It looks like hurricane season in the Atlantic will start early this year as well. In addition, more typhoons are expected this year than average. This hurricane season is more exciting than other years, especially for popular vacation destinations in the Caribbean. In this article, you can read whether hurricanes also affect the weather in our country this year.
Most hurricanes and tropical storms occur in the Atlantic Ocean in the months from June to November, which is the hurricane season. In recent years, we have seen regularly the appearance of the first tropical storms or hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean before June.
Also this year, hurricane season appears to have started early, as a tropical storm could arise over the mid-Atlantic this weekend. When this happens, it will be an early start of the hurricane season for the seventh year in a row.
Hurricanes more than expected
More tornadoes than usual are expected this coming summer and fall, according to researchers at Colorado State University. In an average hurricane season, about fourteen tropical storms occur, of which less than half actually becomes a hurricane. Seventeen to nineteen tropical storms are expected this year, half of which could reach hurricane strength. Almost four storms are expected to degenerate into a Category 3 or higher hurricane.
Want to know more about hurricanes? is reading: Everything you need to know about hurricanes
Exciting season for the Caribbean
It looks like the upcoming hurricane season will be more exciting for the Caribbean than previous hurricane seasons. Sea water in the central Pacific Ocean is (slightly) colder than average. In the Caribbean, this produces less strong westerly winds at high altitudes in the atmosphere. These westerly winds usually interfere with tornadoes.
Now that these winds have weakened, hurricanes can easily form in the Atlantic and remain intact. Tropical storms and hurricanes that form off the African coast are likely to end up in the Caribbean. Tropical storms and hurricanes can develop fairly easily in the Caribbean. Additionally, the Atlantic sea waters between Africa and America are very likely warmer than average this summer. Warm seawater is the main fuel for tropical storms and hurricanes, making them easier to form.
In 2017, Category 5 Hurricane Irma withdrew directly over Saint Martin, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba, among other countries. It was a huge devastation. Also at that time, the sea water was colder than average in the central Pacific Ocean. Source: NASA.
So the hurricane season will be exciting for the Caribbean. When weather permits, you can safely book a vacation destination in the Caribbean. The chance that a tornado will pass exactly at your vacation destination is slim. Watch for weather reports while you’re there.
The effect on our summer
In the busiest hurricane season, sometimes hurricanes are likely to directly affect the weather in our country. Hurricanes near Europe are known to occasionally cause significantly warmer weather, but it is also variable. So we do not exclude that, especially later in the summer or early autumn, a hurricane can drastically change the weather in our country for a short period, which suits us. Summer forecast.
Fortunately, hurricanes rarely hit the European mainland with storm force. The chance of extreme weather occurring, as during a hurricane, in our country is, in fact, very small.
Main Image: Adobe Stock / Satoshi Kina
