Forecasters warn of ‘parade of storms’
Weather forecasters have predicted a “supercharged September” with six to ten named storms and the possibility of back-to-back tropical threats in the Atlantic basin.
AccuWeather said less wind shear and less dry air will create conducive conditions for storm development, beginning at the end of this month.
It added that water temperatures were also at near or record-high levels across much of the Atlantic, the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, further fuelling storm activity.
Alex DaSilva, an AccuWeather lead hurricane expert, said: “We could see a parade of storms developing during the month of September.
“There’s a possibility that we could see multiple tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic basin on the same day, similar to the frequency of storms that we’ve seen during other supercharged hurricane seasons like 2020.
“The statistical peak of the hurricane season is September 10, and we expect the Atlantic basin to be incredibly active.”
Mr DaSilva said meteorologists at AccuWeather were forecasting between six and ten named storms from August 27 to September 30. The historic average is six named storms in the same period.
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According to Mr DaSilva, dry air and Saharan dust across much of the Atlantic basin has limited tropical development in the wake of Hurricane Ernesto, which hit Bermuda over the weekend, but he said both inhibiting factors were expected to ease in the final days of August.
“We often see one tropical wave move off the coast of Africa every few days during the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season,” he said.
“With less Saharan dust and dry air expected in the coming weeks, we could see those tropical waves take advantage of very favourable conditions.
“With extremely warm water temperatures, less disruptive wind shear and less dry air, we could see a storm organising every few days.”
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Mr DaSilva added that sea surface temperatures and ocean heat content, or the depth that warm waters reach beneath the surface, were near or at record-high levels across much of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.
Brett Anderson, a senior meteorologist and climate expert at AccuWeather, said climate change and the warming atmosphere were leading to bigger hurricane season impacts, potentially affecting more people.
“With the climate changing, the lower atmosphere is warming, and warmer air is able to hold more moisture compared to cooler air, which can increase the risk for more extreme precipitation rates in a storm or hurricane,” he said.
“Sea surface temperatures over the eastern Gulf of Mexico, where Hurricane Debby saw its greatest increase in strength, continue to run near record-high levels.
“The added amount of heat to these waters clearly provided an additional boost of energy for the storm before it made landfall, allowing it to reach Category 1 strength.
“Dry air on the western side of the storm may have prevented Debby from rapidly strengthening into a Category 2 or higher hurricane.”
Forecasters have already warned of an above-average hurricane season, with Colorado State University predicting 25 named storms, including 12 hurricanes, half of which would become major hurricanes.
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AccuWeather meteorologists have been forecasting 20 to 25 named storms and predict that conditions could mean tropical threats will extend well into November.
“If the wind shear holds off and we see more influences from La Niña later this season, we could see one, two or even three named storms in November,” Mr DaSilva said.
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