Published 16 years ago, updated 5 years ago

As reported in Cruising Compass today.

The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season produced a record number of consecutive storms to hit the United States and was the fourth-most active since record-keeping began in 1944, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

There were 16 named storms this season, which officially ended November 30, including five major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher. For the first time on record, six consecutive tropical cyclones (Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gustav, Hanna, and Ike) made landfall on the U.S. mainland.

This is also the first Atlantic season to have a major hurricane (Category 3) form in five consecutive months (July: Bertha, August: Gustav, September: Ike, October: Omar, November: Paloma).

“This year’s hurricane season continues the current active hurricane era and is the 10th season to produce above-normal activity in the past 14 years,” said Gerry Bell, Ph.D., lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.