What is November 30th for Gulf Coast residents? It was the stated end of hurricane season, and thank the dear Lord, we did not have a dangerous storm causing millions of dollars of damage and years of hurt and pain for those who call the beach area home. We had a few scares and some weather watching, but the most we had to deal with this year was a little wind from time to time and some flooding in low-lying spots.
None of us who call the Bolivar Peninsula and surrounding area home have to be reminded of Hurricane Ike that almost wiped us off the face of the map in 2008. Ike turned out to be the third costliest storm in the nation’s history and the lack of media attention and forthcoming help put a dent in our living, but did not put an end to it for most folks. Our hearts still break at the thought of loss many suffered and we fully realize that some homes will never be the same. Many of our neighbors are still in the rebuilding process, but I personally rejoice in the new homes, bright colors, and happiness returning to our beloved peninsula.
A hurricane, by any name, came to be called such for the Carib god of evil, and one occurs about 40 to 50 times worldwide each year. It seems we have heard of many more over the past few years, but it may be that we have better media coverage on a worldwide basis and that we are more aware of them now. Hurricane season takes place in the Atlantic, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and Central Pacific from June 1 to November 30, according to the experts in the field. In the Eastern Pacific, the season is from May 15 to November 30. The birth of a hurricane starts as a low pressure zone and builds into a tropical wave of low pressure. In addition to a disturbance in the tropical ocean water, the storms that become hurricanes also require warm ocean waters and light upper level winds.
Once winds reach 38 mph, the system becomes a tropical storm and receives a name while tropical depressions only get a number. Tropical storm names are preselected by a panel of experts and issued alphabetically for each storm. Out of the approximately 80-100 tropical storms annually, about half of these become full-fledged hurricanes. It is at 75 mph that a tropical storm becomes a hurricane. They have been measured from 60 to 1,000 miles wide. Many of us remember that the entire Gulf of Mexico looked to be full of Hurricane Ike as it made its way toward Texas. The hurricanes are measured on the Saffir-Simpson scale from a week Category 1 storm to a catastrophic Category 5. The damage from hurricanes is from high wind, storm surge, and freshwater flooding.
The experts predict what they believe will happen each season, but truthfully, no one knows for sure until the storms begin to form. I, for one, am glad that we did not have to deal with a major storm this year and trust we won’t next year.
If we do have one or more hurricanes in 2012, the names assigned are Alberto, Beryl, Chris, Debby, Ernesto, Florence, Gordon, Helene, Isaac, Joyce, Kirk, Leslie, Michael, Nadine, Oscar, Patty, Rafael, Sandy, Tony, Valerie, and William.
In reading a variety of predictions from the National Weather Service and other experts in these matters, it is a general consensus that we could have a very busy hurricane season in 2012, and all advice ends with being prepared. You can read that they have named 21 storms and most forecasters say we could experience five or six actual hurricanes. I pray they are incorrect.
Posted in 
Tags: 
