Now that the record-setting 2005 hurricane season over, experts from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration are looking back at the impact it had to both coastal areas and inland.
They are also issuing a warning that the active storm season is a trend that's likely to continue for years to come.
“This hurricane season shattered records that have stood for decades -- most named storms, most hurricanes, and most category five storms. Arguably, it was the most devastating hurricane season the country has experienced in modern times,” said Conrad C. Lautenbacher Jr., NOAA administrator. “I'd like to foretell that next year will be calmer, but I can't. Historical trends say the atmosphere patterns and water temperatures are likely to force another active season upon us.”
The Atlantic Basin is in the active phase of a multi-decadal cycle in which optimal conditions in the ocean and atmosphere, including warmer-than-average sea-surface temperatures and low wind shear, enhance hurricane activity. This increase in the number and intensity of tropical storms and hurricanes can span multiple decades (approximately 20 to 30 years).
“Evidence of this active cycle was demonstrated this year as the Atlantic Basin produced the equivalent of more than two entire hurricane seasons over the course of one. Because we are in an active hurricane era, it's important to recognize that with a greater number of hurricanes comes increasing odds of one striking land,” said David L. Johnson, director of the National Weather Service.
Records set this season include:
Named storms: 26; previous record: 21 in 1933
Hurricanes: 13; previous record: 12 in 1969
Major hurricanes hitting the U.S.: Four (Dennis, Katrina, Rita and Wilma); previous record: Three, most recently in 2004
Hurricanes of Category 5 intensity (greater than 155 mph): Three (Katrina, Rita and Wilma); previous record: Two in 1960 and 1961
Letters of the Greek alphabet were used to name storms for the first time since storms were given names, in 1953. Hurricane Wilma exhausted the original list of 21 names.
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For more, visit http://www.nws.noaa.gov.
