It’s That Time Again …

HURRICANE SEASON HEATS UP

FITSNews – July 7, 2008 – For four months each year, South Carolina and other coastal U.S. states play a high-stakes game of planetary dodge ball called “hurricane season.”

Here’s how it works: Each summer (and early fall), the west coast of Africa spits out dozens of tropical waves – or huge patches of conventional thunderstorms that roll off the continent at the equator. Once on the open sea, these massive storm systems feed off of the warm water temperature and begin to rotate around a center due to the Coriolis effect – or the tendency of air to flow clockwise in the Northern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern hemisphere.

Yeah, we’re meteorological geniuses in case you didn’t know.

Anyway, once formed, it’s up to the wind to determine where these “tropical depressions” go, and up to the water to determine how strong they get.  Each year, at least ten of these storms develop, with three or four of them typically turning into monster hurricanes that threaten the United States … or slam smack dab into it like Hurricane Katrina did three years ago.

South Carolina hasn’t experienced a direct hit since 1989 when Hurricane Hugo slammed into Charleston, but that doesn’t mean the storms haven’t left a legacy on our state.

For example, the mishandling of coastal evacuations during the Hurricane Floyd scare in 1999 is widely believed to be one of the reasons S.C. Gov. Jim Hodges was defeated in his bid for reelection in 2002.

Not surprisingly, hurricane preparation has been a major focus of the current administration in South Carolina, with new lane reversals put in place to manage mandatory evacuations of coastal population centers in Beaufort, Charleston and Myrtle Beach.

Earlier today, Bertha became the first named hurricane of the 2008 season, and while its path appears to pose limited danger to the U.S. coast, you can bet that South Carolina’s hurricane prep efforts are ramping up as we approach the peak of the hurricane season (late August, early September).

Obviously, the best way to prepare for these storms is to stay informed, which is why we recommend the website BoatUS.com.

Featuring detailed tracking models, satellite imagery and updated “projected path” forecasts direct from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), BoatUS.com is the website South Carolina’s leaders turn to for the latest information during hurricane season.

Also, you might want to check out South Carolina’s latest Hurricane Guide, which is published each year by our state’s Emergency Management Division.  The guide includes updated evacuation routes, shelter locations and other potentially life-saving information in the event of a direct hit.

Comments