If you’re among the many who are scrambling to evacuate Virginia and the Carolinas, or preparing to ride out Hurricane Florence, you might be wondering why. Why now, and why us? And, given there are two more tropical storms—Helene and Isaac—looming right behind, you might even be asking, “What’s next?”
Granted, September is the peak of the Atlantic Hurricane Season. But, many along the Gulf and East Coasts may have let their guard down just a bit last month. That’s when forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) modified earlier predictions, saying we could all expect a below-normal Atlantic Hurricane Season due to the effects of El Niño.
Of course, that didn’t mean that we should expect no hurricane activity at all. Even an average season includes at least 12 named storms, of which six become hurricanes (with three being classified as major storms). A major storm is categorized as a Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, with wind speeds in excess of 111 mph. Florence, though now downgraded to a strong Category 2 storm, may not be considered major by definition, but she i