Keesler winds up uneventful hurricane season Published Dec. 8, 2014 By Susan Griggs 81st Training Wing Public Affairs KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Keesler and the Mississippi Gulf Coast were spared from nature's wrath for the six-month Atlantic hurricane season that ended Nov. 30. It's the second year in a row that Keesler has dodged any named tropical storms, according to forecasters at the base weather office. "We had a fairly slow season, thanks in part to cooler sea surface temperatures, atmospheric circulation that favored dry sinking air over the tropical Atlantic Ocean and strong wind shear over the Caribbean Sea," said James Tart, lead forecaster. "Only one named storm, Hurricane Arthur, made landfall in the United States this season, with 100 mph wind gusts at Cape Lookout, North Carolina." The National Hurricane Center and Colorado State University hurricane researcher William Gray predicted that the 2014 Atlantic hurricane season would yield eight to 13 named storms, three to six hurricanes and one or two major storms with at least Category 3 winds of 111-129 mph. The actual storm totals for 2014 were eight named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes. These figures compare to historical averages of 12 storms, six hurricanes and three major hurricanes. According to Tart, Bermuda was the needle in the haystack this hurricane season. "At just over 15 miles long and 1.5 miles wide, two hurricanes found the island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean," he pointed out. "Hurricane Faye hit Bermuda with 80 mph winds, and then a week later, Gonzalo moved right over the island with winds of 110 mph." Tropical Storm Dolly moved onshore near Tampico, Mexico, and caused heavy rain and flooding. Tropical Storm Hanna hit the Honduras-Nicaragua border and caused heavy rain and flooding there as well. Tart is confident that even after two relatively quiet hurricane seasons, Team Keesler won't be complacent about future storms. "People are still talking about Hurricane Katrina, and if they're like me, when I see something moving into the Gulf of Mexico, I start getting flashbacks from 2005," he observed. Tart also underscored the importance of the base's hurricane exercises and town hall meetings to prepare for possible weather dangers. "Exercises and town hall meetings put people in a mindset that it's never too early to prepare," he stressed. "I also recommend that newcomers to our area talk to people who were here for Katrina so they can learn what and what not to do when a storm of that magnitude threatens the Mississippi Gulf Coast again."