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What months are
considered hurricane season?
The Atlantic hurricane season is officially June 1st to
November 30th. The peak of the season is from mid-August to
mid October.
What
is a hurricane?
A hurricane is a tropical cyclone with a defined circulation and the
sustained winds of 74 miles per hour (65 knots) or greater in the North
Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and in the eastern North
Pacific Ocean. The same tropical cyclone is known as a typhoon in the
western Pacific and a cyclone in the Indian Ocean.
What
is the difference between a hurricane warning and a hurricane watch?
The National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida has the responsibility
for monitoring and issuing watches and warnings in the Atlantic and
Northeast basins. A warning is issued when hurricane conditions are
expected in 24-36 hours, and a watch is when hurricane conditions are
possible within 36-48 hours. If a warning or watch is issued, one should
begin preliminary preparations for potential landfall and stayed tuned
to radio and TV for weather updates.
What
are the chances of a tropical storm affecting one particular destination
during hurricane season? Should we cancel travel plans during hurricane
season?
VISIT FLORIDA clearly understands that some people have concerns about
the possible impact a hurricane could have on a planned vacation. Any
tropical system affecting the location where one plans to vacation make
that year notable. However, the odds of that happening are low. VISIT
FLORIDA suggests when making travel plans during hurricane season,
visitors check with airlines, car rental, etc. to find out how they
inform their guests when a hurricane is coming, what actions they plan
and what refund policies they have in place. Once again, it is important
to point out that a direct hit by a major hurricane is an extremely rare
event.
What
do travelers do if they’re in Florida and a hurricane is approaching?
Many Florida tourism offices actively work with local emergency
management officials to keep visitors safe in the event of an
approaching storm. There are cooperative agreements to help find
accommodations for visitors who might have to be evacuated
from coastal areas. The safety of Florida’s visitors is a priority.
Visitors will receive information from local news broadcasts on radio
and television and from tourism officials on what might be required in a
particular location they are visiting. A storm can approach and affect
one part of the state, while the sun remains shining in another.
How are hurricane
categories determined and what do they mean?
The strength of hurricanes is rated using the Saffir/Simpson scale in
the United States. This scale assigns a storm to one of five categories
based on its wind speed. Category one is a minimal hurricane and
category five is the strongest.
Using this scale helps estimate the
potential property damage and expected coastal flooding from a
hurricane.
Category Maximum Sustained Winds
1
74-95 mph
2
96-110 mph
3
111-130 mph
4
131-155 mph
5
156+ mph
What is a tropical
disturbance?
|An organized system of clouds and thunderstorms without a defined
circulation.
What
is a tropical depression?
An organized system of clouds and thunderstorms with a circular wind
circulation and maximum winds less than 39 mph.
What
is a tropical storm?
An organized system of strong thunderstorms with defined circulation and
maximum sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph.
What
regions around the globe have hurricanes?
Hurricanes develop over the tropical or subtropical waters around the
world. There are seven tropical cyclone areas (basins) where storms
occur:
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Atlantic basin (North Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean
Sea)
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Northeast Pacific basin (from Mexico to about the dateline)
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Northwest Pacific basin (from the dateline to Asia including South
China Sea)
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North Indian basin (including the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea)
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Southwest Indian basin (Africa)
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Southeast Indian/Australian basin
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Australian/Southwest Pacific basin
What
is the Eye of the storm? Rainbands?
The hurricane’s core is called the eye. The winds closest
to the eye, typically averaging about 60 miles from the center of the
storm, are the strongest and bring the most potential for damage.
Rainbands (outer spiral bands) are the bands of clouds and
thunderstorms that trail away from the eye wall in a spiral fashion and
are capable of producing heavy bursts of rain and wind. The spiral banks
also make hurricanes appear to cover a much larger area with damaging
winds than they really do. This is the reason why devastation during
strong storms does not cover the entire area the storm passes over.
Why are hurricanes
named? Who names them?
The National Hurricane Center is also responsible for naming tropical
cyclones in the Atlantic basin. Hurricanes are names to provide ease of
communications and reduce confusion between forecasters and the general
public regarding forecasts, watches and warnings.
Where
can I get real-time advisories for hurricane/ tropical storms?
How
does these hurricanes/storms affect Florida’s natural environment? *
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They help to scrub harmful algae from the coral reefs.
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Prune dead limbs from trees allowing sunlight to penetrate the
forest floor.
