Hurricane Season

[Twister_Ken]

...it does seem as though the frequency of these events is increasing, which is a bit worrying.

The USA suffered 12 separate extreme weather events in 2011 each of which caused over $1bn of damages.

 

[Robin]

The USA suffered 12 separate extreme weather events in 2011 each of which caused over $1bn of damages.

Actually only one hurricane went ashore in the USA in 2011 which was Irene and that is despite a forecast warning of a more active season. I'll do a webby and cut and paste here:-

The 2011 Atlantic hurricane season produced 20 tropical cyclones, 19 tropical storms, 7 hurricanes, and 3 major hurricanes. It featured an above average number of tropical storms with a near normal number of major hurricanes. The season officially started on June 1 and ended on November 30, dates which conventionally delimit the period during which most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin.[1] The first tropical cyclone, Tropical Storm Arlene, developed on June 28, while the season's last storm, Tropical Storm Sean, dissipated on November 12. The most intense storm, Ophelia, was a Cape Verde-type hurricane that became a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale at an unusually high latitude. The season featured a record sequence of weak tropical storms, beginning with Tropical Storm Arlene, and ending with Harvey.[2] The season's first hurricane, Irene, was a powerful Category 3 hurricane that made landfall in North Carolina as a Category 1, causing significant damage and record flooding to the Northeast United States. The season tied 2010, 1995, and 1887 for the third highest number of tropical storms

 

[Twister_Ken]

Actually only one hurricane went ashore in the USA in 2011 which was Irene and that is despite a forecast warning of a more active season.

Did I say 12 hurricanes? No! 12 Extreme Weather Events.

Including a May 22-27 outbreak of 180 tornadoes which killed 177, most of them in Joplin, Mo., and caused more than $7 billion in damages.

Then there was a drought in Texas, Missouri flooding, October blizzards, more tornadoes, Irene...

 

[Kilter]

For the North Atlantic region, a well tried and tested mnemonic:~

June - too soon.
July - stand by.
August - look out you must.
September - remember.
October - all over.

I hope that helps.

Beat me to it!

 

[Salty John]

There isn't a North Atlantic hurricane season. It's the Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico area to which that mnemonic refers.

Hurricanes are tropical storms. We don't get them up here.

 

[Robin]

Did I say 12 hurricanes? No! 12 Extreme Weather Events.

Including a May 22-27 outbreak of 180 tornadoes which killed 177, most of them in Joplin, Mo., and caused more than $7 billion in damages.

Then there was a drought in Texas, Missouri flooding, October blizzards, more tornadoes, Irene...

Did I say you said...? No!

Sadly those events are common enough spread over the whole of the USA which is an enormous area. One weather centre in the USA has decided NOT to predict the hurricane (or extreme weather) for future seasons until very much closer to the hurricane season of 1st June to 30th November, purely because their previous predictions were not as good as pure random guesswork.

The numbers killed and damage sustained, frightening as those figures are, have no direct link to the number or severity of the events simply because they depend on where the event takes place. Tornadoes for example can touch down in open country and nobody cares much, or they can run up a highway or across town and cause havoc. Irene was not a hurricane when it went ashore again in New York State, it was back to a tropical storm and it was largely the rainfall that cause the damage there. Irene however was a category 1 hurricane when it went directly over our originally planned marina berth in Hampton Virginia and yet no damage was done and the town even had no worse than the UK has seen this week.

I should also point out that the USA is but one of many countries in the area, although as has been pointed out by others nobody seems to care unless it is the USA that is affected. MoodyNick pointed out that to me when Irene swerved away from our boat in Florida and headed towards Bermuda where he has family, one man's joy can be another's pain.

All this is quite fascinating to research and if you are interested it is well worth a read through the National Hurricane Center website here http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

I admit to having more than a passing interest as a future Florida liveaboard!

 

[Rum_Pirate]

How long does it last? I'm starting to lose count, but I think we've just had our third one sine May.

Hurricane season in the Atlantic begins June 1st and ends November 30th.