A 2023 Hurricane Season Photo Retrospective, Pt 1

Hurricane Season 2024: Climatological Meteorological Apocalypse Or Don’t Believe The Hype ? ESM says be ready for anything and everything …

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In other words hold onto your hats, have all your contingency in order, evac routes plotted, insurance paid up, generators dusted off and tested and plywood for the windows and doors on hand like now. So buckle up Buttercup, keep a weather eye, don’t do anything stupid and hope and pray we don’t see a major landfalling hurricane which, this season will be a miracle unto itself. – Mez –

The Atlantic Ocean basin saw 20 named tropical systems in 2023. Seven storms were hurricanes and three intensified to major hurricanes. If that sounds like a lot it certainly is. In fact 2023 ranked 4th overall for the most named storms in a year since 1950.

An average season has 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes. 

“The Atlantic basin produced the most named storms of any El Nino influenced year in the modern record,” said Matthew Rosencrans, lead hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center — a division of NOAA’s National Weather Service. “The record-warm ocean temperatures in the Atlantic provided a strong counterbalance to the traditional El Nino impacts.”

The 2024 hurricane season is being predicted to be at least that active if not more so and now is the time to get your shit together from securing your home to getting a proper quiver together.

As one of the strongest El Ninos ever observed nears its end, NOAA scientists predict a quick transition to La Nina conditions, which are conducive to Atlantic hurricane activity because La Nina tends to lessen wind shear in the tropics. At the same time, abundant oceanic heat content in the tropical Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea creates more energy to fuel storm development.

NOAA National Weather Service forecasters at the Climate Prediction Center predict above-normal hurricane activity in the Atlantic basin this year. NOAA’s outlook for the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, which spans from June 1 to November 30, predicts an 85% chance of an above-normal season, a 10% chance of a near-normal season and a 5% chance of a below-normal season.

NOAA is forecasting a range of 17 to 25 total named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher). Of those, 8 to 13 are forecast to become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including 4 to 7 major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5; with winds of 111 mph or higher). Forecasters have a 70% confidence in these ranges.

In other words hold onto your hats, have all your contingency in order, evac routes plotted, insurance paid up, generators dusted off and tested and plywood for the windows and doors on hand like now. So buckle up Buttercup, keep a weather eye, don’t do anything stupid and hope and pray we don’t see a major landfalling hurricane which, this season will be a miracle unto itself. – Mez –