systems originated in July, including Tropical Storm Becky and the depression that would eventually intensify into Hurricane Celia, as well as another tropical depression that remained below tropical storm intensity. Celia became the most intense tropical cyclone of the season on August 3, peaking as a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson scale with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (220 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of . In August, four tropical systems developed, including two tropical depressions, an unnamed hurricane, and Dorothy. September eight featured tropical depressions, though only three became named storms – Ella, Felice, and Greta. October featured two unnamed hurricanes. Two more systems, a tropical depression and an unnamed tropical storm, developed in November, the latter of which transitioned into an extratropical cyclone on December 1, ending the season's activity. The season's activity was reflected with an accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) rating of 67. ACE is a metric used to express the energy used by a tropical cyclone during its lifetime. Therefore, a storm with a longer duration will have high values of ACE. It is only calculated at six-hour increments in which specific tropical and subtropical systems are either at or above sustained wind speeds of 39 mph (63 km/h), which is the threshold for tropical storm intensity. Systems Hurricane Alma An area of disturbed weather persisted over the southwestern Caribbean in the middle of May. It gradually organized, and a tropical depression formed on May 17. In response to low wind shear and warm sea surface temperatures, the depression rapidly strengthened to a tropical storm early on May 20 and to a hurricane that night. However, increasing upper-level wind shear caused Alma to deteriorate back into a tropical depression on May 22. The depression continued its general northward movement, with a brief jog to the west, and struck Cuba on May 24 with maximum winds of . As Alma crossed the eastern Gulf of Mexico, it retained a well-defined circulation with an eye feature evident on weather radar, but the persistent shear limited the system's intensity. Tropical Depression Alma made landfall near Cedar Key, Florida, on May 25 and became extratropical two days later over North Carolina. Although Alma passed just offshore, impact in Central America, if any, is unknown. In the Cayman Islands, winds of 65 mph (105 km/h) were reported. Impact was most severe in Cuba, where flash flooding caused seven