I'm sure we're completely safe....

Federal forecasters are lowering their outlook for the Atlantic hurricane season. The National Weather Service on Thursday updated its forecast for the six-month season that ends on November the 30th. It now predicts a 50 percent chance of a near-normal season, a 40 percent chance of a below-normal season, and a 10 percent probability of an above-normal season. During an average season, there are 11 named storms with winds of at least 39 mph, of which six become hurricanes and two of those become major hurricanes with winds of 111 mph or higher. The reason for the downgraded forecast is the continued formation of El Nino patterns along the equatorial central and eastern Pacific Ocean which tends to suppress hurricane formation. But there is no reason for people to let their guard down. The calm start to this hurricane season is not a reliable indicator of the overall activity for the entire season. In 1992 there was also a below-normal number of named storms and hurricanes and the first storm did not form until late August. But many people in Florid will remember that year because it spawned Hurricane Andrew which hit southern Florida as a destructive Category 5 storm.