The particularly intense winds and rains over Western Africa created an environment that was less hospitable for storm development.
Images on the ground conveyed the pain wrought by Helene, including destroyed houses and flooded city centers.
But satellite imagery revealed the scale of the devastation, which stretched across the southeastern United States.
A satellite image of Hurricane Milton over Florida.Image: CSU/CIRA & NOAA
Helene directly caused more than 150 deaths, most of which were in the Carolinas.
Miltons rapid intensification was attributed to several factors, but chief among them was warm ocean temperatures.
Hurricane Milton also producedalotof twistersviolently rotating columns of air that extend down from thunderstorms to the ground.
The final tally of named storms for 2024. Graphic: NOAA
Milton generated at least three dozen tornadoes across the Sunshine Statebeforeit made landfall.
Hurricane season wont return until late June, but keep an eye out for forecasts early next year.
They will give an early glimpse at how the 2025 season will shape up.
A nighttime view of power outages across the southeastern United States following Hurricane Helene. Image: NOAA
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