Category Archives: Tropical

How accurate were forecasts of Hurricane Laura?

When Hurricane Laura made landfall just south of Lake Charles, Louisiana, at 2 a.m. Thursday, it did so as the strongest hurricane to strike the state in more than 160 years and one of the top 10 strongest landfalling storms in U.S. history.

By the time the storm came ashore 30 miles south of Lake Charles, it likely packed gusts to over 150 mph. Indeed, the peak gust at Lake Charles was 137 mph — truly incredible considering that the city is 30 miles from the coastline. Continue reading

Category: Meteorology, Severe Weather, Tropical

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What does the rest of the hurricane season look like?

On this date in 1969, Hurricane Camille, the second-worst hurricane in U.S. history, made landfall on the Mississippi coast with 190-mph winds at Bay St. Louis.

Camille claimed 256 lives. Continue reading

Category: Meteorology, Severe Weather, Tropical

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Where are we on hurricane season thus far?

The official season stretches from June 1 through Nov. 30. One measure of the activity of a season is the number of named storms — those that reach or exceed sustained winds of 39 mph — that season accrues.

This year, for the sixth year in a row, Atlantic tropical storms formed before the official start of the season with Arthur and Bertha developing in May. Continue reading

Category: Meteorology, Severe Weather, Tropical

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When is hurricane season?

The peak of hurricane activity in the tropical waters south and southeast of the United States is typically in early to mid-September.

But hurricanes can occur any month of the year; the calendar isn’t the important thing — the ocean temperatures and the lack of wind shear are. Continue reading

Category: Seasons, Severe Weather, Tropical

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How was the 2019 hurricane season?

The 2019 Atlantic hurricane season, which ends on Nov. 30, will go down as the fourth-most active hurricane season on record.

There were 18 named storms and 20 tropical cyclones in total, although many were weak and short-lived, especially late in the season. Continue reading

Category: Meteorology, Tropical

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