Community Corner
Hurricane Season? Tropics Quiet as Summer Ends
There are no named tropical storms in the Atlantic at this time.
Summer ended on Saturday (Sept. 21), and the United States has yet to see a hurricane make landfall in the 2013 season.
The news is welcome after Hurricane Sandy caused record flooding and billions of dollars of damage in October 2012.
The midpoint of the six-month hurricane season passed on Sept. 1, and the Atlantic Ocean had yet to see its first hurricane by that point — for only the sixth time since 1950. Since then, two storms (Humberto and Ingrid) briefly reached hurricane status before weakening.
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There are no named storms anywhere in the Atlantic Ocean Basin at this time. A low-pressure system southeast of Bermuda shows little chance (10 percent, according to National Hurricane Center) of developing into a tropical system over the next 48 hours.
Forecasters had predicted an above-average hurricane season for 2013 — calling for 18 named storms, nine of them hurricanes and four major hurricanes (category three or higher).
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Storms receive a name when they reach tropical storm status (sustained winds of 39 mph). They become hurricanes when sustained winds reach 74 mph. Category three hurricanes have sustained winds of 111 mph or higher.
Aside from the heavy rain dumped by the remnants of Tropical Storm Andrea in early June, the Jersey Shore has not seen rain, wind or waves from a tropical system in 2013.
But the arrival of Superstorm Sandy late in the 2012 hurricane season (Oct. 29, 2012) is still fresh in the memories of all Jersey Shore residents, a reminder that hurricane season does not end until Nov. 30.
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