CITY OF ST. PETERSBURG Rick Baker, Mayor Office of the Mayor Welcome to the 63rd Interdepartmental Hurricane Conference! I would like to welcome each of you attending the 63rd Interdepartmental Hurricane Conference in our great city of St. Petersburg. We are pleased that you have come to our community to hold these important meetings! While you are here, please take time to enjoy our downtown area and The Pier, Baywalk, the Salvador Dali museum and the wide variety of restaurants and nightlife all within walking distance of your hotel. We invite you to stroll around downtown and admire some of Florida’s best Mediterranean-Revival style architecture and two dozen properties recorded in the National Historic Register. From our white sandy beaches, to our parks, to the smiling faces greeting you across our city, we hope you relish your days on the bay this week. The citizens of St. Petersburg recognize the important work you do for our city and the country and we appreciate the unique contributions you make to our safety, security and preparedness. Thank you for coming to St. Petersburg and we send our best wishes for a successful conference. Please visit us again soon. Sincerely, Rick Baker Mayor CITY OF ST. PETERSBURG, P.O. BOX 2842, ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA 33731, PHONE (727) 893-7201 S E S S Session 1 I The 2008 Tropical Cyclone O Season in Review N 1 A Year of Destructive Landfalls: Overview of the 2008 Atlantic Hurricane Season Jack Beven and Dan Brown (
[email protected];
[email protected]) NOAA/NWS Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season continued the period of above normal activity that started in 1995.