Last Updated on June 11, 2011 by Mike

Hurricane Season

Most everyone on the Atlantic Coast and Gulf Coast is acutely aware of hurricanes. Even if a particular location has not been affected, chances are somewhere nearby has. What many people don’t understand, whether they are residents or tourists, is that hurricanes do not occur throughout the year. Hurricanes rarely occur between the beginning of December and the end of May.

Annual occurrences of hurricanes as gathered through historical reports, hurricane satellite image histories and storm watch data that have originated over the Atlantic Ocean has led to the official declaration of Hurricane Season as being from June 1 to November 30. The National Hurricane Center, operating from Florida International University in Miami, is responsible for tracking the storms.

What is a Hurricane?
Hurricanes, also known as tropical cyclones, are large storm systems that form over the ocean. Most of the world’s hurricanes occur over the Pacific Ocean and affect the Philippines, Indonesia and the east coast of China. Hurricanes that affect the United States almost always occur over the Atlantic. Hurricane season refers specifically to these Atlantic Ocean hurricanes.

A hurricane begins as a tropical depression, which is a low-pressure storm system with winds of up to 33 miles per hour. A tropical depression may develop into a tropical storm when winds reach 35 mph. When sustained winds reach speeds of 64 mph, the storm is declared a level 1 hurricane.

Atlantic hurricanes are categorized through a five-level system. Level 1 hurricanes have winds from 64 to 83 mph. Level 2 hurricanes have winds of 84 to 98 mph. Level 3 winds are at speeds of 99 to 114 mph. A level 4 hurricane has sustained winds of 120 to 137 mph. The most devastating hurricanes are level 5 hurricanes with wind speeds of 140 mph or greater.

In the northern hemisphere, the winds revolve counter-clockwise around a central low-pressure area called the eye. Hurricane satellite photography shows that the eye appears as cloudless circle from 10 to 50 miles wide at the center of the storm. The total diameter of a hurricane can be up to 1,350 miles. However, average diameter is about 300 miles.

Hurricane Destruction
Most hurricanes never reach land. They form over the ocean and die out before reaching land. When the path of a hurricane does lead it to land, the destruction it can cause can be devastating. Many cities and villages in the Caribbean have been destroyed by hurricanes through the years and countless more have suffered crippling damages. Thousands of people have lost their lives due to hurricanes.

Forecasting Hurricanes
Although the official hurricane season is June 1 through November 30, this is no guarantee that hurricanes will not originate outside this time frame. It is estimated that 97 percent of hurricanes originate in this time period. This means that one hurricane occurs outside of hurricane season about every three years.

The National Hurricane Center in Florida, one of several World Meteorological Organizations, is charged with observing satellite images and weather patterns to predict hurricane formation and the path of hurricanes. The Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch (TAFB) performs the forecasting. The information is then sent to the National Weather Service (NWS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), among other organizations for further analysis.

If a hurricane is deemed a threat to any areas in the United States or the Caribbean, a storm alert is issued. Storm alerts are mostly geared toward areas in the U.S., but International alerts are also sent to other countries for the benefit of the citizens and any tourists on vacation.

Hurricane Season Safety
It is important that everyone on the Atlantic Coast and Gulf Coast be prepared for hurricanes. Tourists who plan to travel to these areas should also prepare themselves for the eventuality of a hurricane.

Some tourists avoid traveling to hurricane-prone areas during hurricane season, but reduced hotel rates and plane fares are too attractive for many to pass up. In all likelihood, the chances that a hurricane will strike one particular tourist destination are very small. The small risk can be reduced further with some strategic planning. Some of the safest Caribbean destinations are the Dutch islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. Trinidad and Tobago are also safer than most other Caribbean destinations.

Even if a resort destination is not directly stricken by a hurricane, the hurricane affects the weather in a much wider area than the hurricane itself. If any hurricanes are predicted for a particular vacation spot, it is recommended to cancel the trip. Some resorts offer weather guarantees just in case. In all cases, it is recommended to read any hurricane safety information available to know what to do in the eventuality that such a situation occurs.