Hurricane season not over yet
The last tropical storm to form in the Atlantic was Philippe on Sept. 24 - more than three weeks ago.
The last tropical storm to form in the Atlantic was Philippe on Sept. 24 - more than three weeks ago.
But it's too soon to say no more threat till next year, according to the National Hurricane Center.
"It is way to early to declare the hurricane season as being over," said meteorologist and spokesman Dennis Feltgen. "We still have about six weeks left, as the season ends on Nov. 30."
The next tropical storm could already be forming in the south-central Gulf of Mexico, between the Yucatan Peninsula and Florida. As of 8 a.m., scientists gave the system a 60 percent chance of becoming a tropic storm in the next 48 hours, as it moves northward.
The name Rina is next on the list, and one computer model forecasts a path across Central Florida, according to WeatherUnderground.com.
Another system, well into the Atlantic off South America, is given a 10 percent chance of becoming a tropical storm in the next two days.
"If we can get through the rest of the season, it will be a record six years in a row without a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher) making landfall onto the U.S.," Feltgen said.
The only hurricane to hit the United States so far was Irene, and it was Category 1 as it hit North Carolina on Aug. 27 on its way up the East Coast, where evacuations included the Jersey Shore.
Don and Lee, which caused major flooding in the Philadelphia area, were tropical storms upon reaching the United States.
The last major hurricane to hit American mainland soil was Wilma in October 2005.
