65th IHC Booklet/Program (pdf - 4.9MB) - Office of the Federal ...

The 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Season:
Extremely Active but no U.S. Hurricane Landfalls
Eric Blake and John L. Beven II
(Eric.S.Blake@noaa.gov)
NOAA/NWS/National Hurricane Center
The 2010 Atlantic hurricane season was quite active, with 19 named storms, 12 of which
became hurricanes and 5 of which reached major hurricane intensity. These totals are well above
the long-term normals of about 11 named storms, 6 hurricanes, and 2 major hurricanes.
Although the 2010 season was considerably busier than normal, no hurricanes struck the United
States. This was the most active season on record in the Atlantic that did not have a U.S.
landfalling hurricane, and was also the second year in a row without a hurricane striking the U.S.
coastline. A persistent trough along the east coast of the United States steered many of the
hurricanes out to sea, while ridging over the central United States kept any hurricanes over the
western part of the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico farther south over Central America and
Mexico.
The most significant U.S. impacts occurred with Tropical Storm Hermine, which brought
hurricane-force wind gusts to south Texas along with extremely heavy rain, six fatalities, and
about $240 million dollars of damage. Hurricane Earl was responsible for four deaths along the
east coast of the United States due to very large swells, although the center of the hurricane
stayed offshore.
Session 2 – Page 1