“This year marks the fourth consecutive above-normal Atlantic hurricane season,” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in a report issued Tuesday. “The only other period on record that produced four consecutive above-normal seasons was 1998-2001. Also this year, five tropical cyclones formed in the Gulf of Mexico, which ties a record with 2003 and 1957 for the most storms to form in that region. Of those, three — Barry, Imelda and Nestor — made landfall in the U.S.”