Three Atlantic hurricanes may hit land on the same day this weekend
Right now, three hurricanes are spinning in the Atlantic Ocean, an
unusual event that hasn't happened since 2010. Even stranger, each of
them is expected to hit land on the same day: Saturday.
First, there's record-shattering Hurricane Irma, of course, which devastated parts
of the northern Leeward Islands, as well as the Caribbean, and poses a
dire threat to the Southeast. It is forecast to pass over or very close
to South Florida on Saturday night into Sunday as a Category 4 or 5
storm. As it does so, it will be a life-threatening storm with
potentially devastating winds and deadly storm surge flooding along the
coat.
Lurking behind Irma is Hurricane Jose, which is gathering strength and
threatens some of the same areas left devastated by Irma. On its current
forecast path, Jose is expected to pass near or on top of the northern
Leeward Islands, including Barbuda and Antigua, on Saturday. It's
possible the storm will miss these islands and others, but hurricane
watches have been issued in case they come close enough to bring
hurricane conditions.
A direct hit by Hurricane Jose would severely hamper relief efforts
in these locations at a time when humanitarian needs are highest, after
many homes and businesses were destroyed by Hurricane Irma, which was
the most intense storm ever to make landfall in the northern Leewards.
After
passing the Leewards, Hurricane Jose is forecast to eventually move
further north, away from the U.S., though some computer models project a
meandering path that bears close watching next week.
Lastly,
there's Hurricane Katia, which formed on Wednesday in the southwestern
Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane Katia is moving southwest while intensifying,
and is projected to make landfall on Friday night into Saturday in the
state of Veracruz as a Category 2 or 3 storm.
The National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is responsible for
monitoring and forecasting hurricanes, had predicted an above average
Atlantic hurricane season.
This forecast was based in part on the absence of an El NiƱo event in
the tropical Pacific Ocean, as there was last year. Such events tend to
make the environment more hostile for Atlantic tropical storms and
hurricanes by increasing upper level winds, which can tear nascent
storms apart.
Instead, the North Atlantic basin features more
ideal conditions for these massive storms this year, with relatively low
wind shear, above average ocean temperatures, and a relative paucity of
dry air masses that can also inhibit hurricane development.
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