B_Rock's Blog

Bring your fathers, blankets, and chairs to the amphitheatre in Burlington's city park on Sunday June 15th, 2008. The band I play in will be performing from around 6pm until 7 or so, but there will be bands before and after ours. Come on by before you take your dads out to dinner. Great cover tunes with a twist, music by bands you all know and love such as The Beatles, Doobie Brothers, Foreigner, Collective Soul and many more. Details are below:

 

Date : 6/15/2008 Event : Sunset Rhythms Concert featuring Praise Band Sunday Time : 4:30pm-8:30pm Location:  Burlington City Park
S. Church Street, Burlington, NC  27215
Other Information:
Admission :  Free Details : Praise and Worship Music, presented by SOS Productions.
The Sunset Rhythms outdoor concert series is a great way to spend an evening downtown or in one of our beautiful parks enjoying a wide variety of musical formats. This program gives local talent around the surrounding area a chance to perform in a comfortable setting and allows spectators to enjoy a picnic if they so desire. In the event of inclement weather, concerts will be held at the Paramount Theater, Thataways Youth Center, or the Mayco Bigelow Community Center. Sunset Rhythms is presented by Burlington Recreation & Parks and the Burlington Downtown Corporation. FMI: 336-222-5030

With thousands of empty seats clearly visible, a post-race report claims the Martinsville Speedway crowd on March 30 is 63,000. The official capacity of the track is 65,000. Do the funny math.Rather than coolly analyzing the economic prospects, NASCAR is in the denial stage from top to bottom. The drivers, accustomed to unconditional adoration, sound as if there's no one out there who doesn't actually make a hundred grand a year. They treat their fan base as if it were a treasure trove. At the top, Brian France, the high-falutin' CEO, is doing his best Herbert Hoover imitation.
Listen to the optimistic naivete of drivers, most of whom seem bewildered at why anyone would do anything so drastic as staying home.
Three-fifty for a gallon of gas? "I'm thankful we get it for free from Sunoco," said four-time champion Jeff Gordon.
"There's no doubt it has everyone nervous," said reigning champion Jimmie Johnson.
Meanwhile, Fox television anchor Mike Joy keeps thumping the "all is well" tub. Over and over, he talked about a sellout crowd at Texas Motor Speedway, where eight sections on the back straight had been festooned with sponsorship banners in order to hide the fact that there weren't any people in those seats.
NASCAR officials concentrate on competing against other sporting events, but for a family of four that used to attend six races a year, the cost can easily be a thousand bucks a pop, once all the price gouging is considered. Do we go to the race, or do we have a vacation this year? The little woman has a soft spot for racing, but not when it means no vacation in Myrtle Beach or week-long cruise to Cozumel.

As these sober conversations are taking place in middle-class homes, track owners scream to legislators about ticket scalping. They don't raise a finger to discourage motel-room scalping. They don't fret about the $40 T-shirts.
The fans still love racing, but they simply can't afford to attend as many of them. They watch TV. Ratings go up. Small consolation, to borrow the fashionable cliche, at the end of the day.

entire article here: http://sports.aol.com/nascar/story/_a/nascar-officia
ls-missing-point/20080407131909990001

Performed on Palm Sunday by the Frontline Student Ministries, a combined effort of the YOUTH of Brookwood Baptist Church and Integrity Community Church.

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. 2nd Corinthians 5:21

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gLvAGLMC0U

 

http://www.youtube.com/v/0gLvAGLMC0U&hl=en"> name="wmode" value="transparent">http://www.youtube.com/v/0gLvAGLMC
0U&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355">

This occured on March 4, 2008 around 4:54 pm

NWS STORM SURVEY FINDS AN EF-0 TORNADO IN NORTHERN ALAMANCE
COUNTY...

