2008 saw record-breaking hurricane season: US agency

The record-breaking 2008 hurricane season, which officially ends on Sunday, has been one of the most active since comprehensive reports began 64 years ago, a US government agency said Wednesday.

For the first time on record, six consecutive tropical cyclones -- Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike -- struck the US mainland and three major hurricanes -- Gustav, Ike and Paloma -- made landfall in Cuba, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

And for the first time the North Atlantic region witnessed major hurricanes for five consecutive months, reaching between category 3 and category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, the agency added.

Hurricanes Bertha in July, Gustav in August, Ike in September, Omar in October and Paloma in November were all intense storms, resulting in serious damage in the US and the Caribbean.

"The information we'll gain by assessing the events from the 2008 hurricane season will help us do an even better job in the future," said National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read.

"With this season behind us, it's time to prepare for the one that lies ahead," he warned.

A total of 16 named storms formed during the season, which runs for six months between June 1 and November 30 in the North Atlantic, according to the agency's Miami-based National Hurricane Center.

Eight of those tropical storms became hurricanes, five of which were major hurricanes with a Category 3 strength or higher -- numbers well above normal. A season has an average of 11 storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes.