Florida is in for a whopper of a hurricane season, according to experts who rolled out predictions during a week in which state officials also begin to repeal renewable-energy goals as they carry out a law recently signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Echoing earlier predictions about the six-month season that will start June 1, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Thursday pointed to warm ocean waters and forecast up to 25 named storms, with up to 13 reaching hurricane strength and four to seven packing Category 3 or stronger winds.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has high confidence in its projections for the hurricane season that starts next week, with experts pointing to warm ocean waters and forecasting up to 25 named storms.
Read: Preparing For An Unprecedented 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season: NOAA’s Forecast
Mark Wool, warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Tallahassee office, said Thursday that the “ingredients” are lining up for a potential slew of named storms.
“All of the ingredients are there. We still have those near-record warm waters out in the Atlantic tropical-development areas that were there last year, and we no longer have (the climate pattern known as) El Niño,” Wool said. “We actually like to have an El Niño during hurricane season, because it increases wind shear over the development areas.”
Meteorologists in other parts of the country also have agreed on the potential severity of the upcoming storm season.
The NOAA forecast released Thursday was similar to a Colorado State University Department of Atmospheric Science forecast of 23 named storms and 11 hurricanes. Experts at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Arts & Sciences, meanwhile, forecast an eye-opening 33 named storms.
Officials also have growing concern that rapid intensification of storms is becoming more frequent, resulting in less time for preparations and evacuations.
The private meteorology company AccuWeather warned Wednesday about rapidly intensifying storms, which gain wind intensity of at least 35 mph in 24 hours or less.
“Over the last couple of years, there have been many examples where this has been exceeded. We’ve seen 40 mph, 50 mph, even 60 mph increases in a 24-hour period,” AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Forecaster Alex DaSilva said in a prepared statement.
With the possibility that the 2024 hurricane season could surpass 2023’s fourth most active season on record, utility companies are among those bracing for potential disasters.
Read: Mastering Hurricane Preparedness: A Comprehensive Guide For All Of Florida
Armando Pimentel, president and CEO of Florida Power & Light, told members of the state Public Service Commission on Tuesday that the utility has to prepare for storms that could quickly intensify because “we no longer feel comfortable that a Category 1 is going to stay Category 1.”
“That wasn’t the case 20 years ago,” Pimentel said. “And maybe it’s a bunch of flukes that have happened over the last couple of years. But we need to be well prepared.”
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