A group of Florida Keys residents used rum to ignite and burn hurricane warning flags Saturday at Key West’s Truman Waterfront to mark the official Nov. 30 end of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. The 2024 season spawned 18 named storms, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Eleven of them became hurricanes including Helene, Milton and Rafael, which brought tropical storm-force winds to parts of the Keys before making landfall elsewhere. Saturday’s annual flag-burning event featured blasts blown on a conch shell and speakers who remembered those affected by the 2024 hurricanes and expressed gratitude that the island chain was spared any significant impacts. CAROL TEDESCO/Florida Keys News Bureau.
