2002 Atlantic Hurricane Season

The 2002 Atlantic hurricane season was an average Atlantic hurricane season, officially starting on June 1, 2002 and ending on November 30, dates which conventionally limit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones develop in the Atlantic Ocean. The season produced 14 tropical cyclones, of which 12 developed into named storms; four became hurricanes, and two attained major hurricane status. The season officially began on June 1, although the season's first cyclone did not develop until July 14. Despite the late start, the 2002 season tied with 2004, 2007, and 2010 in which a record number of tropical cyclones, eight, developed in the month of September. It ended early however, with no tropical storms forming after October 6—a rare occurrence caused partly by El Niño conditions. The most intense hurricane of the season was Hurricane Isidore with a minimum central pressure of 934 mbar, although Hurricane Lili attained higher winds and peaked at Category 4 status on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

The season was less destructive than average, causing an estimated $2.6 billion (2002 USD) in property damage and 23 fatalities, mostly due to Isidore and Lili. In September, Hurricane Gustav moved ashore on Nova Scotia as it was transitioning into an extratropical cyclone, lashing the region with high winds for several days. Isidore struck the Yucatan Peninsula and later the United States, causing about $970 million (2002 USD, $1.25 billion 2012 USD) in damage, and killing a total of seven. Several other storms directly affected land during August and September, including the longest lived of the season, Hurricane Kyle. In early October, Hurricane Lili made landfall in Louisiana, where it caused $860 million (2002 USD) in damage and 15 deaths.