3rd-Busiest Atlantic Hurricane Season On Record Ends, But US Unscathed - Reuters

[hatrack]

The third busiest Atlantic storm season officially drew to end on Tuesday but the U.S. shoreline and its key energy producing hubs were mostly untouched by any of the year's major storms. Local weather conditions that developed during the season thwarted meteorologists predictions that as many as five storms would strike the U.S. coastline. "There's no way we could tell that we would see that," said William Gray, who founded Colorado State University's Tropical Meteorology Project.

The 2010 season spawned 19 named storms, tying for the third most active season with 1897 and 1995, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. Of those storms, 12 became hurricanes, tying the second highest season in 1969. There were five major hurricanes in 2010.

Most forecasters had predicted between 14 and 21 named storms, eight to 12 of which were expected to be hurricanes, with as many as six of those major hurricanes. Only one tropical storm, Bonnie, made landfall in the United States, striking south Florida in July.

"We were at the bottom end of the range of impacts on the U.S. coast," said Joe Bastardi, chief long-range meteorologist and hurricane forecaster for Accuweather.com.

EDIT

http://planetark.org/enviro-news/item/60419

[OnlinePoker]

1. NOAA was pretty much bang on with their August forecast

14-20 Named Storms, 8-12 Hurricanes, and 4-6 Major Hurricanes