This Atlantic hurricane season saw a near-average number of named tropical storms,[1][nb 1] though five of them became dangerous hurricanes of Category 4 intensity on the 5-level Saffir–Simpson scale, the most in a single season since 1886.

These dates, adopted by convention, historically describe the period in each year when most tropical systems form.

[3] Following the 1999 season, the names Floyd and Lenny were retired from reuse in the North Atlantic by the World Meteorological Organization.

[8] This timeline documents tropical cyclone formations, strengthening, weakening, landfalls, extratropical transitions, and dissipations during the season.

By convention, meteorologists use one time zone when issuing forecasts and making observations: Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), and also use the 24-hour clock (where 00:00 = midnight UTC).