Hurricane season officially ends

The National Hurricane Center has issued its final regularly scheduled Tropical Weather Outlook of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season:

FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC…CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO…

AS THE 2008 ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON APPROACHES ITS CONCLUSION… TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS.

ISSUANCE OF THIS PRODUCT WILL RESUME ON 1 JUNE 2009. SHOULD ANY SIGNIFICANT DISTURBANCES DEVELOP DURING THE OFF-SEASON…SPECIAL TROPICAL DISTURBANCE STATEMENTS WOULD BE ISSUED…AS NEEDED.

And so it ends.

Well, probably. Notwithstanding the November 30 “end” of the season, if any tropical systems were to form in December, they would still be considered part of the 2008 season. This happened last year with Tropical Storm Olga, and it also happened, quite memorably (at least for me), in 2005, when Tropical Storm Zeta formed on my wedding day, December 30.

It seems fairly unlikely to happen this year, though. In all likelihood, the slightly-above-average 2008 season is over. For more of a seasonal wrap-up, see my previous post.

Meanwhile, on a totally unrelated note, if skies are clear where you are, be sure to step outside after sunset Monday and look to the southwest. The three brightest objects in the night sky, Venus, Jupiter and the Moon, will appear very close together, making for a stunningly lovely sight. Here’s a photo I took tonight, from Gold Canyon, Arizona:

Venus is the bottom planet, closer to the Moon. (Here’s a closer view, which more clearly shows that Venus is brighter.) The lines are planes taking off from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.

The planets and the Moon will be even closer together tomorrow. In fact, in Europe, the Moon will briefly eclipse Venus. Anyway, wherever you are, take a look. I promise it’ll be well worth your while.

(See my photoblog for more, including photos of the heavenly trio hovering over the Los Angeles Coliseum during Saturday night’s USC-Notre Dame game.)