The 2001 Atlantic hurricane season was a fairly active Atlantic hurricane season. The season had 17 tropical cyclones. Out of the 17 cyclones, 15 became named storms, 9 became hurricanes, and 4 became major hurricanes. A "major hurricane" is a storm that is above Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. The season officially started on June 1, 2001, and it ended on November 30, 2001. This time period is when tropical cyclones usually form in the Atlantic Ocean.