While hurricane season is still two weeks away in the Atlantic, Wednesday is the start of hurricane season in the eastern Pacific.

On average, more storms will form in the Pacific basin, but rarely make landfall. The ocean waters off the west coast are far to cold to sustain a hurricane, which requires sea surface temperatures of at least 80 degrees.

Additionally, the trade winds usually carry the storms westward, away from the coast. Rarely, storms can recurve back toward the coastline and make landfall along Baja California. Occasionally, they can bring heavy rain to southern California, but by then have lost their tropical characteristics.

Forecasters expect an average to below-normal year in terms of cyclone activity in the eastern Pacific.

AAA Carolinas will host its annual Great Fall Battery Roundup, a used battery collection and recycling program, as part of Car Care Month in October. It is available to the general public, as well as AAA members.

North Carolina motorists can receive $5 for every auto or marine battery they bring in to any one of 24 AAA Car Care Centers, or 34 Approved Auto Repair shops from October 16 through the 31.

“Improperly disposed batteries do serious harm to our environment,” said David E. Parsons, president and CEO of AAA Carolinas.  “This program is a win-win for everyone including motorists, AAA, battery recycle centers and the environment at large.”

AAA encourages residents to help fight stream and ground pollution and raise awareness by recycling batteries at one of 58 convenient North Carolina locations.

NORTH CAROLINA - State air quality officials say smoke from a wildfire in eastern North Carolina is no longer generating elevated concentrations of air pollution, thanks to firefighting efforts and heavy rainfall during the weekend.

For the past seven days, monitors had detected elevated concentrations of particle pollution in parts of eastern North Carolina due to smoke from the Dad Fire, which began June 17 in the Croatan National Forest. Smoke from wildfires can create extremely small particles and liquid droplets that can be harmful to breathe and contribute to haze and other air quality problems.