2008 Hurricane Season So Far...

It's hard to believe that it's already the middle of September and that fall officially starts Monday morning. Hurricane season is still in full swing although things are quiet for now. The next system that develops will be named Kyle. Here is a look back at the first 10 storms of the season.

Tropical Storm Arthur was the first storm of the 2008 hurricane season. It formed on May 30 near the Belize coast. It made landfall in Belize causing an estimated $78 million in damage and killing 9 people. This was the first tropical storm to form in July since Arlene in 1981.

Hurricane Bertha developed in early July. The system never made landfall and was the longest living storm in the Atlantic outside of the month of August. The swells from the system resulted in dangerous rip currents at our beaches for almost a week.

Tropical Storm Cristobal was next. It was a “tropical wave” off the east coast of Florida and developed into a tropical depression while off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. The system moved parallel the North Carolina coast for the next two days. It didn’t cause any damage to Southeastern North Carolina.

Dolly was a weak and disorganized tropical storm when it made landfall near Cancun. It then emerged over the Gulf of Mexico and made a second landfall as a Category 2 hurricane on South Padre Island. Dolly caused a lot of damage to Texas, but luckily didn’t kill anyone.

Edouard, was a strong tropical storm that made landfall in Southeast Texas near Port Arthur.

Tropical Storm Fay was the first storm in history to make 4 landfalls in Florida. It may have just been a tropical storm, but it dumped a lot of rain in the sunshine state. The city of Melbourne received 30 inches of rain.

Gustav developed in a hurry. It was a major hurricane when it made landfall in Cuba. It weakened at Cuba’s expense, but then started re-intensifying when it emerged into the Gulf of Mexico. It was a Category 2 hurricane when it made landfall in Louisiana. The storm was responsible for 138 deaths and up to $15 billion in damage.

Hanna developed in late August east-northeast of the Leeward Islands. It became a hurricane near the Bahamas. It dumped heavy rain on Haiti and is believed to have killed over 500 people there. The system then set its eyes on the Carolinas. It made landfall near the NC/SC border on September 6th. It was a strong tropical storm, but luckily didn’t do much damage to the Cape Fear area. It did bring us some much-needed rain.

Ike was a monster. It developed while we were still watching Gustav and Hanna. Ike developed very, very quickly and stayed strong until it moved over Cuba. It re-strengthened over the Gulf of Mexico and was a strong Category 2 hurricane when it made landfall in Galveston, Texas. Ike had a 12 foot storm surge because it was such a large storm. It raced northeast after landfall causing extensive flooding and damage through the Midwest. It killed at least 63 people in the United States.

Josephine stayed out in the Atlantic her whole life and was never a threat to land.