Hurricane Season Ends With A Dud

Hurricane

Two thousand six was a much-needed respite for Floridians battered by six major hurricanes during the previous two years. But state Division of Emergency Management Director Craig Fugate says his staff is not about to take a break.

FUGATE: As we go into the '07 season, you've got to approach it this way - past performance is no indicator of the future. So just because it's quite in '06 does not mean it's going to be quiet in '07. It doesn't mean it's going to be active, either. Here's the question - if they forecast a below-average hurricane season, does it mean we tell people it's OK to take it off and don't worry about hurricanes, or do we remind them that Andrew occured in below-average season?

The below-average number of hurricanes was in large part a byproduct of El Nino. The warming current in the Pacific Ocean shifted the jet stream south, pushing many storms out into the middle of the Atlantic. No hurricane made landfall in the state this year.