A Yale meteorologist has predicted more storms in the United States are ahead during the Atlantic hurricane season.
The Southeastern U.S. has been reeling from Hurricane Helene, which made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in late September and devastated western North Carolina, and then Hurricane Milton, which barreled through Florida as a Category 3 hurricane earlier this week.
“As far as hurricane landfalls in the U.S., it’s been crazy busy,” Jeff Masters a meteorologist for Yale Climate Connections, told The Associated Press (AP).
Five hurricanes have made landfall in the U.S. during this year’s Atlantic hurricane season. The season starts at the beginning of June and runs until the end of November. It peaks from mid-August to mid-October because of warm ocean waters, but Masters said this very active period will continue into next month because of favorable upper level winds and record-high ocean temperatures.
The record number of hurricanes in a given season is six and Masters said the record may be matched this year.
“I think probably two or three more named storms by the first week of November is a good bet with at least one of those being a hurricane,” Masters said.
An aerial view of people standing near destroyed and damaged buildings in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene flooding on October 8, 2024, in Bat Cave, North Carolina. A Yale meteorologist has predicted more storms in the U.S. are ahead during the Atlantic hurricane season.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
The topic of climate change has come up during this hurricane season as the warmer the earth, including its oceans, gets, the worse hurricanes will be.
“Because of climate change making the oceans warmer, we should expect to see more high-end hurricanes and we should expect to also see them later in the season,” Masters said.
Hurricanes are formed at ocean temperatures of 80 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, but other factors like favorable upper level winds are needed for hurricanes to form.
“The Caribbean is warm enough year-round to get hurricanes, but it’s the strong upper level winds that prevent it from happening in the winter,” Masters said.
It is important for people to stay prepared through the last months of hurricane season.
“The Gulf [of Mexico] remains fairly anomalously warm even at this point in the year, so we shouldn’t relax,” Chris Horvat, assistant professor of earth, environment and planetary science at Brown University, told the AP.
There are many things people can do to prepare themselves and their homes for a hurricane, including making an emergency supply kit. Your supply kit should include food and water supplies, prescriptions, and medical and first aid supplies. If you have kids or pets, make sure to also include supplies that they might need and also make sure to secure important paperwork such as insurance cards and personal identification.
If you are sheltering in your home during a storm, keep your emergency kit easily accessible and if you are ordered to evacuate, take it with you.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
