Browsing: Hurricanes

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Hurricanes Getting Stronger, Faster: New Study

Hurricanes in the Atlantic are growing stronger faster than ever before, according to a new study. Indeed, a hurricane is now twice as likely to grow from a weak storm into a major Category 3  (or stronger) hurricane in just 24 hours. The study, just published in Scientific Report, adds to the growing body of evidence that fast-growing major hurricanes are becoming more likely. Andra Garner, an assistant professor at Rowan University who wrote the study, says that from 2001 to 2020 tropical cyclones in the Atlantic had an 8 percent chance of strengthening from a Category 1 storm into…

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Even More Hurricanes This Year: NOAA

This year’s Atlantic hurricane season will be even worse, possibly much worse, than had been predicted, according to NOAA. In fact, last week NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) announced that the likelihood of an “above normal” season is now 60 percent, double what it had predicted in its forecast in May. NOAA also said this year’s season could produce 14 to 21 tropical cyclones, while the May forecast called for 12 to 17. It now said that six to 11 of them (instead of five to nine) could become hurricanes with winds of at least 74 mph, including…

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New Forecast: More Hurricanes This Year

As if the weather hasn’t been bad enough already, now the hurricane experts at Colorado State University say it’s going to get worse, even worse than other experts had predicted. The CSU hurricane researchers recently updated their forecast for the Atlantic hurricane season this year, predicting that it will be an above-average year because of warmer sea temperatures. They also say there is a larger-than-normal degree of uncertainty because of conflicting signals involving those temperatures and a stronger-than-normal El Niño, producing increased wind shear in the Caribbean and the tropical Atlantic that actually could damage storms forming there. The new…

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Near-Normal Hurricane Season: NOAA

Here’s the latest from NOAA for this year’s Atlantic hurricane season: NOAA forecasters with the Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service, predict near-normal hurricane activity in the Atlantic this year. NOAA’s outlook for the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season, which goes from June 1 to November 30, predicts a 40% chance of a near-normal season, a 30% chance of an above-normal season and a 30% chance of a below-normal season. NOAA is forecasting a range of 12 to 17 total named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher). Of those, 5 to 9 could become hurricanes (winds…

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Early Forecast: Below-Average Hurricane Season

It’s still too early to be precise, but this year’s Atlantic hurricane season will be slightly below average, according to the forecasting team at Colorado State University. The CSU forecast calls for 13 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes this season, which starts on June 1 and ends on Nov. 30. The long-term averages for the period from 1991 to 2020 were 14.4 named storms, 7.2 hurricanes, and 3.2 major hurricanes. On the other hand, the CSU team, in its first forecast for the season, did not have particularly good news for the U.S. It says the odds…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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Hurricane Season Ends. Good Riddance!

The deadly and devastating 2022 Atlantic hurricane season just ended on November 30, and hundreds of thousands of people (or more) are saying none too soon. The impact from Hurricanes Ian, Nicole and Fiona in Florida and Puerto Rico will last for years. In Florida, 148 people died from Hurricane Ian alone, and the destruction was estimated at $50 billion. NOAA says the hurricane season this year produced 14 named storms (with winds of 39 mph or  more);  eight of them became hurricanes (with winds of 74 mph or more), and two became major hurricanes (with winds of 111 mph…

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Deadly Storm Slams Florida, Heads Up Atlantic Coast

Hurricane Ian slammed into southwest Florida on Wednesday afternoon, with sustained winds up to 155 mph and a life-threatening storm surge as high as 12 feet. It left as many as hundreds of possible casualties as homes floated away, roads turned into rivers and more than 2.5 million people lost electricity. The storm was worst in the Naples, Fort Myers and Port Charlotte areas. Tampa, a bit north, where the last hurricane was in 1921, was spared the worst of Ian. But parts of Tampa Bay emptied out before the storm hit, with the lost water returning as a wind-driven…

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Where To Keep Your Boat in a Hurricane: BoatUS

Here’s some great, and very timely, advice from BoatUS about where to keep your boat in a hurricane, with specific recommendations if you plan to keep it ashore, on a fixed dock, a floating dock, a canal or river, on a trailer, a lift or a storage rack. Scroll down: Going back as far as Hurricane Alicia in 1983, our BoatUS Hurricane Catastrophe Team (CAT) professionals have spent thousands of hours working to identify and recover damaged boats. They’ve seen firsthand what works and what doesn’t when a boat is prepared for a hurricane. When asked where CAT team members…

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NOAA Update: Above-Average Hurricane Season

We’ve been lucky so far, but that may change before too long, according to the new mid-season hurricane estimate from NOAA. So far, the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 through Nov. 30, has seen just three named storms and no hurricanes. But now we’re heading into the peak hurricane months, and NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) is calling for an above-average season for the months ahead. This recent update is similar to NOAA’s original forecast, in May, but now forecasters say the likelihood of an above-normal season is 60 percent; the original forecast was 65…

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The Loop Current: Making Hurricane Season Worse

Here’s a sobering report from Freethink.com about how changes in the Loop Current can make this year’s hurricane season even worse than expected: The Atlantic hurricane season started on June 1, and the Gulf of Mexico is already warmer than average. Even more worrying is a current of warm tropical water that is looping unusually far into the Gulf for this time of year, with the power to turn tropical storms into monster hurricanes. It’s called the Loop Current, and it’s the 800-pound gorilla of Gulf hurricane risks. When the Loop Current reaches this far north this early in the hurricane season…

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