AN EF-0 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN ONE HALF MILE SOUTH OF WILLIE PACE
ROAD... NEAR UNION RIDGE ROAD IN NORTHERN ALAMANCE COUNTY YESTERDAY
AFTERNOON...MARCH 4TH 2008. WINDS WERE ESTIMATED TO BE BETWEEN 70
AND 75 MPH. THE TORNADO TRACKED TO THE NORTHEAST AFTER TOUCH DOWN...
AND CONTINUED FOR APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES... WITH A DAMAGE WIDTH OF
APPROXIMATELY 100 YARDS WIDE. THE TORNADO WAS ON THE GROUND IN
NORTHERN ALAMANCE COUNTY FOR APPROXIMATELY 2 MILES AND CONTINUED ON INTO CASWELL COUNTY FOR APPROXIMATELY ANOTHER 3 MILES. THE TORNADO CAUSED DAMAGE TO SEVERAL STRUCTURES NEAR WILLIE PACE ROAD IN NORTHERN ALAMANCE COUNTY AND DESTROYED A BARN NEAR VINSON ROAD NEAR THE ALAMANCE/CASWELL COUNTY LINE. NUMEROUS TREES WERE DOWNED ALONG THE TRACK. IN ADDITION...A COUPLE OF HOMES WERE DAMAGED AND NUMEROUS TREES WERE DOWNED IN CASWELL COUNTY. FURTHER INFORMATION FOR CASWELL COUNTY CAN BE FOUND IN STATEMENTS

This map is a "very rough" image that I made of the estimated path of the tornado.

<a href="http://s258.photobucket.com/albums/hh269/davidd2
172/?action=view&current=AlamanceCountyTornadoPath.png<
/a>" target="_blank"><img src="http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh269/davidd21
72/AlamanceCountyTornadoPath.png" border="0" alt="alamance county tornado 3_4_08"></a>

 

March 2-8 is NC Severe Weather Awareness Week. There will be a specific topic of discussion each day that I will post on this blog entry. Also Wednesday will be the annual state-wide tornado drill. This along with our slight potential of severe weather on Tuesday evening should get everyone to begin thinking about what you would do in case severe weather strikes your area. With winter storms and tropical systems there's always lots of advance notice. Severe storms however may fire up quickly and unexpectedly with little to no warning. Here now is today’s entry:

Each day we will cover a different topic. Today we will define exactly what is a severe thunderstorm?

The last five years alone have seen a large amount of severe weather in North Carolina. Over the last five years there have been nearly 5000 reports of large hail and damaging wind statewide resulting in over thirty two million dollars in damage. Severe thunderstorms are also responsible for injuries and even deaths in the state resulting from lightning and high winds. The severe thunderstorm season in central North Carolina typically starts in March and does not end until late in the fall.

...severe thunderstorms...

The National Weather Service considers a thunderstorm severe if it produces a tornado, hail at least the size of a penny and or winds of 58 mph or greater. These minimum wind and hail parameters are the National Weather Service's warning criteria for severe thunderstorms. It is worth noting that the National Weather Service does not issue warnings for lightning and given the deadly nature of lightning you should always be aware of the lightning danger anytime a thunderstorm is nearby. In 2007 warnings issued by National Weather Service offices provided an average of sixteen minutes lead time for severe thunderstorms with a detection rate of nearly ninety percent.

...large hail...

In the last 5 years severe thunderstorms in North Carolina have  produced hail as large as tennis balls and even baseballs across the piedmont and eastern North Carolina. Just 2 years ago baseball size hail struck Eastern North Carolina resulting in over one hundred thousand dollars in damage. Back in 2005 hail of nearly 4 inches in daimeter caused damage across the triangle. While hail is not usually life threatening, these large chucks of ice when driven by strong winds cause serious damage to roofs, automobiles, and crops. Hail season in central North Carolina typically runs from mid March through early July, typically peaking in May.

Hailstones grow in thunderstorms with strong updrafts. These strong upward moving currents of air keep the ice suspended inside the thunderstorm...allowing the chunk of ice or hailstones to grow larger and larger. Once ice stones become too heavy for the updrafts to keep suspended...they fall to earth as hail. Thunderstorm updrafts which show signs of rotation on radar are very effective at suspending hail since the internal velocities in rotating updrafts are higher that those of non rotating updrafts.

...damaging wind…

Strong gusts of wind from a thunderstorm called downbursts or straight line wind, are another serious danger. These gusts of wind rush down from the sky sometimes reaching speeds in excess of 100 mph. Thunderstorm wind of this magnitude can impact large areas creating widespread damage. Damaging straight line winds can even cause damage equivalent to that of a tornado. Lines of well organized thunderstorms...called squall lines... Occasionally move across central North Carolina in the spring and early summer. These dangerous storm systems can be very explosive racing across the state at over 50 mph creating widespread wind damage over entire counties.

