Hurricane Thanksgiving Day
Nature was kind this year for anyone potentially exposed to the wrath of tempestuous storms. In a bad economy, this year’s Atlantic Hurricane Season was mild and kind.¬† The predictions called for seven to eleven named storms this year. With nine named storms formed in the Atlantic in the six-month hurricane season that ended Nov. 30, this prediction was not only on target it also meant that this season produced the fewest storms since 1997, when there were eight.
Better yet, for the first time in three years, no hurricane struck the U.S. mainland or a Caribbean island. With the season’s late start on August 11 when Tropical Storm Ana formed, the Atlantic season ‘only’ produced three hurricanes; an average season has six, according to NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Of the three hurricanes, Bill brushed by Bermuda and hit Newfoundland in August; Ida hit Honduras and Nicaragua in November; and Fred went nowhere in September. Five storms swirled harmlessly in the open Atlantic and Tropical Storm Grace in September posed more of a threat to Ireland than the U.S., which of course must be a strange experience for the Irish.
“The calmer season was pronounced ‘due to the El Ni√±o factor’, a cyclical Pacific Ocean warming phenomenon that creates atmospheric conditions hostile to Atlantic hurricanes and prevents storms from strengthening”, NOAA said. Weather scientists say it is too early to tell whether El Ni√±o will still be active for the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. The first long-range seasonal predictions are forthcoming later this month.
The economic effects of a weak hurricane season balance on various levels. Oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico had less production interruption which stabilized the gas prices a bit at the pump; insurance companies had a chance to recuperate a bit from recent massive hurricane losses (but don’t expect reductions in your home premiums anytime soon when you live in the hurricane belt) and preparation plans meant the retail stores did not have any rush sales boons.
The Caribbean Islands have celebrated their Hurricane Thanksgiving days and their tourism industry can at least offer fully intact accommodations; as can Amelia Island!
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