The 2014 Atlantic Hurricane Season officially ends today.  For a second year in a row, it was relatively quiet.

According to NOAA, there were eight named storms this season. Of these, six developed into hurricanes and only two – Edouard and Gonzalo – were rated category-3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Scale. On average, the Atlantic produces twelve named storms and three major hurricanes (category-3 or higher) every year.

Throughout the season, which runs from June 1st to November 30th, only one named storm made landfall in the U.S.  Hurricane Arthur, a category-2 storm, brought powerful winds and storm surge flooding to North Carolina’s Outer Banks for Independence Day in early July. It was the earliest hurricane to strike N.C. in the state’s history.

Other countries, such as Bermuda, were hard hit this hurricane season. In October, two storms – Tropical Storm Fay and Hurricane Gonzalo – slammed the island nation in less than a week.

Experts say broad areas of high pressure and dry air were the main factors that hindered more extensive tropical development in the Atlantic this season.

Source: NOAA