The first 2008 weather report in CropLife eNews looks at the hurricane season forecast. Things look especially rough for Georgia and North Carolina.
According to the Weather Research Center in Houston, TX, the coastal areas from Georgia to North Carolina have a 90 percent chance of experiencing the landfall of a tropical storm or hurricane in 2008. The Center’s recently-issued outlook forecasts at least 11 named storms in the 2008 Hurricane Season — with six of the tropical storms intensifying into hurricanes.
"We believe this will be a long hurricane season in 2008," says Jill F. Hasling, fellow and certified consulting meteorologist with the Weather Research Center. "Even though the season officially runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, we believe storm activity will occur starting in May and last into December.
"Homeowners in Georgia and North Carolina coastal areas need to be especially cautious this year," Hasling says. "We predict there’s a 90 percent chance of these areas experiencing the landfall of a tropical storm or hurricane. Other areas of concern include west Florida with a 70 percent chance, and Louisiana to Alabama plus the eastern coast of the United States, which all have a 60 percent chance of a landfall."
In their 2008 forecast, the Weather Research Center also predicts:
- 24 hurricane days.
- 83 tropical storm days.
- 4 U.S. landfalls.
- 50 percent chance of Category 3 or higher storms in the Atlantic Ocean.
- Risk of tropical cyclones occurring in the Atlantic by month include 30 percent in May; 60 percent in June; 70 percent in July; 100 percent in August; 100 percent in September; 100 percent in October; 50 percent in November; and 10 percent in December.
