2023 Hurricane Season Begins

Typically, hurricane season starts in June and already it is a scorcher in terms of heat. AND we already had two disturbances that became a system at the same time out in the Atlantic which is a first for June. And, I think, we were looking at a possibility of seeing a 3rd system when typically, a third storm did not show up until July or August.

So, already we are off to a bad start with an elevated number of storms developing.

The weathermen say the water temperatures are already elevated in the Gulf, Caribbean and the Atlantic so the relatively high water temperatures will drive stronger storms.

The counterpoint to the water heat is the El Nino is supposed to bring in more wind shear and dry Saharan air over the Atlantic, tamping down the development. The question is which will be the stronger force: the water temperature or the El Nino?

That’s the open question this season.

Currently, the south is undergoing a heat wave where a persistent heat dome is sitting over Texas and is now expanding across the South, Midwest and maybe the Northeast. The stubborn humidity is contributing to a heat index hitting the triple digits for many weeks now. The persistent heat and humidity with very little nightly cool down is creating a dangerous heat situation.

So that is the start of the 2023 hurricane season.

As usual, I’ll be watching and worrying, keeping an eye on NWS, NOAA and NHC to track any storm development and be prepared. Although, I don’t know if anyone can really prepare if the hurricanes come in strong, developing into Category 3, 4 or 5 rather quickly.

The single one last year (Ian) that landed in Florida was a dreadful one at Cat 4 (there was actually another one, but it landed as a Cat 1 in November and quickly devolved into a tropical storm).

Last year was surprisingly quiet in the US and I’m hoping that this year remains the same.

But I’ll be worrying though.