An excerpt from the Florida Consumer Newsletter, August 2010
Are you prepared for a busy hurricane season. Do you have an emergency kit prepared for your pets if you have to evacuate?
While the Atlantic Basin has seen relatively little tropical cyclone development in the first few months of the 2010 hurricane season, trouble may literally be brewing on the horizon. According to most experts, the atmospheric and oceanic conditions currently in place are particularly conducive to hurricane formation. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association’s (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center recently updated its 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook, calling for a 90% chance of an above normal season. Forecasters now predict 14-20 named storms, including 8-12 hurricanes, of which 4-6 will be classified as “major” (Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Scale). Historically, August, September and October have produced 79% of our named storms, 85% of our hurricanes and 93% of our major hurricanes. With 1,197 miles of coastline and all of its cities within 75 miles of the coast, there are no areas in Florida that are immune to the potentially destructive forces of a hurricane.