 (8 seasons)
Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt²	0.0	1.2	19th (tied with 25 other seasons)	44.7 (1958)

North Indian

No North Indian Tropical Cyclones occurred during January 2024.

North Indian Tropical Cyclone January Counts

Storm Type	Count	1991-2020 Mean	1981-2024 Rank*	1972-2024 Record
Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts)	0	0.2 (2 in 10 Januaries)	7th (tied with 37 other Januaries)	1 (6 Januarys)
Cyclone Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts)	0	0.0 (0 in 10 Januaries)	1st (tied with 43 other Januaries)	0
Major Cyclone Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts)	0	0.0 (0 in 10 Januaries)	1st (tied with 43 other Januaries)	0
Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt²	0.0	0.2 (2 in 10 Januaries)	7th (tied with 37 other Januaries)	1.5 (1986)

North Indian Tropical Cyclone Season Counts January 2024

Storm Type	Count	1991-2020 Mean	1981-2024 Rank*	1972-2024 Record
Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts)	0	0.2 (2 in 10 seasons)	7th (tied with 37 other seasons)	1 (6 seasons)
Cyclone Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts)	0	0.0 (0 in 10 seasons)	1st (tied with 43 other seasons)	0
Major Cyclone Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts)	0	0.0 (0 in 10 seasons)	1st (tied with 43 other seasons)	0
Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt²	0.0	0.2 (2 in 10 seasons)	7th (tied with 37 other seasons)	1.5 (1986)

South Indian

January 2024 South Indian Tropical Cyclones

Name	Maximum CategoryMax Cat	Dates >39 mph	Maximum Sustained Winds	Minimum Central Pressure
Alvaro	TS	January 1Jan 1-4	70 mph	989 mb
Belal	2	January 12Jan 12-19	100 mph	968 mb
Anggrek	4	January 15Jan 15-31	130 mph	944 mb
Candice	TS	January 25Jan 25-27	60 mph	982 mb
Not_Named	TS	January 31-February 2Jan 31-Feb 2	40 mph	996 mb

South Indian Tropical Cyclone January Counts

Storm Type	Count	1991-2020 Mean	1981-2024 Rank*	1956-2024 Record
Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts)	5	2.6	2nd (tied with 1 other January)	6 (1997)
Cyclone Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts)	2	1.5	6th (tied with 13 other Januaries)	4 (2018)
Major Cyclone Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts)	1	0.8 (8 in 10 Januaries)	6th (tied with 19 other Januaries)	3 (2001)
Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt²	37.4	20.9	7th	57.1 (2015)

South Indian Tropical Cyclone Season Counts July 2023-January 2024

Storm Type	Count	1991-2020 Mean	1981-2024 Rank*	1956-2024 Record
Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts)	5	5.2	20th (tied with 6 other seasons)	12 (1997)
Cyclone Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts)	2	2.6	25th (tied with 7 other seasons)	6 (1997)
Major Cyclone Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts)	1	1.5	15th (tied with 18 other seasons)	4 (1997, 2014)
Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt²	37.4	39.6	23rd	108.3 (1997)

Australia

January 2024 Australia Tropical Cyclones

Name	Maximum CategoryMax Cat	Dates >39 mph	Maximum Sustained Winds	Minimum Central Pressure
Anggrek	4	January 15Jan 15-31	130 mph†	944 mb†
Kirrily	TS	January 23Jan 23-25	70 mph	982 mb
†Value occurred in the South Indian

Australia Tropical Cyclone January Counts

Storm Type	Count	1991-2020 Mean	1981-2024 Rank*	1956-2024 Record
Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts)	2	2.2	18th (tied with 12 other Januaries)	6 (1986, 2021)
Tropical Cyclone Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts)	1	0.8 (8 in 10 Januaries)	6th (tied with 17 other Januaries)	3 (5 Januarys)
Major Tropical Cyclone Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts)	0	0.2 (2 in 10 Januaries)	6th (tied with 38 other Januaries)	2 (1997)
Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt²	14.2	9.1	6th	55.9 (1994)

Australia Tropical Cyclone Season Counts July 2023-January 2024

Storm Type	Count	1991-2020 Mean	1981-2024 Rank*	1956-2024 Record
Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts)	3	4.3	25th (tied with 7 other seasons)	11 (1997)
Tropical Cyclone Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts)	2	1.7	9th (tied with 9 other seasons)	6 (1996)
Major Tropical Cyclone Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts)	1	0.6 (6 in 10 seasons)	3rd (tied with 15 other seasons)	2 (1997, 2014)
Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt²	31.8	19.6	5th	62.0 (1997)

Southwest Pacific

No Southwest Pacific Tropical Cyclones occurred during January 2024.

