With the Atlantic Hurricane Season beginning on June 1, meteorologists are warning of a threat of rapidly intensifying storms this summer, whose quick growth could leave families, businesses, and government leaders with less time to react and prepare, according to AccuWeather.
Rapidly intensifying tropical storms and hurricanes pose a major threat to life and property along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coastlines, as those weather systems could gain wind intensity of at least 35 mph in 24 hours or less, the weather service said. That short time frame is a problem because many large coastal cities require 48 to 72 hours to announce mandatory evacuations, organize shuttles, and activate highway contraflow for evacuation traffic.
The forecast is inspired by certain “red flags” being tracked by AccuWeather meteorologists, including: the switch from an El Nino to a La Niña pattern, record-shattering warm ocean temperatures in the Main Development Region at the surface, and warm waters at deep depths.
“Sea-surface temperatures across the Atlantic Basin as a whole have never been warmer in recorded history on this date than they are right now. The fear is that as we enter the heart of the tropical season, the sea-surface temperature may eclipse the record-breaking season that was 2023,” AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Forecaster Alex DaSilva said in a release. “2023 is the benchmark for the warmest that the Atlantic basin has ever been in recorded history. Tropical storms and hurricanes love to feed off of warm ocean water. The warmer the oceans are, the more favorable the environment will be for tropical development and intensification.”
The forecast echoes an April prediction from the University of Arizona, where researchers likewise said this year's hurricane season has the potential to be even worse than the 2023 session, which ranked as the fourth most active hurricane season on record.
