Beyond Helene: Hurricane death toll tops 300 lives, with month left in season

Hurricanes Beryl and Helene marked deadly peaks in this year's Atlantic hurricane season so far, together claiming nearly 300 lives in the Caribbean and the United States.

But they are not the only deadly storms this season. The National Hurricane Center has named nine different hurricanes and four tropical storms this year, starting with Tropical Storm Alberto and Hurricane Beryl in June.

Out of the 13 named storms, eight have been deadly.

The deadliest hurricane in the Atlantic so far this year has been Helene, killing at least 228 people. Here's how many other lives have been lost during this year's season, which began on June 1 and continues until Nov. 30.

How many deaths have been directly caused by hurricanes in 2024?

Data from the National Hurricane Center and analysis from USA TODAY says that this year's Atlantic Hurricane season has already directly claimed 326 lives with a month and a half left in the season.These fatalities include deaths in the mainland United States, Mexico and islands in the Caribbean.

Tropical Storm Alberto

• Dates: June 19-20

• Location: Made landfall in Tampico, Mexico

• Direct deaths: Two

• What happened: Alberto was the first named storm in the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. Although not a hurricane, the storm was broad, affecting northeastern Mexico, Texas and Louisiana.

Hurricane Beryl

• Dates: June 28-July 9

• Location: Multiple landfalls in the Caribbean before making landfall as a Category 1 near Matagorda, Texas

• Direct deaths: 64

• What happened: Beryl is considered to be the earliest-forming Category 5 hurricane on record. The hurricane caused most of its damage in Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean. Severe flooding in the Houston region was caused by the hurricane, and a tornado outbreak spawned from the storm system as it moved through the United States.

Tropical Storm Chris

• Dates: June 30-July 1

• Location: Made landfall in Veracruz, Mexico

• Direct deaths: Five

• What happened: A relatively weak storm compared to others this year, Chris saw winds as high as 45 mph with places in Mexico seeing up to 11 inches of rain.

Hurricane Debby

• Dates: Aug. 3-9

• Location: Made landfall near Steinhatchee, Florida

• Direct deaths: Six

• What happened: Described as a slow-moving and erratic storm, the Category 1 hurricane caused widespread flooding across the southeastern United States. Apart from the rain, the storm is blamed for about two dozen tornadoes appearing on the East Coast as it moved up the coast.

Hurricane Ernesto

• Dates: Aug. 12-20

• Location: Made several landfalls across the Caribbean, including Aug. 17 in western Bermuda as a Category 1 storm.

• Direct deaths: Three

• What happened: A storm that caused significant flooding in Puerto Rico and affected Bermuda, the Antilles and other Caribbean nations, Ernesto caused no damages in the mainland United States.

Hurricane Helene

• Dates: Sept. 24-27

• Location: Made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida as a Category 4 storm.

• Direct deaths: At least 228, according to analysis from the USA TODAY Network

• What happened: One of the deadliest mainland United States storms in recent memory, Helene caused damage in many states in the Southeast. The storm caused catastrophic flooding in western North Carolina, East Tennessee and Virginia.

Hurricane Kirk

• Dates: Sept. 29-Oct. 7

• Location: Did not make landfall

• Direct deaths: One

• What happened: Kirk reached peak intensity as a Category 4 hurricane with peak winds of 145 mph. The only death caused by Kirk happened in the water when a storm swell killed one amateur sailor off the coast of France.

Hurricane Milton

• Dates: Oct. 5-10

• Location: Made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida

• Direct deaths: At least 17, according to reporting from USA TODAY

• What happened: Milton was at its peak a Category 5 hurricane. As it approached the Florida peninsula it spawned tornadoes before making landfall and causing severe flooding. It also caused flooding and damage in the Yucatan Peninsula and the Caribbean.

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Deaths in hurricane Helene, Milton push toll over 300 this season