Extreme Weather: Hurricane Paulette Revived From The Dead As A ‘Tropical Zombie Storm’

Hurricane Paulette returned from the dead this week as a “zombie storm,” according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

“Because 2020, we now have Zombie Tropical Storms. Welcome back to the land of the living, Tropical Storm #Paulette,” the NWS tweeted on Tuesday.

Paulette originally made landfall on Sept. 14 in Bermuda as a Category 1 hurricane. The system then began weakening and became post-tropical in the following days. On Tuesday, the storm was “reborn” 300 miles south-southeast of the Azores. After the storm weakened, its remnants entered warm water, allowing it to regain strength.

A similar phenomenon occurred with Hurricane Ivan in 2004. Ivan developed in early September of that year, becoming a Category 5 storm. Ivan entered Florida and Alabama as a Category 3 storm and became an extratropical cyclone on Sept. 18, 2004, as it moved through the eastern United States. Ivan then regenerated as a tropical storm four days later and dissipated three days later.

The 2020 hurricane season is the second most active hurricane season on record. There have been 23 named storms so far this year.

Tropical Storm Beta made landfall in Texas on Monday evening, the ninth storm to make landfall this year. The National Hurricane Center said that 15 inches of rain could fall in some parts of the Gulf Coast, resulting in floods.