Good morning Treasure Coast!! 12 years ago today, the hurricane nightmare of 2004 began. First we had Hurricane Charley that came ashore the West Coast of Florida. That storm lasted from August 9-15. Then came Hurricane Frances that was born August 23 and lasted through September 6. Frances was not particularly strong but the system hovered over the Treasure Coast for hours pounding the area with sustained winds and flooding rain. Ivan was the next system to hit Florida and that system hit the Panhandle area with flooding rains and strong winds. Last but least is the infamous Hurricane Jeanne. Jeanne came ashore at almost the exact same place as Frances after doing a complete loop in the Atlantic. Jeanne lasted from September 13 through the 27th. Jeanne reinforced an already damaged Florida with even more damage. Because of these back to back hurricanes, most Treasure Coast homes now have newer roofs.
Photo Courtesy of NOAA.
It was a nightmare of a summer that we hope never repeats itself. To add insult to injury, we were hit again one year later by Wilma. Wilma was a strong storm that began to strengthen as it was leaving the East Coast of Florida. Most of us will never forget the strong backside of the hurricane. Its fast forward motion helped to kick the system out to sea quickly. Wilma had the advantage of bringing in colder temperatures associated with a cold front which made not having electricity a bit more tolerable.
That was the last of the streaks of hurricane hits in Florida. The big question is if our luck will hold out. Yes, it is mostly luck. For 2016, the hurricane forecast has been slightly raised as of the August update. This means that the second half of the hurricane season could be the strongest since 2012 when Superstorm Sandy hit New Jersey. Most folks in the North East really do not think about hurricanes as much as we do in the South but this year, you might want to reconsider. The waters near the East Coast are warm, very warm and this warm water could easily support a hurricane all the way up the coast.
Right now, the wind shear in the Atlantic breeding grounds is quite high. This is helping to squelch the hurricane activity for now. That all could change in the blink of an eye. It is best to just keep hurricane preparedness in the back of your mind and get some supplies now just in case the inevitable happens.
Tropical Updates Fresh and Up To Date:
http://www.joesdiscoweathercentral.com/Tropical_Web_Forecasts.html