Average Season of Hurricanes Is Expected
Just 10 days from the official start of hurricane season, forecasters warned Monday that, although no more than an average number of storms is expected to form this year, any one of those could be a killer.
“It’s not about the numbers,” said Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center in Coral Gables, Fla. “Be prepared. Know about storm surge, flooding, evacuation and all the common-sense things: food and water. It’s a no-brainer.”
As many as 11 tropical storms are expected to threaten the U.S. during the six-month season that begins June 1, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration--with as many as seven of those storms likely to grow into hurricanes--storms with sustained winds of at least 74 mph.
Numbers like that would make the six-month season just about normal, according to NOAA acting administrator Scott Gudes. But, Gudes said in a statement, “That is no cause to become complacent. . . . Residents in hurricane-prone areas can’t afford to let their guard down.”
Some forecasters attribute last year having 14 named storms to cooler temperatures in the Pacific Ocean off South America’s coast.
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