As dangerously hot conditions continue across Central Florida, with the heat index soaring to 110-115 degrees, Forecasters are now predicting an'above normal' 2023 Atlantic hurricane season.
With the extremely hot temperatures here in Central Florida making headlines, forecasters are now adjusting their predictions for this years hurricane season, and it's not good news.
Forecasters at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center have increased their prediction for the remainder of the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season from a near-normal level of tropical cyclone activity to an above-normal level of activity.
This shift in the forecast is due to record-warm sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic that are expected to counterbalance the conditions associated with the ongoing El Niño event in the Pacific.
When this years hurricane season predictions were first announced backing May, the likelihood of an above-normal hurricane season in the Atlantic was given as 30%, but now following this years summer heatwave the likelihood of an above-normal hurricane season in the Atlantic was given as 60%
The new outlook predicts 14-21 named storms, of which 6-11 could become hurricanes. Of those, 2-5 could become major hurricanes with winds of at least 111 mph.
The threat of hurricanes is very real for Florida during the six-month long Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 until November 30. The peak of hurricane season occurs between mid-August and late October, when the waters in the equatorial Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico have warmed enough to help support the development of tropical waves.
The southeast coastline is extremely susceptible to a land-falling hurricane, followed by the panhandle. Areas around Tampa, Jacksonville and the Big Bend do not have as high of a risk of a direct strike from a hurricane but are still susceptible to a landfall each year. Even if the hurricane makes landfall elsewhere in the state, the impacts can be felt hundreds of miles away.
Tropical Depression
A tropical cyclone in which the maximum 1-minute sustained surface wind is 33 knots (38 mph) or less.
Tropical Storm
A tropical cyclone in which the maximum 1-minute sustained surface wind ranges from 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph) inclusive.
Hurricane
A tropical cyclone in the Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, or eastern Pacific in which the maximum 1-minute sustained surface wind is 64 knots (74 mph) or greater.
Major Hurricane
A hurricane which reaches Category 3 (sustained winds greater than 110 mph) on the Saffir/Simpson Hurricane Scale.
Named Storms For 2023
Arlene
Bret
Cindy
Don
Emily
Franklin
Gert
Harold
Idalia
Jose
Katia
Lee
Margot
Nigel
Ophelia
Philippe
Rina
Sean
Tammy
Vince
Whitney
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