'Ingredients are there' for busy storm season
By
Echoing earlier predictions about the season that will start
"All of the ingredients are there. We still have those near-record warm waters out in the
Officials also have growing concern that rapid intensification of storms is becoming more frequent, resulting in less time for preparations and evacuations.
"While climate change as science doesn't necessarily indicate we're going to be getting more tropical cyclones on average, we are predicting that there will be more of the major hurricanes and more of a category 4s and 5s," Wool added. "And that this rapid intensification, which has been on the increase, will happen more frequently."
The six-month season officially begins
Acknowledging the possibility of "a very, very intense hurricane season," state
Guthrie said the division is prepared for up to five storms hitting the state and expects to rely "more heavily" than in past years on contractors providing pre- and post-storm materials.
"For example, we used to have five logistics vendors, we now have 12 logistics vendors," Guthrie said. "That's all in preparation for this season that's coming up."
Florida State University Climatologist
"The latest analysis I saw is that sea surface temperatures in the main development region are as warm as they normally are in mid-August right now," Zierden told reporters on
The
Experts at the University of
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
Among the examples was 2022's Hurricane Ian, which went from a 120-mph Category 3 hurricane to a 160-mph Category 5 system in the 24 hours before it struck
The 2023 season was the fourth most-active on record with 20 named storms, including seven that reached hurricane strength and three major storms. In late August, Hurricane Idalia made landfall in
From 1991 to 2020 the
"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."
Pimentel said maximum sustained winds of Hurricane Idalia increased by 55 mph in 24 hours before landfall.
"That's taking a Category 1 storm to Category 3, almost to a Category 4. That's significant," Pimentel said. "That what I'm talking about. The waters are warm again this year. We're all cognizant of that as we're going to prepare for this year."
"So, it's a good thing to know, from a social point of view, that we don't have a huge gap with people being uninsured going into the season," Born said.
But Born cautioned that the state continues to face storms that affect homeowners' premiums. The problem, Born added, is getting through a period before legislation fully takes hold.
"I'm pretty optimistic that one storm is not going to kill us. A couple of storms may be a little bit more of an issue," Born said. "If this is a season where we have two or three hurricanes, we're going to be facing some concerns."
Florida residents told to prepare for ‘very intense’ hurricane season
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