Damaging wind events in central North Carolina typically start as early as mid March and run into August. Damaging thunderstorm wind events are most notable from May through early August which is much longer than the typical severe hail season.

...safety...

You can protect yourself during thunderstorms by remembering this phrase…hide from the wind and lightning. Stay away from windows when storms approach and seek shelter in an interior bathroom or closet when the wind really starts to blow. Your best line of defense against severe thunderstorms...is to stay informed. There are so many great outdoor activities across the state of North Carolina and severe weather can bring a quick end to a days pleasure. Listen to NOAA weather radio, television or local radio for the latest forecasts and possible threat of thunderstorms and severe weather. If warnings are issued...take action and protect your family and property. Remember being safe is a lot better than being sorry.

SkywarnTM at WFO Raleigh
NWS Watch, Warning, and Advisory criteria
What's New:We need your rain, snow and hail reports. Interested in reporting precipitation more frequently?  Join the CoCoRaHS (Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow) weather spotter network. 

Interested in receiving the Raleigh NWS newsletter "Changing Skies" along with other SkywarnTM Spotter updates and news via email. Just send an email to jeff.orrock@noaa.gov and ask to receive the office newsletter via email.
Local SkywarnTM Groups:

Central Carolina SkywarnTM serving the Eastern Piedmont and Coastal Plain
Triad SkywarnTM serving the Northwest Piedmont

Training Sessions:Online Weather School

02/19/08 830am-11am SkywarnTM - BASIC Spotter Training Moore Carthage - (105 W. Saunders St, Moore County Emergency Services) 02/21/08 7pm-9pm SkywarnTM - BASIC Spotter Training - Open to the public Moore Carthage -( Moore Co Agricultural Center) 03/08/08 930am-1130am SkywarnTM - Basic Spotter Training & Radar - Open to the public Durham (CISCO at RTP) CISCO, 7025-5 Kit Creek Rd -(Registration is required (18 years and older). 03/08/08 1pm-3pm SkywarnTM - Advanced Spotter Training - Open to the public Durham (CISCO at RTP) CISCO, 7025-5 Kit Creek Rd -(Registration is required (18 years and older). 03/10/08 730pm-9pm SkywarnTM - Advanced Spotter Training - Open to the public Forsyth Winston-Salem -( Northwest Chapter of the American Red Cross) 03/12/08 2pm-4pm SkywarnTM - Radar Interpretation & Advanced Spotter Training - Open to the public Guilford Greensboro -( Guilford County Emergency Management
1002 Meadowood Dr.) 03/12/08 7pm-9pm SkywarnTM - Advanced Spotter Training - Open to the public Guilford Greensboro -( Guilford County Emergency Management
1002 Meadowood Dr.) 03/13/08 7pm-9pm SkywarnTM - BASIC Spotter Training - Open to the public Edgecombe Tarboro -(Edgecombe County Building Auditorium)

 

 

View the page at http://www.erh.noaa.gov/rah/skywarn/index.php#training

The *surprise* snow that fell the evening of the 13th has been under some mild scrutiny. Why wasn't this predicted? What happened to catch us so off-guard? The official word from the NWS has not yet been posted, but here's a chart of total snowfall:

  

 

Now how did this happen? Well, I'm not up to date on all the jargon used by meteorologists, but the bottom line is that winter weather, especially here in central NC is very difficult to predict. And when something is forming and developing right on top of us, it makes it even more challenging. Also water content is a big deal in snow forecasts. For example if an on-air weather personality predicts 1/4" of rain and we actually get 1/2" of rain, it's not really a big deal to any of us right? Remember to figure water content in snow, 1/10" of water equals 1" of snow. (On average of course, some snows are wetter, some are drier) So if that same prediction of 1/4" of liquid (which would be 2-3" of snow) suddenly became 1/2" of liquid (then it would be around 5" of snow) Then all of a sudden the public goes nuts and demands the collective heads of the local weather forecasters.

 

 

The situation with this system was that some models predicted that some lingering moisture could interact with the cold air as it made its way into the piedmont. I don't think any models picked up on a weak low pressure system rapidly developing behind the cold air however. When the NWS Raleigh updates their past events history for this system, I’ll post it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A major springtime-like severe storms outbreak has occurred over the last 18 hours in Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky, and parts of Georgia and Alabama. As I'm posting this, the numbers continue to grow. 337 severe weather reports with 68 of those being tornado reports. At least 44 people have been killed and that number is likely to rise. 

