Ryan Maue of Florida State University’s Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies says it looks like 2007 will go down as a lamb. “Unless a dramatic and historical flurry of activity occurs in the next nine weeks,” Maue writes, “2007 will rank as a historically inactive tropical cyclone year for the Northern Hemisphere as a whole.”In the past 30 years, Maue adds, only 1977 had less hurricane activity when comparing periods beginning Jan. 1 and lasting through Oct. 30. What’s more, this past September had the lowest activity since 1977 while the Octobers of 2006 and 2007 had the lowest activity since 1976 and 1977.

In case the data so far are unconvincing, we add this: The North Atlantic hurricane season is 29% below normal, the Northern Hemisphere 33% below normal. The Western Pacific is off 27% while the Eastern Pacific is 60% behind its typical rate of activity.

Has Al Gore cashed his Nobel check yet? Maybe there’s time to call the bank.