We’ll be out of the hurricane season come Tuesday but that doesn’t mean we’re out of hurricanes just yet.
That’s the warning from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA.
The traditional Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30 but in a record-breaking year of storms, the end-date could be more of a suggestion that a statement of fact.
The NOAA, in a statement last week, said tropical storms “may continue to develop past that day”, urging people to remain vigilant even after the season ends.
The season saw the formation of 30 named storms, the most ever, of which 13 became hurricane and six considered major hurricanes, packing winds of 111 mph or greater.
So numerous were the storms that the season exhausted the 21-name Atlantic list when Tropical Strom Winifred formed on September 18, more than two months before the scheduled end.
Forecasters had to move to the Greek alphabet for the remainder of the season, only the second time ever this had to be done.
This marks the fifth consecutive year of above-normal activity in the Atlantic which would see 12 named storms, six hurricanes and three major hurricane on average.
