Hurricane season enters active phase

By SUZETTE PORTER Article published on Monday, Sept. 8, 2014

Since hurricane season began in the Atlantic basin, four named tropical storms have formed Season summary and outlook and three have strengthened into hurricanes, but the busiest part of the season is just getting was the first to form in 2014 started. and traveled along the east coast of the United States over the July 4 holiday, strengthening into Statistically, the majority of the activity in a a Category 2 hurricane before it made on typical season happens in the second half, the of July 4 with according to a media release from Pinellas wind gusts of more than 100 mph. County Communications. Since the hurricane record began in 1855, nearly 55 percent of all Next up was , which started as a tropical storms and hurricanes formed during the tropical depression Aug. 1. Bertha posed no months of September and October. threat to land, staying well off the U.S. coast before moving out over the open waters of the “Strong and destructive storms such as 2012’s Atlantic. formed Aug. 28. , 2005’s Wilma and the 1921 Although it remained well off the U.S. coast, it Tampa Bay Hurricane all made landfall in did create heavy surf to beaches along the October, serving as a reminder to stay prepared,” Atlantic coast just in time for the Labor Day county officials said. weekend.

For more information, visit the National Hurricane The last to form thus far this year was Tropical Center’s climatology Storm Dolly, a short-lived system that developed website www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo. on Labor Day, Sept. 1, and made landfall along the coast of Mexico Sept. 3. Pinellas County is producing its eSeries: Prepare to Survive, which are 15-minute programs NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center updated its offering an in-depth look into specific disaster hurricane season Outlook Aug. 7. The new preparedness topics, including insurance, outlook, which included hurricanes Arthur and preparing pets and building codes. Bertha, predicts a 70 percent chance of the following ranges: seven to 12 named storms (top The September edition features a discussion with winds of 39 mph or higher); three to six Emergency Management director Sally Bishop hurricanes (top winds of 74 mph or higher), of about the county’s new Public Safety Building. which zero to two could become major hurricanes The show is available on PCC-TV, on YouTube (Category 3, 4, 5; winds of at least 111 mph). at www.youtube.com/PCCTV1, and online at www.pinellascounty.org/eseries. These ranges are below the 30-year seasonal average of 12 named storms, six hurricanes and Hurricane season continues through Nov. 30. three major hurricanes. The initial outlook in May

predicted eight to 13 named storms, three to six hurricanes and one to two major hurricanes.

For more information about how to prepare for hurricanes, visitwww.pinellascounty.org/emergency to find evacuation levels, learn about storm dangers and discover how to create a personal disaster plan.

Additional information can be found in the hurricane guide atwww.TBNweekly.com.