14 DAY TRIAL // Specialists working with the Colorado State University say that, all things considered, 2013's hurricane season in the United States will be well above average.
“Information obtained through March 2013 indicates that the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season will have more activity than the median 1981-2010 season,” the researchers explain.
More precisely, it is being said that a total of 18 tropical storms are to hit said country between June 1 and November 30.
Given the fact that up until now the average hurricane season only comprised about 12 tropical storms, it need not come as a surprise that major concerns are being raised with respect to the year 2013.
The researchers suspect that 9 out of these 18 storms to hit the US in 2013 will eventually turn into hurricanes.
Of said number of hurricanes, 4 are expected to be major ones, meaning that sustained wind speeds might reach 111 miles per hour (about 178.5 kilometers per hour).
By the looks of it, this increase in the number of tropical storms expected to hit the United States throughout the course of this year's hurricane season is a direct result of the fact that the surface waters of the Atlantic Ocean are beginning to warm.
“The tropical Atlantic has anomalously warmed over the past several months, and it appears that the chances of an El Niño event this summer and fall are unlikely,” argued researcher Phil Klotzbach.
“Typically, El Nino is associated with stronger vertical shear across the tropical Atlantic, creating conditions less conducive for storm formation,” Phil Klotzbach went on to say.
The researchers claim that, according to their predictions, there is a 72% chance that the entire US coastline will be hit by a major hurricane within said time frame.
On the other hand, there is a 48% chance that one such extreme weather manifestation will affect the U.S. East Coast including Peninsula Florida, and a 47% that one such storm will make landfall in the Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle westward to Brownsville.
The Caribbean region has a 61% chance of experiencing the effects of a major hurricane.
“All vulnerable coastal residents should make the same hurricane preparations every year, regardless of how active or inactive the seasonal forecast is. It takes only one landfall event near you to make this an active season,” Phil Klotzbach wished to emphasize.