The official end to hurricane season in both basins is Nov. 30, but tropical systems can develop at any time of the year, given the right conditions.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

Hurricane season was busy for both the Atlantic and the East Pacific basins in 2023.

Historically, hurricane season is defined from June 1 through Nov. 30 for the Atlantic basin and May 15 through Nov. 30 in the East Pacific. However, tropical systems can and have formed outside of that window.

With the 2023 season all but over, the National Hurricane Center says that the Atlantic hurricane season ties for the fourth-busiest on average with 19 named storms.

The Atlantic season average is 14 storms. Hurricane Lee was the strongest storm of the season, with maximum winds of 165 mph. That storm did not make landfall in the U.S.

In the East Pacific, 16 storms were named, with 10 of those strengthening into hurricanes. The season average is 14 named storms and eight hurricanes.

Looking back, two storms will likely be long-remembered in the Pacific basin: Tropical Storm Hilary and Hurricane Lee.

“Hilary was very unique in that it took a path very near the West Coast, which really allowed it to stay fairly strong as it moved all the way up into Southern California,” said Daniel Brown, a meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center.