With September 10th being classified as the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season, it’s safe to say that this hurricane season went by rather quietly, and while the season isn’t officially over until November, past trends regarding hurricane formation suggest that the remainder will be rather uneventful. It goes without saying that hurricanes are a force of nature and can pop up unexpectedly from even the least likely of conditions. Especially given the fact that this current hurricane season has been filled with oddities and irregularities.
Currently it appears that there is one tropical low in the Atlantic, but on the Pacific coast there is a little more activity with another tropical low and a strengthening tropical storm that could become a hurricane by the end of the week! Given the past hurricane season that the Pacific areas have withstood this year, this almost comes at no surprise that there is still growing storms. However, when we take a look locally, we see that the first named storm of the year generally appears by July 9th, but even at the peak of our season, we are barely seeing any activity. The last year that showed these same slow conditions was back in 1992.
This past hurricane season, experts predicted that there would be little to no storms, which was quite certainly the case given that the Atlantic Basin only had a total of 4 storms for the whole year. So what about the remainder of 2014? After all, the Atlantic hurricane season isn’t officially over until November 30th. Well, researchers are suggesting that it will be just as the past months have been: lacking. But maybe we’re jumping to conclusions a little too quickly because it’s no mystery that weather can be a little, well, unpredictable.
If there’s anything that past major storms like Katrina or Sandy have taught us, it’s that we should always be prepared, some areas, like Miami, more than others. So naturally it only makes sense that the peak month of the Atlantic hurricane season has been dubbed “National Preparedness Month.” As a result, many have been advised by officials to always stay on their toes in the event that an unexpected disaster were to arise, which can pertain to weather related incidents or otherwise. Some of the most mentioned preparedness tips include having an evacuation route laid out, keeping important documents together in a safe place, having an emergency kit, and of course, having a backup generator in the likely event of a power outage. Ultimately, the 2014 Atlantic Hurricane Season may be quiet, but this doesn’t mean that we should be blissfully ignorant of the possibility that disaster can strike at any given moment.
