Do you like to study the history of hurricanes? Maybe compare the different levels of impact of hurricanes with the same name?
Just how do those storms get named anyway?
The hurricanes and tropical storms you hear about each Atlantic hurricane season get their names from six lists originated and recycled every six years by the World Meteorological Organization.
A name is retired and replaced when a storm with that name causes extreme property damage and loss of life. Karen is the 11th name on the list for 2025.
Some names get a lot of use. In just the Atlantic region, the name Karen has been attached to six storms since 1989.
But other regions of the world also name storms. In the Western Pacific, nine typhoons were named Karen in 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1962, 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016. Cyclone Karen was named in the southwest Indian Ocean in 1964 and near Australia in 1977.
Karen’s potential formation in 2025 as a tropical storm or hurricane connects directly to its wind speed.
Phases of Tropical Cyclones
All named storms are a form of tropical cyclone — a rotating, organized system of clouds and thunderstorms that originates over tropical or subtropical waters and has a closed low-level circulation.
Phase 1: Tropical Depression
Early in a cyclone’s development, as a tropical depression, wind speeds are less than 39 mph.
Tropical depressions are not given names but are numbered and tracked in case they grow into tropical storms or hurricanes.
Phase 2: Tropical Storm
Should a sufficiently powerful weather system develop late in the season with a sustained wind speed of 39 mph, Tropical Storm Karen will make its debut.
Phase 3: Hurricane
If that speed reaches 74 mph, Hurricane Karen will enter the record books.
If you live in an area where such a storm system is expected, take all necessary precautions, keep up to date on reports of the storm’s path, and don’t underestimate the potential impact to your community.
When Was Hurricane Karen?
Karen grew to hurricane force in 2001 and 2007.
In 1989, 1995, 2013, and 2019, Karen was named as a tropical storm but did not develop further.
Where Did Hurricane Karen Hit?
In 2001, Hurricane Karen had an effect on two distant land masses. Early in its development Karen produced hurricane-force winds on the island of Bermuda.
As it moved north, Karen weakened to a tropical storm before making landfall on Nova Scotia.
In 2007, Hurricane Karen formed and dissipated in the tropical Atlantic off the northeast coast of South America, never making landfall.
What Category Was Hurricane Karen?
When you hear reports of a hurricane’s category, you are hearing a description of wind speed on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.
In both 2001 and 2007, Hurricane Karen remained at a Category 1 level.
Karen was slightly stronger in 2001 with peak winds of 80 mph. Peak intensity in 2007 was 75 mph winds.
What Time Will Hurricane Karen Make Landfall?
There is no correlation between similarly named hurricanes in history, as the records of the previous Karen storms show.
Researching, “What time did Hurricane Karen make landfall?” will not help you prepare for a potential Hurricane Karen in 2025.
With any current storm predicted to reach your region, stay up to date on weather forecasts and be aware of that specific storm’s estimated landfall.
With any severe storm, don’t make the mistake of waiting until the last minute to reach a safe area.
This article will be updated should more details about Karen become available in 2025.
The Power of Preparedness
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Topics Include:
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— Weather Monitoring
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How Many People Died in Hurricane Karen?
There were no reported fatalities with either Hurricane Karen.
As well, the four systems named Tropical Storm Karen caused no loss of life. However, it is very important to know that with numbers of named storms, those that only achieved tropical storm strength still brought heavy rain and flooding and proved to be deadly.
If you live in a region susceptible to either tropical storm or hurricane warnings, take those warnings very seriously and obey any directive to evacuate.
What Was the Path of Hurricane Karen?
In 2001, Karen formed south of the island of Bermuda and moved north through the Atlantic to make landfall in Nova Scotia.
In 2007, Karen moved from east to west off the northeast coast of South America without ever reaching land.
Convoy of Hope & Hurricanes
Convoy of Hope, a faith-based nonprofit serving the poor in dozens of program countries around the world, responded to its first disaster in 1998 when flooding in Del Rio, Texas, followed that year’s Tropical Storm Charley.
Hurricane response continues to be an annual priority for Convoy.
Convoy’s 2024 response to Hurricane Helene.
Convoy’s 2024 Major Responses
In the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, Hurricane Beryl broke two records — becoming the earliest Category 4 storm on June 30 and the earliest Category 5 on July 1.
Convoy quickly began meeting the needs of communities in Beryl’s path. Beryl’s first effects were felt in the Caribbean, where Convoy served more than 43,000 meals and distributed family food kits, hygiene kits, water filters, solar lamps, and generators.
To view Convoy’s response to Hurricane Ian, watch the video above.
On September 26, Category 4 Hurricane Helene became the strongest recorded hurricane to strike Florida’s Big Bend region.
It was the deadliest hurricane since 2005’s Katrina, with more than 230 fatalities.
By November, Convoy had distributed more than 4 million pounds of resources in 85 communities across Florida and five other impacted states.
Hurricane Milton was the final major storm of the 2024 season and hit Florida with heavy rain and flooding even as the state continued to recover from Helene.
Convoy continued its regional response to include 27 communities recovering from Milton. Nearly 1 million pounds of resources were distributed.
Convoy of Hope Disaster Services responds to natural disasters around the world, offering help and hope to people facing some of the most challenging circumstances in their lives.
Convoy of Hope is a nonprofit, faith-based organization with a driving passion to feed the world through children’s feeding initiatives, community outreach, and disaster response.
