The same holds true for any season, making them no less impactful than any others. Arlene and Cindy brought plenty of rain to the central Gulf coast; Franklin put a scare into Florida for some time and nearly reached hurricane intensity; and Bret and Gert both impacted Mexico much like Arlene did Florida/Alabama. Oh yeah...and then there's Dennis and Emily. Considering just those two laone, I don't think it's prudent to knock down the rest of the season in its entirety just because they may not have gotten to hurricane strength. This isn't a case of the NHC naming every last thing out there -- each storm this year has been a bonafide tropical cyclone.