The 2024 hurricane season will come to an end this weekend, with Bermuda escaping without serious damage.

While the season does not formally end until November 30, no further tropical storm development is expected before then.

The season was busier than average with 18 named storms, but it proved to be less active than most preseason forecasts predicted.

In total, 11 hurricanes were recorded over the period, five of which were classified as major hurricanes, having reached at least Category 3 strength.

An average season produces 14 named storms, including seven hurricanes, three of which become major hurricanes.

The US-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that 12 named storms formed after the climatological peak of the season in early September, including seven storms that formed after September 25.

Matthew Rosencrans, a lead hurricane forecaster at the NOAA’s Climate Prediction Centre, a division of the National Weather Service, said: “The impactful and deadly 2024 hurricane season started off intensely, then relaxed a bit before roaring back.

“Several possible factors contributed to the peak season lull in the Atlantic region.

“The particularly intense winds and rains over Western Africa created an environment that was less hospitable for storm development.”

Bermuda was struck by only one storm this year, Hurricane Ernesto, which battered the island with 84mph sustained winds and 105mph gusts on August 16 and 17.

The Category 1 hurricane was a direct hit, with its eye estimated to have spent three hours passing over Bermuda based on timing of the lowest winds and pressures.

At its peak, 28,817 Belco customers — about 75 per cent of the total number — lost power.

While Bermuda escaped the worst of the season, other countries were less fortunate.

Hurricane Beryl, the earliest Category 5 storm on record, hammered Barbados, Grenada, St Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Tobago, the Cayman Islands and Jamaica, resulting in fatalities, injuries and extensive infrastructural damage before striking the United States.

Hurricane Helene later struck Florida’s Gulf Coast as a Category 4 storm and was blamed for the deaths of more than 150 people, making it the deadliest hurricane to affect the US in almost 20 years.