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Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management Crisis and Emergency Management Newsletter Website |
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October/November
2007
Volume 13 - Number
1/2 |
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Summary of the 2007 Hurricane Season By Kevin J Mahoney The 2007 Hurricane season still has two months remaining, as it runs until November 30 in both the Atlantic and East Pacific regions. So far, however, 2007 is on track to meet the predictions of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with an above normal hurricane season in the Atlantic region and a below normal season in the East Pacific. For the North Atlantic Region, the NOAA predicted an 85% chance of an above normal season, with a likely range of 13-16 named storms, 7-9 hurricanes, and 3-5 major hurricanes. So far there have been 13 named storms and 4 Hurricanes (Dean, Felix, Humberto, and Lorenzo), two of which were major (Dean and Felix, both category 5). While the number of storms becoming Hurricanes has not yet reached NOAA predictions, the total number of named storms does indicate an above average season. Highlights of the Atlantic storms follows: The Atlantic season began early with the formation of Subtropical Storm Andrea on May 9, marking the second time in five years that a storm formed prior to the official beginning of hurricane season on June 1. The next significant storm was Hurricane Dean, which made landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico as a category 5 storm on August 21st. Hurricane Dean is blamed for 42 deaths and approximately $3.8 billion in damages. One American drowned and at least 35 were rescued off the coast of Florida due to heavy surf and rip currents. On August 16, Tropical Storm Erin was downgraded to a tropical depression as it made landfall in Brownsville, TX, and two Texans were killed when a warehouse collapsed. On September 2nd, Hurricane Felix was updated to Category 5, making 2007 the fourth recorded Atlantic Hurricane season with more than one Category 5 storm. It made landfall in Nicaragua as a category 4 storm, and claimed 133 lives. The US government has donated over $1.17 million in assistance. On September 13, Hurricane Humberto made landfall as a Category 1 storm near High Island, TX and quickly weakened. One man was killed when his carport collapsed on him. Hurricane Lorenzo is the last hurricane on record so far this season, and made landfall in central Mexico on September 28 as a category 1 storm. In the Eastern Pacific Region, the NOAA predicted a 70% chance of a below average hurricane season, with a likely range of 12-16 named storms, 6-9 becoming hurricanes, 2-4 becoming major. So far there have been 10 named storms and 4 hurricanes (Cosme, Flossie, Henriette, and Ivo), of which only Hurricane Flossie reached category 4 status. The only significant landfall was Hurricane Henriette, which caused significant rock and mud falls in Acapulco, resulting in 7 deaths. In all, the Atlantic hurricane season has seen 8 storms make landfall, causing at least 208 fatalities and $3.8 billion in damages. The Pacific season has seen 2 storms make landfall, causing 8 fatalities and $80 million in damages. Both systems seem to be in line with NOAA predictions, with an above average season in the Atlantic, and below average in the East Pacific. Further information can be found at the following websites: National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Atlantic_hurricane_season#_note-11 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Pacific_hurricane_season Unisys Weather: http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/ |