The 2002 Atlantic hurricane season produced 14 tropical cyclones, including 12 named storms, 4 hurricanes, and 2 major hurricanes. A record-tying eight storms developed in September. No tropical storms formed after October 6—a rare occurrence, caused partly by El Niño conditions. The most intense hurricane of the season was Isidore, with a minimum central pressure of 934 mbar, although Hurricane Lili attained higher winds and peaked at Category 4 on the Saffir–Simpson Scale. The season was less destructive than average, causing an estimated US$2.6 billion in property damage and 23 fatalities. In September, Hurricane Gustav moved ashore on Nova Scotia as it was transitioning into an extratropical cyclone, lashing the region with high winds for several days. Isidore struck the Yucatan Peninsula and later the United States, causing about $970 million in damage and killing a total of seven. Several other storms directly affected land during August and September, including the longest lived of the season, Hurricane Kyle. In early October, Lili made landfall in Louisiana, where it caused $860 million in damage and 15 deaths.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Atlantic_hurricane_season

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

756:

Emperor Xuanzong fled the Tang capital Chang'an as An Lushan's forces advance toward the city during the An Lushan Rebellion. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Xuanzong_of_Tang

1791:

The Priestley Riots began, in which Joseph Priestley and other religious Dissenters were driven out of Birmingham, England. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priestley_Riots

1865:

A seven-man team made the first ascent of the Matterhorn, marking the end of the golden age of alpinism. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_ascent_of_the_Matterhorn

1933:

With the enactment of the Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring, the Nazi Party began its eugenics program. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_for_the_Prevention_of_Hereditarily_Diseased_Offspring

2003:

In an effort to discredit US Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson, who had written an article critical of the invasion of Iraq, Washington Post columnist Robert Novak revealed that Wilson's wife Valerie Plame was a CIA "operative". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plame_affair

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

wouldn't shout if a shark bit him: 1. (Australia, idiomatic) To be frugal or miserly. 2. A play on shout, which can mean both "to scream" or "to buy drinks". https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wouldn%27t_shout_if_a_shark_bit_him

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Let me be known as just the man that told you something you already knew.   --Woody Guthrie https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Woody_Guthrie