In November, most people are bundled up in warm clothes, beginning to scrape ice off their cars and turning on their fireplaces. Nary a thought about destructive hurricanes enters the mind -- and for good reason.

"November is not known for its tropical activity," Dan Kottlowski, AccuWeather's chief hurricane expert, said. Hurricane season in the Atlantic basin officially starts on June 1 and doesn't end until Nov. 30.

"By November, the westerlies are well entrenched across the southern U.S. and into the northern Gulf of Mexico," he explained, referring to the prevailing winds from the west toward the east in the middle latitudes. "The only opportunity for tropical development is in the southern Gulf of Mexico and over the Caribbean. Even there, strong vertical wind shear can make it rath

See Full Page