The Hurricane Season Finally Ended, But Is it Actually Over?

The destructive and record-setting 2005 Atlantic hurricane season wound to its official end –at least on paper- but no one is writing off this volatile season yet.

Although no hurricane has been known to hit the U.S., Mexico or the Caribbean between December 1 and May 31, officials at the National Hurricane Center said that if conditions are right, a tropical storm could brew and form this month.

“If very warm ocean waters and favorable wind patterns are right, we could have another storm. These factors accounted for many storms this season,” said Gerry Bell, head of the Climate Prediction Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA).

“We´re in a cycle that began in 1995 and could last 20 years,” Bell said.

Records toppled like tree branches this year. Including Epsilon, the season produced 26 named storms, surpassing the previous 1933 record of 21.

Of the 26 storms, 14 were hurricanes, and seven of them reached Category 3 status (winds above 111 mph). Katrina, Rita and Wilma were all Category 5 storms with 155-plus mph winds.

“Next year could be just as bad,” warned Conrad C. Lautenbacher Jr., a NOAA administrator. “Historical trends say the atmospheric patterns and water temperatures are likely to force another active season upon us.”