By: Maddy Langemach, Disaster Response Specialist, at HHI
Hurricane Season has begun. The season lasts from June 1 through November 30. Our team tracks hurricanes and storm systems through a number of different sources. NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) provides great tools for reading hurricane forecasts.
When NOAA forecasts storms, they classify them in one of these four categories:
D: Tropical Depression – wind speed less than 39 MPH
S: Tropical Storm – wind speed between 39 MPH and 73 MPH
H: Hurricane – wind speed between 74 MPH and 110 MPH
M: Major Hurricane – wind speed greater than 110 MPH
Every year the National Hurricane Center releases names for hurricane systems. In just the first week of Hurricane season, a tropical storm was given the first name Arlene.
Though the season is long, the most destructive hurricanes typically occur between August and October. The DRT also follows the app Hurricane Tracker which provides a number of maps, forecasts, and different hurricane track models, and additionally the updates are also available on this Facebook group.