More than 12 Named Storms Predicted
As Tropical Storm Ernesto heads through Mexico, forecasters are predicting more than a dozen named storms in the Atlantic this season. Photo by NASA Goddard Photo and Video, flickr.com/photos/gsfc.The National Weather Service predicts there will be between 12 and 17 named storms this hurricane season, which is more than first predicted back in May.
Tropical Storm Ernesto is currently spinning in the Gulf of Mexico. Experts say the increase is due to storm-conducive wind patterns and warmer-than-normal sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic.
Laura Furgione, acting director of the National Weather Service, says more than the storm itself, inland flooding is the most dangerous aspect of a hurricane.
“In the past 30 years,” Furgione said, “inland flooding has caused more than half of the deaths associated with tropical cyclones in the United States.”
The National Weather Service initially kept the storm predictions low because the weather pattern El Nino is likely to develop in August or September, which would help to break storms apart. Now, however, meteorologists expect those effects to come into play only for the tail end of the season. Only two or three of the predicted named storms are expected to be major hurricanes.
Texas finds itself in a bit of a catch-22. We could certainly use the rain from a storm to help alleviate the ongoing severe drought. But we don’t want a heavy storm to damage an already generally receding coastline.
