Hurricane Season Closes Quietly
by Chief Meteorologist Ed Piotrowski
Tuesday marks the end of the exceptionally active 2010 hurricane season that produced 19 named storms, 12 hurricanes and 5 intense hurricanes. The 19 named storms ties 2010 with 1887 and 1995 for third most named storms in a given season (reliable records go back to 1851). Only 1933 with 21 storms and 2005 with 28 named storms were busier. This year also featured 12 hurricanes which ties 2010 with 1969 for 2nd most hurricanes in a season. The infamous 2005 hurricane season still ranks first with 15 hurricanes.
Despite being incredibly active, this hurricane season was merciful. Tropical Storm Bonnie was the only system to make landfall in the United States coming ashore over south Florida with 40 mph winds. For the second year in a row, no hurricane hit the United States and we've now gone 5 consecutive years without a major hurricane striking the U.S. mainland...Wilma was the last in 2005. This has only happened two other times in history...1901-1905 and 1910-1914.
How lucky are we? Records show that the 11 previous seasons with 10 or more hurricanes each had at least 2 hurricanes strike the U.S. For the Grand Strand, our only threat was from Hurricane Earl, a powerful category 4 hurricane that passed 250 miles east of us producing high surf, but hardly a drop of rain. Our last brush by a tropical system was with Tropical Storm Hannah in 2008. The last hurricane to make landfall along the South Carolina coast was Hurricane Gaston in 2004.
Why did we luck out this year? The steering currents could not have been more favorable. The huge Bermuda high pressure system that often directs tropical systems right up the southeast coast was positioned farther east than normal. This, combined with persistent troughs of low pressure rolling off the eastern seaboard, effectively turned tropical systems harmlessly out to sea. No less than 9 storms were directed away from the Grand Strand thanks to this pattern. Because the Bermuda high was so far east, another high pressure system anchored itself over the Gulf Coast states. This high pressure system forced any storms or hurricane forming in the Caribbean Sea to head west impacting Central America and Mexico.
This hurricane season is likely going to be known for what didn't happen. There was great fear that a hurricane would strike Haiti killing tens of thousands left homeless by the catastrophic earthquake of January 12th. That didn't happen. There was also high anxiety that a hurricane would rip through the Deep Water Horizon oil spill splattering oil all along and for many miles inland along the Gulf coast. That didn't happen either.
For the United States, this season could not have been better scripted.
This season is another example of why numbers don't matter. 2010 - 19 named storms and no hurricane make landfall. 1992 - 6 named storms and only 1 hurricane hits the U.S. That was hurricane Andrew...a category 5 hurricane that tore through south Florida. As I always say, it's only a bad season if you get hit!
