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BBC MUNDO RADIO
www.theitem.com
Posted: Tuesday, May 25, 2010 6:00 am | Updated: 10:39 pm, Mon May 24, 2010.
The 2010 hurricane season could end the recent pattern of below-average activity on the Atlantic Coast, forecasters warn.
The Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University is forecasting 15 named storms in the Atlantic basin between June and November, with four of them anticipated to form into major storms: category 3, 4 or 5 hurricanes.
Researchers also anticipate warming sea surface temperatures and a weakened El Niño, as well as an above-average probability for major hurricane landfall in the United States and Caribbean.
The Atlantic hurricane season is June 1 to Nov. 30.
The 2010 predictions are based on studies of about 60 years of weather patterns. Conclusions were drawn by comparing years of hurricane activity similar to 2009 as a baseline and seeing what the next year's hurricane season brought.
AccuWeather Meteorologist Tom Kines said AccuWeather is forecasting 16 to 18 storms in the Atlantic for the summer and fall.
"We are very concerned about these storms impacting the U.S. coast," Kines said.
The South Carolina coast has not had a tropical storm impact the region for several years, he said.
"I think you would have to go back to Gaston in 2004," he said.
Gaston made landfall at Awendaw, between Charleston and McClellanville, as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph.
Kines said dry air in the eastern Atlantic served to suppress tropical development in 2009.
"That was one result of El Nino," he said. "That's not going to be a factor this year. The water temperatures in the Atlantic are above normal. All of that tells us we're likely to have an active hurricane season."
The names for the 2010 tropical storms are Alex, Bonnie, Colin, Danielle, Earl, Fiona, Gaston, Hermine, Igor, Julia, Karl, Lisa, Matthew, Nicole, Otto, Paula, Richard, Shary, Tomas, Virginie and Walter.
According to the website of the South Carolina Emergency Management Division, South Carolina is one of the most vulnerable states in the nation to be impacted by hurricanes and tropical storms. Of the state's 46 counties, six have coastlines with a total of more than 200 miles bordering the Atlantic Ocean. Another 21 inland counties, including Sumter, Clarendon and Lee, could be directly affected by these storms.
The state will observe Hurricane Preparedness Week through Saturday, officials said.
The National Weather Service has established a website (www.nhc.noaa.gov) designed to help the general public prepare for hurricanes.
Reach Randy Burns at (803) 491-4533.
HURRICANE PREPARATIONS
(Provided by the Sumter County Department of Public Safety)
• Establish a family action plan.
• Assemble a disaster kit.
• Have an out-of-town contact person who knows about your status and whereabouts.
• Make sure you have food and water to sustain yourself and family for three to four days.
• Make sure your vehicles have full tanks of gas.
• Have some cash on hand.
• Make sure your cell phone batteries are charged.
• Have a NOAA tone-alert radio on hand with extra batteries.
• Have a plan for those with disabilities and special needs.
• Have a plan for pets.
