The Atlantic isn’t in the clear just yet. Irma might have already come and gone but currently there is another storm brewing in its wake, a tropical storm that was found lurking Irma’s shadow has now become a very real problem for the same islands that just took the brunt of Irma. While it hasn’t reached the same level of danger as Irma yet, Maria is still looming and looking to dump about eight more inches of water over the islands and will be bringing another storm surge along with it.
The Caribbean islands could take another heavy pounding if Maria keeps coming, but that’s not even the worst part. Another storm behind Maria, Hurricane Lee it’s being called, is gaining momentum as it continues to move west. It doesn’t appear to be gaining any serious intensity yet, but it’s still coming. And then we can’t forget about Hurricane Jose, which is still lumbering towards the coast of North Carolina. It hasn’t hit as of this writing, but it’s continued forward motion could eventually cause a great deal of distress even if the storm never hits.
The worst part about these hurricanes forming so often and looming closer and closer to land is that they are a common occurrence from June 1st to November 30th. This is dubbed as the hurricane season during which warm water storms tend to form the most and begin to make their way landward. Some start as little more than warm puffs of air that may or may not be canceled out by severe wind shear as they move forward, but several others do form into storms or hurricanes.
There are as many as 19 storms predicted each year, with a fraction of them becoming hurricanes. While it seems impossible that such a thing could happen without notice, many hurricanes never actually touch down on land, as they dissipate in the open ocean where they will hopefully do no harm. That’s small comfort to anyone that’s had to endure Irma lately and even less to those that have lost so much to these increasingly powerful storms.
Some people have attributed the increase in storm damage to the idea of climate changes that seem to make the storms last longer and hit harder. The research for this has many different conclusions but the idea seems to be that say a few different things. One thing that scientists can agree on however is that climate change is responsible for making the storms stronger and wetter.
None of this makes the people that have lived through it feel any better really. Many have been cast out of their homes and lost nearly everything they had thanks to the massive amount of flooding that occurred thanks to Irma. To learn that there are at least three other hurricanes to worry over is not something that these folks want to hear, but it is important that they do so that can remain forewarned and ready to get clear if they have to.
Follow Us
