Overview of explosive early seasons

[clfenwi]

Before things get to busy, I want to take a look at seasons that had big starts early, particularly those with significant amounts of activity in July. What follows is a summary of such seasons going back 100 years (grouped more or less by how they exploded in July and beyond).

1968
# Tropical Storms before July 1:3
# Tropical Storms before August 1:3
# Total (season): 8
Highest wind speed before Augl 1: 65 knots
Highest wind speed after Aug 1: 75

1908
TS before Jul 1: 2
TS before Aug 1: 3
Total: 10
Highest wind before Jul 1: 85
after: 105

1989
TS before Jul 1 :1
TS before Aug 1 : 3
Total: 11
High wind before Aug 1: 70
after: 140 (Hugo)

1959
TS before Jul 1: 3
TS before Aug 1: 5
Total: 11
High wind bf Aug 1: 75
after: 120 (Grace)

1909
TS before Jul 1: 2
TS before Aug 1: 4
total: 11
high wind before Aug 1: 100
after: 105

1901
TS before Jul 1: 1
TS before Aug 1: 3
total: 12
high wind before Aug 1: 70
after: 90

1996
TS before July 1: 1
TS before Aug 1: 3
total: 13
high wind before Aug 1: 80
after: 130 (Edouard)

1916
TS before July 1: 1
TS before Aug 1: 3
total: 14
high wind before Aug 1: 105
after: 110

1936:
TS before July 1: 3
TS before Aug 1: 5
total: 16
high wind before Aug 1: 80
after: 105

2003
TS before July 1: 2
TS before Aug 1: 4
total: 16
high wind before Aug 1: 75
after: 145 (Isabel)

1997

TS before July 1: 0
TS before Aug 1: 4
Total: 7
high wind before Aug 1: 70
after: 110 (Erin)

1966
TS before July 1: 1
before Aug 1: 5
total: 11
high wind before Aug 1: 110 (Alma)

1933
TS before July 1: 2
before Aug 1: 5
total: 21
high wind before Aug 1: 90
after: 120

1995
TS before July 1: 0
before Aug 1: 4
total: 19
high wind before Aug 1: 80
after: 130 (Opal)

Summary:

Earliest 4th tropical storm - 1959 (06Z Jul 7)
Earliest 5th tropical storm - 1959 (12Z Jul 23)
Strongest pre-Aug 1 storm (of this group) - Alma 1966 -110 kts 970 mb
Strongest post Aug 1 storm ("" )- Hugo 1989 -140 kts 918 mb
Average total number of tropical storms - 12.9

Corrections / additions welcome...

[rainstorm]

you have 1997 in there twice, once with 19 storms, one with 7. i am sure the one with 7 is correct.

[clfenwi]

you have 1997 in there twice, once with 19 storms, one with 7. i am sure the one with 7 is correct.

Yep, obviously meant 1995 for the one with 19 storms... now fixed. Thanks.

[clfenwi]

senorpepr's post looking over the past 50 years made me realize I screwed up my count for 1959. Fixed now. *If* I have this correctly, we are set to have the earliest ever fourth tropical storm...