Beware the red blob. It's still too early to know if this latest storm will become a hurricane, but we are now in peak season
The Atlantic Hurricane Season spans half the year, from June through November, but the majority of storms historically happen this time of year
The slow-moving storm system plodding its way across the Atlantic in our direction has hurricane watchers’ antennas up.
But because it’s traveling so slowly, and because a host of other issues—from jet stream patterns to Saharan dust over the ocean—can influence its ultimate path, it is far too soon to push the panic button, we are advised.
Still, the National Hurricane Center gives the system more than a 90 percent chance of developing into a tropical depression over the next week as it nears the Caribbean.
But even if this weather system meanders its way from Florida, all indications are there will be other storms to capture our attention.
This graphic shows why. We are, right now, at the peak of hurricane season when, historically, most storms occur.
Here’s the lineup from the past few years of major storms that hit our state:
Irma — Sept. 10, 2017
Michael—Oct. 10, 2018
Ian—Sept. 28, 2022
Idalia—August 30, 2023
Helene—Sept. 27, 2024
Milton—Oct. 9, 2024
All of which is to say there’s no need to hold our collective breath at the moment, but we will need to remain alert.
One way to do that is to follow Florida’s preeminent hurricane expert, Bryan Norcross, of Miami. Reporters all over the state turn to him for guidance when writing about the weather.
You can do that too by following him on his Hurricane Intel blog. I certainly do. Here’s a link:
By the way, he notes in his latest post that if that red blob turns into a tropical storm, she will be named Gabrielle.
J.C. Bruce, journalist and author, is the founder of Tropic Press. He holds dual citizenship in the United States of America and his native Florida and obsesses about the weather. Share this email with your friends. They will love you for it.
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