2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season Concludes, Leaving Extensive Devastation Across the US: Report

New York, Nov 30 (NationPress) The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season comes to a close on Saturday, concluding a period that witnessed 11 hurricanes, significantly above the typical average of seven. This season has led to tragic loss of life and extensive destruction across areas far removed from the points where the storms impacted the US Gulf Coast, as per local media reports.

Meteorologists have labeled this season as "exceptionally active", attributed largely to unusually elevated ocean temperatures. A total of eight hurricanes made landfall across the United States, as well as in Bermuda, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Grenada, according to reports from Xinhua news agency, citing The Associated Press.

In September, Hurricane Helene wrought catastrophic damage across the southeastern US, emerging as the deadliest storm to strike the US mainland since Katrina in 2005. The storm claimed over 200 lives.

North Carolina estimates the destruction caused by Helene to be at least $48.8 billion in both direct and indirect damages, with significant losses to homes, drinking water systems, farms, and forests. States including Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia also experienced extensive damage.

In October, Hurricane Milton rapidly intensified, with its maximum wind speeds reaching an astonishing 180 mph, marking it as one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded by wind speed in the Gulf of Mexico. The only storm to surpass it in this regard was Hurricane Rita in 2005, the report noted.

The regions affected by Helene and Milton experienced rainfall amounts up to three times their average for September and October, which is the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season. Cities like Asheville, Tampa, and Orlando recorded their wettest two-month period in history, the report added.