Trying to Reason With Hurricane Season (Part 1)

By Allan Boyles

Panama City Beaches are still crystal clear, clean and beautiful. The charter fishing boats are running and hauling in great catches and there has never been a better time to vacation in Panama City Beach!

While all eyes are on the Gulf oil spill, June 1^st, the first official day of the 2010 Hurricane Season, has quietly come and gone. Every year, from June 1 – November 30, we must accept the possible weather conditions that accompany life in a tropical paradise.

The upside of a hurricane is, as opposed to other natural events, plenty of advanced warning and tracking coverage are continuously broadcasted. As long as reasonable awareness and preparation practices are used and official suggestions and mandates are followed, the chances of harm are very low.

2010 is predicted to be more lively than 2009, which was a very inactive season. Dr. Gray and Dr. Klotzback, of the of Colorado State University’s Tropical Meteorology Project, have produced their famous forecast and are predicting 18 named storms, 10 of which will be hurricanes, with 5 of those being major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5 on the Saffir/Simpson Scale)

Storm names are assigned when a tropical depression becomes a tropical storm by reaching maximum sustained winds of 39 mph. The National Hurricane Center began naming storms in 1953. Names were female only until 1979 when the center began alternating male and female names with each storm. Once a named tropical storm becomes a hurricane by having maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, it retains the same name but is re-classified. The first storm of the year will be named Tropical Storm Alex. Should Alex become a hurricane, he would become Hurricane Alex.

2010 storm names, in order, are:

Alex, Bonnie, Colin, Danielle, Earl, Fiona, Gaston, Hermine, Igor, Julia, Karl, Lisa, Matthew, Nicole, Otto, Paula, Richard, Shary, Tomas, Virginie and Walter.

There are 6 name lists which are alternated, however, names of devastating storms are retired and replaced with new names. The 2010 list was the same list used in 2004, a devastating hurricane season in which 4 names were retired.  Charley was replaced by Colin, Frances was replaced by Fiona, Ivan was replaced by Igor and Jeanne was replaced by Julia.

Keep in mind we’ve been discussing hurricanes forming in the Atlantic Basin. Pacific hurricanes have separate name lists and in different parts of the world, these storm systems are called cyclones or typhoons.

Many people living in coastal tropical areas like to track storm movement on a chart. While most track out of interest, it’s considered a useful way to stay aware and keep informed of any potentially serious situations. CLICK HERE to print your own hurricane tracking chart.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has 2 “Hurricane Hunter” planes, Kermit and Miss Piggy. These planes fly through the hurricane walls deploying GPS dropwindsondes, which send back measurements to help determine strength and direction, among other measurements. Based at Macdill Air Force Base in Tampa, FL, these Lockheed WP 3-D Orion Turbo-prop aircraft are an integral part of understanding and forecasting hurricanes.

Please watch for Part 2 of Trying to Reason With Hurricane Season as we discuss preparedness for both vacationers and residents.