The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season officially ends on Saturday, closing a period marked by heightened activity. This year witnessed 11 hurricanes—well above the typical average of seven—along with devastation and loss far from where the storms originally made landfall along the U.S. Gulf Coast. Meteorologists described the season as “exceptionally intense,” attributing the surge in storm activity to unusually high ocean temperatures. Across the Atlantic, eight hurricanes impacted regions