The 2008 hurricane season began with a jump-start when Tropical Storm Arthur developed before the season even started. The last time this happened was twenty-seven years ago in 1981, when Arlene formed almost a month early. (Not including sub-tropical storms)

Arthur went on to become one of sixteen storms in 2008 that left their mark by making this year the second-most destructive on record. While some may find this hard to believe, experts at the National Hurricane Center were not surprised at all.

"From the science prospective, what was expected occurred.", says Bill Read, the director of the National Hurricane Center. "On-going warmer than normal ocean temperatures and ambient air pressure somewhat lower than normal."

Those conditions helped to form eight hurricanes with five of those becoming major storms of at least category three strength or higher.

We were able to dodge hurricanes Dolly, Edouard and Gustav, which were the first three storms to enter the Gulf of Mexico. But our luck would change on September 1 when the National Hurricane Center would announce the development of Tropical Depression Nine, the storm that we would later know as Hurricane Ike.

At its peak, Hurricane Ike was five hundred-fifty miles wide and covered the entire Gulf of Mexico. At this point, it was anyone's guess as to where the storm would go.

"If you recall Ike, about the 96 hour point it was forecast to be somewhere along Corpus Christi, or even south of there for the center. Still would have been nasty weather up the coast even with the size of it, but nothing like what actually happened.", said Read.

What actually happened was a Galveston landfall with 110 mph winds and an eye that tracked right across the Brazos Valley. This would be the first time we would come face-to-face with such a storm since Alicia, 25 years ago.

After Hurricane Ike hit, seven other storms developed before the end of the season, but none caused the devastation left behind by a storm that became the third most destructive ever, only behind Andrew and Katrina.

As we look back at the 2008 season we also need to take note that coming face-to-face with Mother Nature has its price tag, and so far it's $54 billion.