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Hurricane SeasonThe deadliest, strongest, and costliest Atlantic storms
Hurricane Season 2008—PredictionsExperts predict that the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season, which begins June 1 and ends November 30, has a 65% chance of being above normal in activity. "NOAA scientists predict 12 to 16 named storms, with six to nine becoming hurricanes, of which two to five could become major hurricanes of Category three strength or higher," said a NOAA official. An average season sees 11 named storms, with six becoming hurricanes, including two major hurricanes. Hurricane Season 2007—ReviewHurricane season 2007, although predicted to be more active than usual, blew through rather quietly. Of the six hurricanes and four tropical storms of the season, only two made landfall in the Atlantic Basin at category five strength: Dean and Felix. Hurricane Dean came first, in August, and hit land near Costa Maya, Mexico. Felix, a category five hurricane, formed over the Caribbean in early September, and reached land in Punta Gorda, Nicaragua, where it produced heavy rains and flooding. It also affected the Netherlands Antilles, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras, and was blamed for 130 deaths in Nicaragua and Honduras.
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