07 Aug NOAA Issues Updated Hurricane Forecast
This is the time of year when everyone here at Integrity Roofing & Waterproofing, licensed and experienced roofing contractors in Palm Beach County, to start paying a little more attention to the weather forecasts. August through October is when the hurricane season usually keeps us on our toes. This is usually the time of year when weather systems developing off the coast of Africa start rolling our way with the possibility of developing into damaging tropical storms and hurricanes.
2019 Hurricane Season Activity to Date
Back in April, preliminary forecasts indicated we’d have a below-average season. In May, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) told us that we could expect a pretty normal hurricane season (they predicted between nine and 15 named storms with four to eight hurricanes).
We’ve only had two named storms so far this year:
- Andrea, which never developed past a subtropical storm
- Barry, a Category 1 hurricane that made landfall near Intracoastal City, LA last month.
Updated Forecase Information
On Aug. 8, NOAA issued an updated forecast. The forecasters they have monitoring oceanic and atmospheric patterns observed that the El Niño, a large-scale ocean-atmosphere climate interaction linked to a periodic warming in sea surface temperatures across the central and east-central Equatorial Pacific, effect has ended, which means conditions are now more favorable for hurricane activity. In other words, we’re now looking at above-average activity this season.
“El Nino typically suppresses Atlantic hurricane activity but now that it’s gone, we could see a busier season ahead,” said Gerry Bell, Ph.D., lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “This evolution, combined with the more conducive conditions associated with the ongoing high-activity era for Atlantic hurricanes that began in 1995, increases the likelihood of above-normal activity this year.”
The updated 2019 Atlantic hurricane season probability and numbers of named storms. (NOAA)
The forecast now calls for as many as 17 named storms, five to nine of which may become hurricanes. It doesn’t take a direct hit for a storm to do damage, some of these storms extend for hundreds of miles! Please don’t take chances with your safety. We encourage you to have a hurricane plan in place that will help to protect your family and your home.
If you’re not sure if your existing roof can withstand the increased activity called for in the new forecast and you’re looking for a roofer in Delray Beach, Boca Raton or Boynton Beach that you can trust to be fair and honest with you, please know that you can call us when it comes to palm Beach County roofing, Integrity is more than our name.
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