2009 Hurricanes: No U.S. strikes…first time in 3 years

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2009 tropical cyclone tracks in the Atlantic Basin. The USA got lucky this year.

Insurance company executives are breathing a big sigh of relief this month.

The Atlantic hurricane season officially ended November 30th. For the first time in 3 years, no hurricanes made landfall in the United States. And yes, you can thank El Nino.

According to NOAA, 2009 was least active Atlantic hurricane season in 12 years, since 1997. Just nine named storms, three hurricanes, and two major hurricanes formed this year. An average season has 11 named storms and six hurricanes, including two major hurricanes. Two systems, Claudette and Ida, brought tropical storm force winds to the U.S. mainland.

One interesting way to illustrate the drop in activity from 2008 is by counting the number of flights the hurricane hunters make. NOAA and the U.S. Air Force flew 38 hurricane hunter aircraft reconnaissance missions over the Atlantic Basin this year. They flew 169 in 2008.

Hurricane forecasters scrambled this year to adjust forecasts downward as El Nino rapidly developed in the tropical Pacific. The warmer Pacific Ocean water weakens easterly winds in the tropics that steer storms, and increases westerly wind shear that tears developing storms apart.

It's too early to know if El Nino will have an effect on the 2010 season, according to the NOAA release. ""El Niño is expected to reach peak strength this winter, and will likely continue into the spring. It is far too early to say whether El Niño will be present next summer," said Gerry Bell, Ph.D., lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.

NOAA will issue its initial 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Outlook in May, prior to the official start of the season on June 1.

PH