Southwest Pacific Tropical Cyclone January Counts

Storm Type	Count	1991-2020 Mean	1981-2024 Rank*	1956-2024 Record
Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts)	0	1.9	39th (tied with 5 other Januaries)	5 (1998, 2011)
Tropical Cyclone Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts)	0	1.1	29th (tied with 15 other Januaries)	3 (1997, 2011)
Major Tropical Cyclone Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts)	0	0.4 (4 in 10 Januaries)	13th (tied with 31 other Januaries)	2 (1998, 2003, 2008)
Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt²	0.0	12.7	39th (tied with 5 other Januaries)	64.2 (1998)

Southwest Pacific Tropical Cyclone Season Counts July 2023-January 2024

Storm Type	Count	1991-2020 Mean	1981-2024 Rank*	1956-2024 Record
Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts)	2	3.0	21st (tied with 10 other seasons)	11 (1998)
Tropical Cyclone Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts)	2	1.7	11th (tied with 7 other seasons)	6 (1998)
Major Tropical Cyclone Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts)	1	0.8 (8 in 10 seasons)	6th (tied with 14 other seasons)	3 (1998, 2003, 2008)
Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt²	17.0	21.1	20th	91.9 (1998)

Global

January 2024 Global Tropical Cyclones

Name	Maximum CategoryMax Cat	Dates >39 mph	Maximum Sustained Winds	Minimum Central Pressure
Alvaro	TS	January 1Jan 1-4	70 mph	989 mb
Belal	2	January 12Jan 12-19	100 mph	968 mb
Anggrek	4	January 15Jan 15-31	130 mph	944 mb
Kirrily	TS	January 23Jan 23-25	70 mph	982 mb
Candice	TS	January 25Jan 25-27	60 mph	982 mb
Not_Named	TS	January 31-February 2Jan 31-Feb 2	40 mph	996 mb

Global Tropical Cyclone January Counts

Storm Type	Count	1991-2020 Mean	1981-2024 Rank*	1972-2024 Record
Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts)	6	6.8	23rd (tied with 10 other Januaries)	11 (1986, 1997)
Tropical Cyclone Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts)	2	3.3	29th (tied with 9 other Januaries)	7 (1997)
Major Tropical Cyclone Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts)	1	1.4	14th (tied with 18 other Januaries)	4 (2001)
Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt²	51.6	44.8	12th	110.0 (1994)

Global Tropical Cyclone Season Counts January 2024

Storm Type	Count	1991-2020 Mean	1981-2024 Rank*	1972-2024 Record
Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts)	6	6.8	23rd (tied with 10 other seasons)	11 (1986, 1997)
Tropical Cyclone Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts)	2	3.3	29th (tied with 9 other seasons)	7 (1997)
Major Tropical Cyclone Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts)	1	1.4	14th (tied with 18 other seasons)	4 (2001)
Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt²	51.6	44.8	12th	110.0 (1994)

Data Description

The data in this report are derived from NCEI's IBTrACS dataset (Knapp et al. 2010; Schreck et al. 2014). IBTrACS tropical cyclone track and intensity data from agencies and sources around the globe. In this report, data from NOAA's National Hurricane Center (NHC) are used for the North Atlantic and East Pacific. The other basins use data from the U.S. Military's Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC).

Historical values use the "best track" data that have been analyzed by forecasters after the season using all available data. Operational procedures and observing systems have changed with time and between regions, which makes these data heterogeneous. Intensity data are generally the most reliable since the early 1970s in the Atlantic (Landsea and Franklin 2013) and since the mid-1980s in other regions (Chu et al. 2002). The number of short-lived storms (≤2 days) has also increased since around 2000 due to improvements in observations and analysis techniques (Landsea et al. 2010).

Values for the current year are provisional values from the operational forecast advisories. IBTrACS obtains these from NCEP's TC Vitals, the NCAR Tropical Cyclone Guidance Project, and NHC provisional data. These values are subject to change during the post-season best track analysis. They also only include 6-hourly storm fixes, which means they may miss special advisories at landfall, peak intensity, etc.

The tropical cyclone seasons in the Southern Hemisphere begin in July and end in June, while the Northern Hemisphere seasons are counted from January to December. Storms are counted in all basins, months, and years in which they occur, which means some storms may appear more than once. However, the global totals only include each storm one time.

References

• Chu, J.-H., C. R. Sampson, A. S. Levine, and E. Fukada, 2002: The joint typhoon warning center tropical cyclone best-tracks, 1945–2000. Naval Research Laboratory, Reference Number NRL/MR/7540-02-16, 22 pp., https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/best-tracks/tc-bt-report.html.
• Knapp, K. R., M. C. Kruk, D. H. Levinson, H. J. Diamond, and C. J. Neumann, 2010: The International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS). Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 91, 363–376, https://doi.org/10.1175/2009BAMS2755.1.
• Landsea, C. W., and J. L. Franklin, 2013: Atlantic Hurricane database uncertainty and presentation of a new database format. Mon. Wea. Rev., 141, 3576–3592, https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-12-00254.1.
• ——, G. A. Vecchi, L. Bengtsson, and T. R. Knutson, 2010: Impact of duration thresholds on Atlantic tropical cyclone counts. J. Climate, 23, 2508–2519, https://doi.org/10.1175/2009JCLI3034.1.
• Schreck, C. J., K. R. Knapp, and J. P. Kossin, 2014: The Impact of Best Track Discrepancies on Global Tropical Cyclone Climatologies using IBTrACS. Mon. Wea. Rev., 142, 3881–3899, https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-14-00021.1.