With no further storms expected, the Atlantic hurricane season is ending on a quiet note, marked by records for both its inactivity and the power it unleashed.

The basin produced a near-average number of named storms, a below-average amount of hurricanes and a number of major hurricanes - including Hurricane Melissa, the most intense landfalling cyclone ever observed in the Atlantic basin during modern times.

According to NOAA's classification, the year was considered an above-normal season based on Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE), a metric that tallies storm intensity and longevity.

Dr. Phil Klotzbach, a world-renowned hurricane specialist at Colorado State University, said the tropical season was dominated by conflicting signals.

Warm Atlantic waters combined with neutral to weak La

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