The 2011 Atlantic hurricane season was well above average in the number of tropical cyclones that formed, at nineteen. It was the first time that the first eight tropical cyclones of the season failed to attain hurricane status. Although Tropical Storm Arlene formed on June 28, the season officially began on June 1 and ended on November 30, dates that conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones develop in the Atlantic basin. The season produced twenty tropical depressions, of which nineteen further intensified into tropical storms; seven strengthened into hurricanes, and four hurricanes ultimately intensified into major hurricanes. The two most significant storms, in terms of loss of life and damage, were Hurricane Irene (pictured) and Tropical Storm Lee. Hurricane Irene was a powerful and unusually large storm that made several landfalls along the East Coast of the United States after peaking with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (195 km/h). Tropical Storm Lee was a disorganized tropical cyclone that moved ashore into Louisiana before producing historic flooding in the Northeast United States as an extratropical cyclone. (Full list...)