Rapid Intensification

In recent years, we've seen several storms coming up through the Gulf of Mexico that were not forecast to become major hurricanes until just hours before landfall.

Hurricane Michael in 2018, for example. A couple of days out, it was expected to be a Category 2, at worst. Five hours before landfall, it was a mid-range Cat3. By the time it hit the Florida coast, it was a Cat5. 

Scientists are now studying what causes this rapid intensification. One theory is that when we have a busy hurricane season, one storm comes through and churns up the Gulf waters. The cooler waters are pulled to the surface, and the warm water is pushed down. After the storm, the surface waters warm up, but the deeper water doesn't have time to cool down before the next storm comes through.

Warm water fuels hurricanes.

A group called Saildrone is sending their autonomous boats into hurricanes in  2021 to collect data at surface level. 

Hopefully, we will learn more about this phenomenon of rapid intensification, so forecasters can more accurately predict the strength of a storm early on, giving coastal residents more time to prepare.

It's best to always assume the worst is going to happen. If you put your shutters up expecting a Cat4 or 5 storm, and it turns out it's only a tropical storm, it's just a few hours wasted. If you expect a tropical storm or a Category 1, and you don't prepare, you could be putting your safety at risk. 

My Mam-ma always said, "Better safe than sorry."

Free Hurricane Safety Handbook

The Gulf of Mexico Alliance has put together state-specific handbooks to help you get ready for a hurricane and of other natural disasters, including floods and tornadoes. These are free pdf downloads, so, you have no excuse not to take a look at the handbook for your state and see if your disaster plan is missing anything.

The book is more than just a checklist. They include radio stations you can turn to for information in your area, websites that can provide additional information on things like flood risk, and agencies and organization that may be able to provide you with guidance or assistance before, during, or aftter a disaster. Because these are in-depth guides, the files are pretty big. It may take a few minutes for it to download . 


Alabama
Florida
Louisiana
Mississippi
Texas


Please note, these links are not direct to the pdf, in case the link changes. They are links to a page that has information about and a link to the handbooks. You may have to scroll down a bit to find it. These pages also have a lot of other information that you may find useful.

If you live in an Atlantic Coast state, I'd suggest downloading one of these handbooks anyway, because while they may have some state-specific info that won't apply to you, they'll have a lot that will be the same for any coastal community.

Strange Season

What a strange hurricane season this has been. Two named storms before June first, and two in  June, so far. Hurricane Chris didn't make landfall, and Tropical Storm Debby hasn't yet, but will, eventually.

The biggest problem with Debby is that it's such a wet storm, just loitering off the Florida coast and dumping copious amounts of rain. That means flooding for a lot of people.

Any Gulf storm is going to send higher tides and bigger waves to coastal communities, and that brings erosion and some flooding.

Debby spun off some damaging tornadoes in South Florida and did some wind damage. For example, it has snapped off several old or rotted trees and knocked them onto nearby homes.

I look at a Debby, and I say, it's no big deal. It's just a tropical storm. But look at the damage this little storm is doing and imagine if Debby had become a hurricane or a major hurricane.

 

That's why it's so important to do preventative maintenance, to have a disaster plan, to build an emergency kit. That way, if the "little storm" brings more damage than you're expecting, you're ready. If it grows into a big storm, you're prepared.

Have you been putting off tree trimming, fixing a loose gutter, or cleaning out the drains around your home? If you live in hurricane country, don't put it off too long. It can be tough to find the money and the time, but it will cost you more in the long run, if a storm comes.