MIAMI (AP) — Thursday was the last day of an intense and destructive hurricane season with 17 named storms, 10 of which became hurricanes.
The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season will be remembered for a deadly trio of storms — Harvey, Irma and Maria — that ravaged Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and numerous other islands.
The storms killed at least 441 people and did about $369 billion in damage. This season is one of only six years on record to include multiple Category 5 hurricanes. It’s only the second season to include two hurricanes making landfall at that intensity.
Hurricane Harvey made landfall in South Texas on Aug. 25, leading to days of downpours that dumped more than 50 inches of rain. Harvey damaged or destroyed about 200,000 homes as the storm system flooded much of Houston and smaller coastal communities.
Irma followed, hitting almost the entire state of Florida on Sept. 11. It had the strongest maximum sustained winds observed in the Atlantic since Wilma in 2005.
Maria caused widespread destruction in Puerto Rico on Sept 20, leaving much of the island without power. It was the 10th most intense Atlantic storm by barometric pressure.
The Atlantic’s hurricane season begins June 1 each year.
In this photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, Mary Martin, left, watches intently as the last of two burning hurricane warning flags set on fire drops to the ground to symbolize the end of the 2017 Atlantic Basin hurricane season Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017, in Key West, Fla. The ceremony came after a turbulent 2017 season that included three major hurricanes -- Harvey, Irma and Maria -- that pummeled parts of the U.S. and Puerto Rico. (Rob O'Neal/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP)
Mary Martin, left, holds burning hurricane warning flags set on fire to symbolize the end of the 2017 Atlantic Basin hurricane season Thursday in Key West, Florida. The ceremony came after a turbulent 2017 season that included three major hurricanes that pummeled parts of the U.S. and Puerto Rico. ROB O’NEAL/FLORIDA KEYS NEWS BUREAU VIA AP
File- This Sept. 4, 2017, file photo shows Mariko Shimmi, right, helping carry items out of the home of Ken Tani in a neighborhood still flooded from Hurricane Harvey in Houston. Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017, was the last day of an intense and destructive hurricane season that included 17 named storms, 10 of which became hurricanes. The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season will be remembered for a deadly trio of storms, Harvey, Irma and Maria, that ravaged Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and numerous other islands. The storms killed at least 441 people and did about $369 billion in damage.(AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)
File-This Sept. 1, 2017, file photo shows trees rising from a field submerged by water from the flooded Brazos River in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey near Freeport, Tex. Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017, was the last day of an intense and destructive hurricane season that included 17 named storms, 10 of which became hurricanes. The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season will be remembered for a deadly trio of storms, Harvey, Irma and Maria, that ravaged Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and numerous other islands. The storms killed at least 441 people and did about $369 billion in damage.(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
This photo taken Sept. 12, 2017, shows boats blown away from their docks sit in the marsh after Hurricane Irma at St. Marys on the Georgia coast. Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017, was the last day of an intense and destructive hurricane season that included 17 named storms, 10 of which became hurricanes. The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season will be remembered for a deadly trio of storms, Harvey, Irma and Maria, that ravaged Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and numerous other islands. The storms killed at least 441 people and did about $369 billion in damage. (Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)