Hurricane Season Ends This Week
The 2011 Atlantic hurricane season officially ends Wednesday [Nov. 30] having produced 19 tropical storms of which seven became hurricanes — including three major hurricanes — but Bermuda’s closest call this year came from the recent Tropical Storm Sean.
This year’s level of activity matched the US National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration’s [NOAA] predictions and continues the trend of active hurricane seasons that began in 1995.
The 19 tropical storms represent the third-highest total — tied with 1887, 1995, and 2010 –since records began in 1851 and is well above the average of 11.
However, the number of hurricanes and major hurricanes is only slightly above the average of six and two, respectively.
Tropical Storm Maria veered near the island in September but did no damage. However, the weather front which formed into the late-season Tropical Storm Sean earlier this month caused gale-force conditions on the island for a week.
Powerful winds caused by the system forced the postponement of the World Rugby Classic’s opening games, delayed a cruise ship’s arrival in Bermuda and disrupted a yacht rally en route to the island, forcing one crew to abandon their vessel on the high seas.
Another sailor in the Bermuda-leg of the North American Rally To The Caribbean [NARC] regatta was swept off her yacht by a 30 foot wave and lost at sea.
This year’s totals include a post-storm upgrade of Tropical Storm Nate to hurricane status, and the addition of a short-lived, unnamed tropical storm that formed in early September between Bermuda and Nova Scotia.
This unnamed storm, along with several other weak, short-lived named storms, could have gone undetected without modern satellite technology.
Meteorologists had predicted the 2011 hurricane season would be a busy one following on from what scientists had called a “hyperactive” 2010.
When Bermuda marked Hurricane Awareness Week in May, National Security Minister Wayne Perinchief issued a stark warning to locals, cautioning residents to be mindful of the island’s recent history with hurricanes.
“We must never forget the tragedy of Hurricane Fabian in 2003, and should learn from our experiences to ensure that lives are protected, as we also focus on the security of property and livelihoods,” said the Minister.
“We cannot prevent the approach or onset of hurricanes, but we can become more resilient by reducing our impacts by decreasing vulnerability and raising preparedness against this potentially deadly hazard.”
In September, 2010 Bermuda came close to receiving the full fury of Hurricane Igor — which was packing sustained winds of more than 90 miles per hour as it bore down on the island — but the storm brushed past doing little damage.
Irene was the lone hurricane to hit the United States in 2011, and the first one to do so since Ike struck southeast Texas in 2008. Irene was also the most significant tropical cyclone to strike the Northeast since Hurricane Bob in 1991.
“Irene broke the ‘hurricane amnesia’ that can develop when so much time lapses between landfalling storms,” said Jack Hayes, Ph.D., director of NOAA’s National Weather Service. “This season is a reminder that storms can hit any part of our coast and that all regions need to be prepared each and every season.”
As far as landfalling major hurricanes — Category 3, 4 or 5 with top winds of 111mph and greater — are concerned, the lull continues. 2011 marks a record six straight years without one hitting the United States.
The last one to do so was Wilma in 2005. Nonetheless, wind is not the only threat with tropical systems as proven by Irene and Lee, which caused deadly and destructive flooding. On average, more than half of the fatalities related to tropical systems are due to flooding.
NOAA will issue its initial outlook for the 2012 hurricane season in May just prior to the official start of the season on June 1.
Read More About
Category: All, Environment, News
Hurricane season may have ended for this year but I see political storms on the horizon.
Hope we can weather them.