"Hurricane season" is a time period when most hurricanes form over the Atlantic Ocean.

Hurricane season lasts from June 1 through November 30, peaking in late August and early September. The year 2005 was the one of the most active hurricane season in recorded history. There were 28 or 29 storms and 15 hurricanes, resulting in more than 3,000 deaths and nearly $160 billion in damages.

The Gulf Coast of the U.S. (including the states of Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, and Florida) and the Mexican states of Quintana Roo and Yucatan suffered the most damage. The most powerful storm of the devastating 2005 season was, of course, Hurricane Katrina, which destroyed entire neighborhoods of New Orleans, Louisiana, and Biloxi, Mississippi.

The American Red Cross relies on hurricane maps overlain with geographic information system (GIS) data to help organize and provide relief for those areas affected by disasters. This map traces the paths of 29 storms across the North Atlantic. The path of Hurricane Katrina is represented in red, snaking from the western Bahamas through the Gulf of Mexico and up the Mississippi Valley.

Instructional Ideas

Have students study the American Red Cross map of the 2005 hurricane season. Use the "Questions" tab to work through basic map-reading skills (questions 1-5) and more critical-thinking discussions (questions 6-7).