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November 30, 1995
Web posted at: 1:30 p.m. EST
From Miami Bureau Chief John Zarrella
MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami are breathing a little easier. Hurricane season officially ended Thursday.
It was a season unlike any in the past 60 years, beginning with Allison and ending with Tanya. With 19 named storms, 1995 was the second most active hurricane season in recorded history.
"We were damned lucky," said Jack Weber of the National Disaster Coalition. "This was the worst year for hurricanes since 1933."
During the height of the season, in late August, the Atlantic was littered with storms. But a persistent, unusual weather pattern off the U.S. East Coast turned all of them away.
Only two significant hurricanes hit the mainland United
States. Erin struck Florida in August, causing 11 deaths and
$700 million in damage. In October, Hurricane Opal's 115
mile an hour winds and 14-foot storm surge cut a swath of
destruction between Pensacola Beach and Panama City, Florida.
For a while, over the Gulf of Mexico, its winds reached 150
mph. The varying intensity of the storm left forecasters
trying to catch up.
"Certainly forecasting intensity change is something that we have known for a long time that we don't have a lot of skill," said Bob Burpee, director of the National Hurricane Center.
Opal, which drenched the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico before gaining force and hitting the United States, killed 63 people -- 13 in the Southeast United States. It caused an estimated $3 billion in damage. But it was the islands of the eastern Caribbean that took the brunt of this season's fury. Damage from Hurricanes Luis and Marilyn was $4 billion.
In all, hurricanes and tropical storms killed more than 120 people.
Next year's hurricane season won't be as active, but it could be more destructive. "Even though we (may) have ... a fewer number of intense storms, the probability of them being re-curved out to sea will probably be a little less," said Colorado State University atmospheric scientist Bill Gray. (121K AIFF sound or 121K WAV sound)
This year's season of tropical discontent has sent more shock waves through the already jittery insurance industry.
"We know that these hurricanes are increasing in frequency," Weber said. "It's a matter of time before they hit major urban centers and the type of losses that those storms can generate means that insurance premiums have got to be a lot higher than they are today." (143K AIFF sound or 143K WAV sound)
Forecasters warn that enough ingredients will still be in place to make for a troublesome 1996.
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