Community Corner
Peak Hurricane Season 2013 Begins August 15, On Track to be 'Above Normal'
National Hurricane Center predicts 70 percent chance of 'above-normal' hurricane season, with 'three to five major hurricanes.'
by Mary Ann Barton
The peak of the hurricane season 2013, which begins this week and continues through October, is "on track to be above normal," representatives from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said last week.
Northern Virginia's most serious brushes in recent memory with hurricanes include Hurricane Irene, which hit August 27, 2011, and Hurricane Isabel on Sept. 19, 2003. (Read Fairfax County's tips on how to prepare for a hurricane.)
The updated outlook on 2013 hurricanes revealed last week calls for a 70 percent chance of an above-normal season. Across the Atlantic Basin for the entire season – June 1 to Nov. 30 – NOAA’s updated seasonal outlook (which includes the activity to date of tropical storms Andrea, Barry, Chantal, and Dorian) projects a 70 percent chance for each of the following ranges:
- 13 to 19 named storms (top winds of 39 mph or higher), including
- 6 to 9 hurricanes (top winds of 74 mph or higher), of which
- 3 to 5 could be major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of at least 111 mph)
The 2013 hurricane names still possible for this season are:
- Erin
- Fernand
- Gabrielle
- Humberto
- Ingrid
- Jerry
- Karen
- Lorenzo
- Melissa
- Nestor
- Olga
- Pablo
- Rebekah
- Sebastien
- Tanya
- Van
- Wendy
Just ahead of the peak of the hurricane season, NOAA National Hurricane Center Director Dr. Rick Knabb and senior hurricane specialist Daniel Brown will answer questions about tracking and forecasting of potentially damaging storms and how best to prepare.
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