Atlantic hurricane season weakest so far since 1983

Thursday, October 9, 2014, 10:48 AM - This year's Atlantic hurricane season is shaping up to be one of the weakest in decades with only five named storms formed in the region so far this year.

RELATED: NOAA predicts somewhat subdued Atlantic hurricane season for 2014; developing El Nino to blame

That's the fewest named storms formed during a single season in the Atlantic since 1983, when there were four. 

The last storm formed on Sept. 11, and there are no signs of any new ones spinning off Africa's west coast during what is supposed to be peak season, which runs from mid-August to late October.

A typical hurricane season has 12 named storms, nine of them hurricanes and three of those major. 

This year has seen five named storms. Four grew into hurricanes, one of them major. 

SEE ALSO: Where are all the Atlantic hurricanes?

HURRICANES IN CANADA: 

At least four tropical storms track through Canadian waters each year, with about one or two tracking over Canadian soil. (The storms that affect Canada may no longer be fully tropical by the time they get here.)

It is important to note that seasonal predictions of tropical activity are not landfall predictions. Whether or not Canada will have an active year depends just as much on storm tracks as it does overall Atlantic activity. In fact, there is very little correlation between the number of storms that form in the Atlantic and the number that make their way into Canadian waters. 

The bottom line for Canadians is that it only takes one storm to make a season memorable.

With files from Dayna Vettese and The Associated Press