 

 

The dead included 24 people in Tennessee, 13 in Arkansas, and seven in Kentucky, NBC News said. Among those killed were Arkansas parents who died with their 11-year-old in Atkins, about 60 miles northwest of Little Rock.

 

The severe potential for our area seems to have lessened and this storm system is slowing down a bit more than previously anticipated, and while a widespread outbreak here in central North Carolina is unlikely, we could still see an isolated wind gust of over 50 - 60 mph. The best advice I can give is for everyone to simply keep monitoring this rapidly-changing system and go ahead and have a plan in place of what to do and where to go should severe weather threaten. It looks like the timing of these storms will be around the 4pm to 11pm time frame, but even that could change. Listen to your weather radios, radio stations in your car (101.1FM is very good for putting weather warnings out over the air) and of course our good friends at WGHP will keep us informed. On a side note, those of you with weather alert radios (which should be everyone) Here is a statement regarding the tests normally done on Wednesdays.

 

.... Routine weekly test postponed until Thursday...
Due to the threat of severe weather today the routine weekly test of the
NOAA Weather Radio tone alert feature has been postponed. Instead... the test will be conducted tomorrow between 11 am and noon.

 

Everyone please keep safe out there and remember and lift up a prayer for those suffering and for those who have lost loved ones in this unusual wintertime severe weather outbreak.

 

 

 

There is a new all-volunteer network for weather watchers that was launched in North Carolina back in September of 2007 that you may want to look into. It's called the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, or CoCoRaHS for short. CoCoRaHS, (No it's not a chocolate kids cereal) is a unique, non-profit, community-based network of volunteers of all ages and backgrounds working together to measure and map precipitation (rain, hail and snow).   By using low-cost measurement tools, stressing training and education, and utilizing an interactive Web-site, their aim is to provide the highest quality data for natural resource, education and research applications. I personally have been a member since the start of this year, and it has been a blast.

What's required? You need to have daily access to the internet; you need to be able to report your daily data around the same time each day, i.e. 7am, 8am, etc... And finally you need to purchase a specific rain gauge for around $30. The reason for the latter is that all rain gauges are not created equal, and the one they recommend has been tested and approved by the Colorado Climate Center.  There is much more info here at http://www.cocorahs.org/Content.aspx?page=aboutus

 

 

It's a fun way to report daily directly to the National weather Service and for you at your own home to really make a difference in your community and nationwide, as lately there are several national organizations that are using this data.

 

 

Anyone from any county can be used but specifically there are exceptional needs for new volunteers in the following counties:  Davie, Montgomery, Randolph and Rockingham. These counties are currently unrepresented in the CoCoRaHS network, and most other counties have only 3-5 volunteers per county, so all you weather nerds and geeks out there, jump into this if you like. It's Fun! I'll answer any questions I can via this blog.

 

 

 

....(I've always liked hearing these things called "events". It's like, "A snow event in North Carolina? Where do I get tickets for that!?")

 

After today's wimp of a "storm" came through, (hey, at least there was enough rain to wash all of the 4 layers of salt & brine the road crews put on the roads... talk about overkill!) I have been watching the short-range models, and Saturday (Jan 19th) is looking more and more interesting!

As it looks now, there would be plenty of cold air in place for all precip to be snow. No mixed bag BLEEP like today.  The big question is going to be the track of the low pressure that as of now, hasn't even developed, but the initial model run has it coming up the SE coast and being able to throw copius amounts of moisture into a cold atmosphere.  Here's the text from NWS that eludes to it.

MEANWHILE ... A STRONG SURFACE LOW WILL BE DEVELOPING OVER THE
WESTERN GULF COAST ON FRIDAY ... MOVING TO THE CENTRAL GULF COAST
BY SATURDAY.  THE STORM WILL BE INJECTING GULF OF MEXICO MOISTURE
OVER THE GULF COAST AND THE SOUTHEAST PRODUCING LIGHT TO MODERATE
RAIN OVER PORTIONS OF THE TEXAS AND LOUISIANA COAST WITH SOME
LIGHT RAIN INLAND BY FRIDAY EVENING.  BY SATURDAY MORNING A LARGE
AREA OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN WILL DEVELOP FROM THE CENTRAL GULF
COAST NORTHEASTWARD TO THE SOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC.  AS THE SYSTEM
BEGINS TO WINDUP ... MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW WILL DEVELOP OVER THE
SOUTHERN/CENTRAL APPALACHIAN AND SNOW OVER THE TENNESSEE VALLEY
ALSO BY SATURDAY MORNING. 

