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Hurricane season endsEl Nino makes it a breeze
MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- The official Atlantic hurricane season ended quietly Saturday, bringing to a close a mild tropical season that produced just four hurricanes, only one of which made landfall in the United States. While the total of 12 named storms in 2002 was higher than the 50-year average of 9.6 storms, the total number of hurricanes was lower than the historical average and "half the number we've seen in typical seasons since 1995," said Gen. Jack Kelly, director of the National Weather Service. Hurricane experts are attributing the mildness of the season to a strengthening El Nino system, in which water warms in the Pacific Ocean off of South America, affecting weather around the world. Hurricane Lili, which hit the Louisiana coast in early October, was the only hurricane to make landfall in the United States this season. Lili reached a strong Category 4 intensity while churning across the Gulf of Mexico, prompting evacuations. But the storm weakened considerably in the hours before coming ashore and did not cause widespread destruction. However, six tropical storms that didn't reach hurricane strength hit the mainland in 2002, the highest number since at least 1900, according to an analysis by hurricane researchers at Colorado State University. In all, four hurricanes and four tropical storms affected the coastal United States, according to the National Weather Service. Those storms resulted in nine deaths and $900 million in property damage. Louisiana, which was affected by four storms, was the hardest hit area in the United States in 2002. Perhaps the strangest aspect of the 2002 was that it started slow, then reached a crescendo of activity in September. While the hurricane season officially starts in May, the first named storm didn't arrive until mid-July and just three storms formed in August. None of those storms reached hurricane strength. Then came a busy September, during which eight storms formed, including the only two major hurricanes of the season, Lili and Isidore, and two lower-intensity hurricanes, Gustav and Kyle. The CSU hurricane researchers said they do not yet fully understand why so many storms developed in September.
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