Forecasters See No Pause In Hurricane Activity for 2006
Weather officials see no relief in sight next year for states in the Southeast and Gulf Coast wearied by the most devastating hurricane season on record.
In all, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) identified 26 named storms in 2005, five more than the agency predicted as recently as August. It dismissed global warming as a reason for the increase in activity, but did caution that sea surface temperatures are on the rise.
NOAA scientists said ocean waters were two to three degrees Fahrenheit warmer than average during 2005. Hurricanes do not form unless water temps are at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Two other factors accounting for the increased number of storms are low wind shear and favorable winds blowing from the coast of West Africa, NOAA said.
For residents of the Atlantic and Caribbean coastal regions, the message is clear-prepare for more hurricanes to make landfall with the kind of destruction seen in the seven storms classified as Category 3 or higher this year.
“It’s reasonable to expect ongoing, high levels of hurricane activity for many years to come, and importantly, ongoing, high levels of hurricane landfalls for the next decade and perhaps more,” said Jerry Bell, lead meteorologist at the NOAA Climate Prediction Center.
Weather officials see no relief in sight next year for states in the Southeast and Gulf Coast wearied by the most devastating hurricane season on record.
In all, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) identified 26 named storms in 2005, five more than the agency predicted as recently as August. It dismissed global warming as a reason for the increase in activity, but did caution that sea surface temperatures are on the rise.
NOAA scientists said ocean waters were two to three degrees Fahrenheit warmer than average during 2005. Hurricanes do not form unless water temps are at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Two other factors accounting for the increased number of storms are low wind shear and favorable winds blowing from the coast of West Africa, NOAA said.
For residents of the Atlantic and Caribbean coastal regions, the message is clear-prepare for more hurricanes to make landfall with the kind of destruction seen in the seven storms classified as Category 3 or higher this year.
“It’s reasonable to expect ongoing, high levels of hurricane activity for many years to come, and importantly, ongoing, high levels of hurricane landfalls for the next decade and perhaps more,” said Jerry Bell, lead meteorologist at the NOAA Climate Prediction Center.
Page created and maintained by West Florida Electric Cooperative, Inc. © 2001.
designed by embryo design