(Sun, 01 Aug 2010 12:11:00 +0000)
# 4776
Despite predictions of an above-average Atlantic Hurricane season at the start of the 2010 season, the first two months have been decidedly average.
That, however, doesn’t really tell us what the rest of the season may portend. While predictions are difficult, the ingredients are still in place to see an active year.
It wasn’t until mid August of 1992 when the first hurricane of that season appeared - the truly unforgettable CAT 5 Andrew that devastated Homestead, Florida.
June and July are often pretty quiet months for tropical activity, with the season really ramping up from mid-August to mid-October.
Compare the areas of origin and typical hurricane tracks in these two maps showing July and August, and you will see a considerable amount of difference.
As the summer progresses the spawning grounds for Hurricanes moves further east into the warming Atlantic ocean. It isn’t until August and September that the Cape Verde basin begins to produce what often turn into very large and persistent hurricanes.
You can find much more on Hurricane Climatology at NOAA’s Tropical Cyclone Climatology page.
While it may never develop, or if it does, it may never affect land, right now the National Hurricane Center is watching an area of suspicion the the far Atlantic that they give a 60% chance of developing into a Tropical Cyclone.
(Note: Contents of graphic link will change over time)
Although not a threat to land right now, a week or ten days from now may prove a different story.
And lest you believe that Hurricanes are just a Florida and Gulf Coast problem, in my essay The Crossroads Of The Atlantic Storm Season I pointed out:
There have been cycles within cycles, years where storms have tended to track north along the eastern seaboard instead of south and into the Gulf of Mexico.
New York City, and much of New England, is considered `overdue’ for a major hurricane.
Here is a look at hurricanes that came within 100 miles of Boston, MA over the past 80 years.
May was National Hurricane Preparedness week, and during that month this blog devoted considerable time to the subject. A few of my blogs on the subject included:
A Hurricane Reality Check
National Hurricane Preparedness Week: Day 6
NOAA 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Outlook
The Worst That Could Happen
Hurricanes and Inland Flooding
Why I’ll Be Gone With The Wind
Storm Surge Monday
The Crossroads Of The Atlantic Storm Season
You Don’t Have To Live On The Coast
Some essential hurricane resources to get you started include:
http://www.fema.gov/hazard/hurricane/index.shtm
http://www.ready.gov/america/beinformed/hurricanes.html
You may also wish to revisit my blog entitled Hurricane Resources On The Net for links to storm resources online.
