Zombie Storms, Explained: Why Some Hurricanes Come Back From the Dead

Tropical Storm Fay has come back from the dead, becoming the first zombie storm of the Atlantic season. What defines a zombie storm? Read on for the details.

Zombie Storm Fay Roaming the Atlantic Ocean

A storm that looked to be on its way out has regenerated over the open Atlantic, earning the designation of a zombie storm.  The disturbance initially formed near the Azores Islands as a tropical depression, later becoming the sixth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season when it developed formal tropical storm characteristics on Sunday morning.

The storm began to weaken again on Tuesday, prompting the National Hurricane Center (NHC) to declare it a post-tropical storm. However, Fay was not done yet. The feature moved into an area of more favorable conditions and regained its tropical depression designation by Wednesday afternoon. By Wednesday night, Fay was once again a tropical storm.

The National Weather Service (NWS) came up with the term "zombie storm" in 2020 to describe features that reorganize after dissipating. Other meteorological agencies refer to these types of systems as tropical rainstorms. The terms help to keep the weather makers on the public's radar so that they are still taken seriously.

For example, the NHC notes that while some tropical features lose the characteristics that earn them a name, they may still deliver heavy rain and high winds. This is when the agency will use the term "tropical wind and rainstorm" to ensure that those in the path are aware of the threats that go beyond a garden-variety storm.

History of Zombie Storms

While zombie storms are not particularly common, they are also not unheard of either. Hurricane John in 2024 and Tammy in 2023 were also zombie storms. Tammy was especially notable as it became a zombie during Halloween week.

Most recently, Tropical Storm Nolo in the Pacific also has zombie roots. This storm, which is gearing up to swipe Hawaii, became a tropical depression on September 13 only to fall apart a few days later. However, what was left of the storm regenerated on Wednesday and became Tropical Storm Nolo. Forecasters have now put portions of Hawaii on alert for historic flooding as Nolo continues to intensify as it approaches the Big Island.

The most famous zombie storm hit the Gulf twice in one cycle. Hurricane Ivan made landfall in Gulf Shores, Alabama, in September of 2024. The storm then fell apart and became a zombie off the mid-Atlantic coast. Ivan made a loop over Florida, traveling back into the Atlantic before coming ashore a second time along the Gulf Coast as a tropical storm. Meteorologists referred to this event as "The Ghost of Ivan" at the time.

While zombie storms have likely been around for centuries, it has only recently been that hurricane experts have been able to use high-resolution weather satellites to identify and track them. As such, it is likely that many zombie storms churning in remote areas simply went unnoticed until 2020.

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