Calvin, few years are going to be "normal" by definition. Average is exactly that; a compilation of numbers that gives a baseline number. The Atlantic basin has been relatively quiet for a few years now, and I seem to remember the Eastern Pacific being relatively quiet when the Atlantic was so rowdy. Some years might be closer to "normal" than others, but as more data is obtained, the numbers are going to be in a constant state of change, especially since climate has, and will, always be changing, regardless of potential human influence.
If we go back through the concrete data we have (admittedly we only have 50-80 years of SOLID data to work with depending on which basin we're talking about), all of this is cyclical. There were also several rather intense hurricanes in the Atlantic in the 50s (along with a rash of violent tornadoes in the plains), and there are several landfalling hurricanes that are noted even further back that likely had very high wind speeds, as well as very low central pressure. Speaking of unusual storms, Hurricane Hazel in 1954 was extremely unusual in its rapid acceleration prior to landfall and maintaining much of her strength all the way into Canada. Although classified as extratropical by that time, 65mph sustained winds were observed in Canada if memory serves me correctly.
