US facing the hurricanes by Claudia Sonea

On Friday the Atlantic season, which lasted between June and November, was officially closed. Despite alarming predictions, only one hurricane and a minor one at that will have hit the US, therefore the second straight hurricane season had less activity than in 2004 or 2005 (U.S. was hit by one devastating storm after another, including Hurricane Katrina): 14 named storms, five of them hurricanes, two of them major. Government scientists predicted that the storms would have an impact between 13 and 17, but all the 14 named storms barely managed to touch the low end of the estimation and the five hurricanes didn't even reach the seven to 10 forecast, while the major ones were below three. Colorado State University weather researcher William Gray forecasted 17 named storms, including nine hurricanes, five of them major, with a strong chance that a major hurricane would hit the U.S. coast. However, only Humberto, a Category 1 storm, hit Texas and Louisiana in September, being the first hurricane to strike the U.S. in two years. Only one death was registered and the damages were fixed to $30 million. He was farther off mark, but government specialists were also by estimating 13 to 16 named storms, eight to 10 of them hurricanes, with four to six of them major. Instead, there were nine named storms and five hurricanes, two of them major. Gerry Bell, a hurricane forecaster at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, explained that La Nina, a cooling of the water in the Pacific that normally boosts the formation of hurricanes, had weaker effects and that is why the season was nearly normal and it is the second year with this normality, after 2006. Nevertheless, he warns that since 1995 the Atlantic is believed to be in a more active hurricane period, thus next year the cycle might get worst. His warning comes in forecasters and emergency managers' support who are worried that people might show increased skepticism when they will advise them to stock up on food and draw up their hurricane evacuation plans for next year, according to Craig Fugate, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. All in all, the government's forecasts are still valuable and people can count on them to prepare for hurricane. Don't sleep on one year or you might just well wake up without the other. Stay connected and watch the latest weather forecast.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071127/ap_on_re_us/hurricane_season;_ylt=Asems5_iaBjN8R0DlBYtau6s0NUE

by Claudia Sonea for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.