See those words in that last sentence, "moderate to heavy snow"? Now THAT'S what gets me excited. I will of course be watching!

Not really an NBA fan, but this is historic.....

Jan. 11, 2008 – The NBA today granted a game protest filed by the Miami Heat after its 117-111 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on December 19 at Philips Arena, which will result in the replay of the final 51.9 seconds of the game’s overtime period with the Hawks leading 114-111. The replay will occur immediately prior to the next scheduled game between the two teams -- on March 8, 2008, also at Philips Arena.

The Heat protested the game because, with 51.9 seconds remaining in overtime, the Hawks' scoring table personnel incorrectly disqualified the Heat's Shaquille O'Neal – asserting that a foul committed by O'Neal was his sixth foul of the game, when in fact it was only his fifth. The error occurred because the Hawks’ Official Scorer mistakenly attributed to O’Neal a foul at 3:24 remaining in the fourth period that was actually called against the Heat’s Udonis Haslem.

NBA Commissioner David Stern found that the Hawks were grossly negligent in committing this scoring error, since they failed to follow league-mandated scoring procedures and failed to respond effectively when the members of the statisticians' crew noticed the mistake. Because of this conduct by Atlanta's personnel, Miami suffered a clear competitive disadvantage, as O’Neal – the Heat’s second leading scorer and rebounder that night – was removed from a one-point game with only 51.9 seconds remaining. Under this unprecedented set of circumstances, the Commissioner granted the Heat's protest, and fined the Hawks $50,000 for their violation of league rules.

The protest is the first granted by the NBA since December 14, 1982 when then-NBA Commissioner Larry O’Brien upheld a protest by the San Antonio Spurs concerning their 137-132 double overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 30. The Spurs and Lakers finished the game on April 13 with San Antonio collecting a 117-114 win.

A story that I have been keeping an eye out on.

From today's Greensboro News & Record:

Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2007 9:42 am

NEW YORK (AP) -- News Corp. said last week it will sell eight of its owned-and-operated FOX network affiliated television stations to private-equity investment firm Oak Hill Capital Partners for about $1.1 billion in cash.

The deal includes WGHP (Fox 8) in the Triad.

The media conglomerate said in a statement published on its Web site Saturday that Fox Television Stations will still have 27 owned-and-operated stations after selling the following ones: WJW in Cleveland, KDVR in Denver, KTVI in St. Louis, WDAF in Kansas City, Mo., WITI in Milwaukee, KSTU in Salt Lake City, WBRC in Birmingham, Ala., and WGHP.

News Corp. said the sale is expected to close in the third quarter of 2008.

The company said it had total assets as of Sept. 30 of about $64 billion and annual sales of $30 billion.

"Hey, why don't we get a metal band to do Christmas songs?"

 

I went to the Greensboro Coliseum back on the 19th of Dec to witness first-hand the spectacle that is the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. For those of you who don't know who they are, remember the video that was all over the internet this time last year of a guy who had rigged his Christmas lights to blink and flash in time with a song? That song was Wizards in winter by TSO. (Video HERE)   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IK90Ys2LhSo

 

 

As I walked into the place where I have seen Guns N' Roses, Quiet Riot, Motley Crue and ACC basketball, it was easy to get caught up in the Christmas spirit. Warm strains of Christmas music were piped in over the loudspeakers. Parents accompanied their children through the turnstiles as security guards smiled, showing them the way. A longhaired, leather-jacketed rocker stepped aside to let an elderly couple pass. Couples walked arm-in-arm, laughing, to their seats.

 

One of the first things to strike me was the crowd. Those that had dressed up were almost a minority, giving way to those in Red Sox caps and Savatage t-shirts. I cursed my miscalculation on the belt and loafers and longed for my Santana shirt and denim jeans. It was evident of the group’s ability to attract not only traditional patrons of classical music and theatre, but also young and middle class who enjoy the group’s upbeat style.

