Atlantic Basin Hurricane Activity 2010 - Very Active Season Predicted

The 2010 Atlantic Basin Hurricane Season began on June 1st and extends for six months until November 30th. According to an outlook that was released by NOAA last week, and a forecast that was released by Colorado State University also last week, the season looks to be very active with the number of tropical storms, hurricanes, and major hurricanes expected to be well above the typcial long term averages.

Reasons for the expected activity include the warmer than average water temperatures in much of the Atlantic, Carribean, and Gulf of Mexico, and the fact that atmospheric conditons appear quite conducive for storm development both in the upper and lower levels, i.e., low shear which can affect or even destroy a storm as it tries to develop. I have heard some reference to similatities between this coming season and the 2005 Atlantic Tropical Season, which if you remember was the most active on record and produced such storms as Katrina, which destroyed the central Gulf, including New Orleans, Rita, which devastated the upper Texas and western Louisiana coast, and Wilma, which hammered the Yucatan and much of southern Florida. Of course, these storms also unfortunately caused high tolls in deaths and injuries. While nobody is predicting a record setting season like 2005, the early similarities are certainly a cause for concern

Of course, Nebraska's far inland location makes it impossible to feel the direct affects of a landfalling tropical system, although we may be visitied at times by the remnants of one, even one from the Pacific Ocean side. But these storms ultimately affect everyone economically due to things such as agricultural losses, tax dollars used to defray the cost of relief efforts, higher insurance premiums to help defray insurable losses, stock market effects due to losses to business, fuel price impacts especially when a hurricane heads for the Gulf of Mexico oil fields causing a shutdown and damaging oil rigs, and others. So even Nebraskans should closely monitor this Tropical Season with the hope that it won't be as bad as early predictions indicate. Unfortunately, if these predictions come to pass, it will certainly be a very news-making tropical season once again.

You can read more about the predictions for this season at the following links:

NOAA: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/news/display_cmsstory.php?wfo=lbf&storyid=52991&source=0

CSU: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/news/display_cmsstory.php?wfo=lbf&storyid=52991&source=0

Mike