FEWER HURRICANES, COOLER OCEAN

Last year was a record year for hurricanes and tropical storms, eclipsing the prior record year of 1993. This yhear, however, is a different story. There have been fewer than normal storms, despite some early predictions. There were 9 named storms by this time last year, only 3 this year. Part of the reason for this is that the surface temperature for the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics is actually cooler than normal. Last year the surface temperature was above normal.

Not only is the tropical Atlantic cooler, scientist show that between 2003 and 2005, globally averaged temperatures in the upper ocean were substantially cooler, and, in effect, erased 20% of the warming that occurred over the previous 48 years.

This could be a set back for the global warming folks. What will Al Gore have left to talk about? Oh, right, this won't keep him from talking about it.