 

Like a child listening for the sound of sleigh bells and footsteps on the roof, the venue was alive with joyful anticipation. After all the TSO, like a certain jolly fat man, comes but once a year. What gifts we were to receive!

 

"Cool, and let's add a storyline about an angel who saves the spirit of Christmas. That'd be wild."

 

"And get someone who sounds like Darth Vader to narrate it!"

 

"Yeah, and a sexy, blonde singer -- in a short skirt!"

 

"Lasers?"

 

"Strobe lights!"

 

"Power ballads?"

 

"Wicked!"

 

The band, featuring a standard twin-guitar, heavy metal line-up augmented with a string section, powered through bombastic versions of Christmas favorites, interspersing their own original contributions.

 

The first of the performance was a story based off their first album. The story, about an angel’s journey to find the one thing that signifies Christmas, was greatly enhanced with the powerful monologues from a narrator, as well as the lighting of the stage and the surreal effect of seeing the story unfold live.

 

Unfortunately, during the latter part of that set, there was a minor explosion that wasn't planned. A cable partially fell from the elaborate lighting rig, sending a couple of arcs of sparks into the front left floor section. Don't worry, no one got burned and after a lengthy intermission to repair the damage, they were back at it.

 

The second half drew from the group’s other CDs and didn’t follow a set format. Gone was the storyteller and replacing him was guitarist and all-around leader Christopher Caffery, who kept the mood light and cheerful. The orchestra seemed much more at home in this atmosphere. No longer driven by the pressure to make the performance a masterpiece like the first half, most of the musicians were have a lot more fun with the pieces, and the music greatly benefited.

 

When they launched into "Wizards in Winter" the entire crowd actually stood up! (See my capture here) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RAcf3NNGQM&NR=1

 

 

TSO is a perennial favorite in the city. (The show was completely sold out!) Like Santa, the group promised they would return the same time next year possibly with some new surprises. Fans can only lament that Christmas comes but once a year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was at the YMCA this morning getting my orientation for the new equipment. As the girl was talking to me, I saw black smoke through the window that looked like it was coming from the ball fields. "Odd" I thought. As I was leaving, I headed back toward the house. As I drove past the ball fields, I noticed the smoke was much heavier and it was on Mebane street, not the ball fields. The apartment complex right behind the mini market was on fire. (Willow Creek Apartments). I made a right onto Mebane going towards it, and just as I was pulling up, the first police officer got on scene with about 6 more behind him, so I kept going and got out of the way. There was a LONG amount of time from when I saw the first smoke to the time when the first officer got there. I'll be watching the noon news, so we'll see what happened, but it was pretty major. There were even fire trucks & ambulances coming down Chapel Hill rd coming from Graham. There were numerous fire trucks and other unmarked cars that were literally running like 70 miles an hour to get there.

I hope & pray that everyone got out of there.

 

Fri Nov 30, 2007

U.S. weather experts posthumously upgraded Tropical Storm Karen to a hurricane as the 2007 Atlantic storm season drew to a close on Friday, making the year a near-average one for hurricane activity.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center, in a post-season analysis of Karen, said the storm briefly reached hurricane intensity on September 26, with winds of 65 knots, equal to 74.8 mph (120 kph) or just over the threshold at which tropical storms become hurricanes.

The upgrade of Karen took the 2007 season's hurricane toll to six, bang on the long-term average. The 14 named storms that formed exceeded the long-term average of around 10 for a six-month Atlantic hurricane season.

But most of the storms were short-lived, meaning the so-called accumulated cyclone energy index, which measures the collective strength and duration of storms and hurricanes, reached only about 82 percent of the 1951-2000 median, "the lowest observed since 2002," the hurricane center said.

Only one hurricane -- Humberto -- hit the United States this year. It was relatively weak and a far cry from the destruction wrought by hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma in the record-setting season of 2005.

Two of the current season's hurricanes did reach maximum Category 5 strength on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of intensity.

Hurricane Dean in August slammed into Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and killed around 27 people throughout the Caribbean, while Hurricane Felix in September plowed into Nicaragua, killing more than 100.

The season's deadliest storm was also its last, Hurricane Noel, which doused the Dominican Republic and Haiti and triggered floods and mudslides that killed more than 150 people in the neighboring countries.