Hurricane Season Officially Ends Today

Today marks the official end to the 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Season and the final numbers are nothing short of impressive and even more impressive is the fact, that despite high level of tropical activity, not a single hurricane made a direct hit on the United States coastline and the only tropical storm to make landfall was weak Tropical Storm Bonnie which came ashore south of Miami with winds of 40 mph.

An average hurricane season sees the development of 11 named storms, 6 hurricanes and 2 major hurricanes. For this year's 2010 season, 19 named storms formed with 12 becoming hurricanes and 5 major hurricanes. 2010 is now tied for 3rd for the most tropical storms to form in a season (tied with 1995 and 1887). Only the seasons of 1933 (21 named storms) and 2005 (28 named storms) were busier. 12 hurricanes formed this season and as I mentioned not one made a U.S. landfall...since 1900 there has not been a case of an Atlantic hurricane season with 10 or more hurricanes where none has hit the U.S.

Some other noteworthy occurrences of the season:

-Hurricane Alex with 100 mph winds was the strongest June hurricane to form since Alma in 1966
-Hurricane Earl which passed just east of the Outer Banks of NC, was the 4th strongest hurricane on record so far north
-Hurricane Igor caused $100 million in damage in Newfoundland, the most in it's history
-Hurricane Julia was the strongest to form so far east
-Hurricane Karl was the first major hurricane on record in the Gulf of Mexico's Bay of Campeche
-Hurricane Tomas was the deadliest of the 2010 season, killing 40 people in the Lesser Antilles

-Lauren