2010 Hurricane Season Summary

2010 was a strange year for hurricanes. The Atlantic basin had a near record-breaking number of hurricanes, but none that truly battered the United States. Meanwhile, in the Eastern Pacific, the number of storms recorded was so low that a 1977 record was broken. Two tracking charts are shown below:

Why the lack of intensity in the storms? Though active, the jet stream and low wind shear caused most of the storms to remain in the open ocean in the Atlantic basin. In the Pacific, a lingering La Nina made the number of storms low. In fact, NOAA even calls this season a "gentle giant" when compared to previous years, such as the record-breaking 2008 hurricane season. Read more on the causes of the strange 2010 hurricane season.