2013 Hurricane Season A Dud Thus Far
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The predictions for the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season carried words like "extremely active" and "above-average."
But with Tuesday the peak of hurricane season, thus far, the season has luckily for South Florida been a dud.
Through the first half of hurricane season, not a single named storm has made it to hurricane status. In fact, if no storm reaches hurricane strength by 8 a.m. Wednesday morning; the 2013 season will have the latest hurricane to form since 1944.
According to the National Hurricane Center, August 10 is typically the average for the first Atlantic hurricane to form and a third storm is usually expected by August 9.
The season hasn't been a complete bust as seven tropical storms have formed, but almost all have run into dry air and lots of wind shear. That setup is expected to continue for the next two weeks as multiple atmospheric elements are set to possibly inhibit tropical development.
But, the point that must be stressed is that it only takes one system to decimate South Florida and other coastal areas. So, now is not the time to sit back and relax, but keep your supplies prepared just in case a storm develops.
Wunderground.com said that 1988 resembled the 2013 season the most and that year three major storms formed including Hurricane Gilbert.
That storm reached Category 5 status and peaked with winds of 185 miles per hour and a record low pressure of 888 millibars. Gilbert was the first Category 5 storm to hit land in the Atlantic basin since Camille in 1969.
In other words, don't let your guard down just because the first half of the season has been unusually quiet. All it takes is one storm to completely change the future of South Florida as Andrew proved in 1992.
