Monday marks the "man-made end point" for the 2009 Hurricane Season. Beginning June 1st for the Atlantic (May 15th for the Eastern Pacific), the ocean basin has experienced a below normal season from what was forecasted by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) back in August 2009.
On the east coast, only two storms made landfall in the U.S. thus far - Tropical Storm Claudette and Tropical Storm Ida. Both storms wreaked havoc in the Gulf of Mexico, one hitting the Florida Panhandle and the other near southern Alabama near the Florida border.
No hurricanes have hit the U.S. during the 2009 Hurricane Season up to this point.
Atlantic Hurricane Season 2009:- 9 Named storms (10 is the average)
- 3 Hurricanes (6 is the average)
- 2 Major (2 is the average)
The two major hurricanes to form in the Atlantic were Hurricane Bill (Category 4) and Hurricane Fred (Category 3). So far, this has been the quietest season since 1997.
Closer to home on the west coast, the Eastern Pacific Hurricane Season started off to a slow start. The first named storm did not develop until June 21st, the latest start of the season in 40 years.
However, this season proved to develop the second strongest Pacific hurricane on record when Hurricane Rick reached Category 5 status on October 17, 2009.
Eastern Pacific Hurricane Season 2009:
20 Named storms (13-18 is the average)
8 Hurricanes (6-10 is the average)
5 Major (2-5 is the average)
So far the 2009 Hurricane Season has been fairly nice to the U.S. only causing minor damage from Claudette and moderate damage from Ida after it progressed into a nor'easter on the eastern seaboard.
Though the season is officially over and the development of tropical storms and hurricanes are less likely, they are still possible - the weather doesn't have "end points"!
