Hurricane Season Upon Us: Preparedness Tips

Mother Nature can be a fickle beast. She is unpredictable and answers to her own laws and rules of conduct – an impervious force to be reckoned with. And we’ve seen her at her worst.

Lilapsophobia? Never heard of it? Most people haven’t.?Lilapsophobia?is a specific fear of tornadoes or hurricanes. And these natural phenomena can indeed be terrifying.

Most would agree that hearing about a possible approaching hurricane instills both fear and trepidation. We never know of the outcome as?hurricanes can be so unpredictable. Such variables as wind speed, coverage area, an intensifying or weakening system and trajectory, for example, have to be considered.

Hurricane Season

Hurricane season?begins in early June and ends in late November in the Atlantic Ocean with the Atlantic experiencing over 97 percent of these tropical cyclones or tropical cyclogenesis.

Some weather events are more predictable than others. Due to the intricate dynamics of hurricanes, these so-called heat engines can present a?challenge in predicting their intensity, even with sophisticated weather monitoring systems. Their intensity can change quite quickly making it difficult to predict rapid changes.

Noting changes in cloud structure or cloud dynamics can perhaps indicate a couple hours in advance of a rapidly changing intensity. Hurricane categories – the Saffir-Simpson scale of 1-5 may not be totally reliable as this scale measures wind speed without considering possible severe rainfall amounts that may cause flooding in those prone to low-lying areas. In fact, a large Category 1 hurricane may cause more damage than a small Category 5.

Storm Surge

Aside from high winds and rain,?storm surge?can be a real concern for those living along coastal areas and is perhaps the most dangerous and damaging. The height of the storm surge will be dependent on various factors including hurricane intensity, wind speed, shape of sea floor, angle of approach and surrounding islands and bays that can amplify the surge effect.

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