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Deposit sand atop and on the backside of barrier islands, which
elevates them, keeping islands from becoming a sand bar. “The big
changes that occur in barrier islands often occur during
hurricanes,” according to Orrin H. Pilkey, James B. Duke Professor
Emeritus of Geology at the Nicholas School of the Environment and
Earth Sciences at Duke “Barrier islands need hurricanes for their
survival…It’s during hurricanes that islands get higher and wider.”
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Moderate global temperature.
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Rain helps to refill the aquifers. It’s seeping in now and wells are
rising.
-
The water flow in natural springs increases. Previously, it was
declining.
-
Wildlife benefits from the increases water. Dried out wetlands are
rehydrating and coming back to life.
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Downed trees are good for the scrub jays, increasing the endangered
species’ habitat.
*Florida Department of Environmental
Protection & Florida State Parks,
www.FloridaStateParks.org.
How
has Florida recovered since last hurricane season?
Florida is open and welcoming visitors.
- A
record breaking 85.5 million visitors came to Florida in 2005 to see
for themselves all that the Sunshine State has to offer. In spite of
the weather last fall, Florida broke a record for the number of
visitors with a 7.6 % increase over 2004. This is the first time
annual visitation numbers have exceeded the 80 million mark and we
are on track to surpass that record for 2006.
-
Florida is open and welcoming visitors. In fact, Florida had a
strong 2005 winter season in most parts of the state and is off to a
very good start for the spring season 2006, with visitors flocking
to the sunshine and warm weather.
How
is Florida prepared to handle the 2006 hurricane season?
Florida is fully prepared to handle the threat of hurricanes.
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Methods are in place to ensure Florida is prepared including
emergency management and enhanced communications, improved crisis
plans and weather tracking devices with early warning systems.
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Florida is a safe and secure destination year-round. Advanced
technology and effective and efficient emergency systems are in
place, which allows Florida to excel in the business of caring for
visitors, especially in the possibility of severe weather.
-
With a complete set of tools and resources, consumers, convention
and meeting groups, the media, VISIT FLORIDA’s Partners, and
government leaders are well informed and equipped to respond to
inclement weather. Below the tools appropriate for each audience are
listed:
Consumers and Government
Leaders:
·
Consumer Web Site:
www.VISITFLORIDA.com
·
1-800-287-8598 tourism emergency
hotline
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1-888-735-2872 general tourism
information
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Educated frontline staff at the five
official Florida Welcome Centers
How
were Florida’s attractions and environment affected by hurricane
activity last year?
Florida’s natural side is revitalized and some accommodations have made
fresh renovations since last hurricane season.
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Mother Nature knows best, and now Florida is benefiting from her
knowledge because of the 2005 hurricane season. Following are a few
examples
Colors came alive on coral
reefs as years of harmful algae were removed.
With the removal of dead limbs and tree
overgrowth, the woodlands are rejuvenated as more sunlight penetrates to
the forest floor.
The water flow in the natural springs increased.
Wildlife benefited from the increased water as
dries-out wetlands were re-hydrated.
Beaches in finite areas received new sand to help
stop erosion and build important sand dunes.
Shells found along pristine beaches are now more
plentiful.
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After experiencing some hurricane damage to property, a handful of
attractions, hotels and other accommodations have taken advantage of
the situation and made stunning renovations, truly making Florida
better than ever.
How can visitors who are traveling to
Florida during the hurricane season prepare?
Visitors can make certain preparations to ensure a safe and enjoyable
visit to Florida during hurricane season.
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Often, hurricane season brings the most enjoyable climate and
seasonal weather to Florida including moderate temperatures, mild
breezes and clear fall skies, making it prime time to visit Florida.
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Visitors should not let last season’s rare occurrence of unusually
high number of hurricanes affect their travel plans. In fact, a
direct hit by a major hurricane is extremely rare.
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Visitors should stay in contact with their accommodations for
updates on weather and other conditions.
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Visitors can locate destinations and learn
about how well Florida destinations are doing at
www.VISITFLORIDA.com.
What
is VISIT FLORIDA doing to ease visitor’ fears given last hurricane
season?
VISIT FLORIDA is
providing facts and information to media and visitors to ensure Florida
visitors are safe during hurricane season, including:
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Executing promotions so visitors can see for themselves that Florida
is recovered and better than ever.
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Hosting travel media to show how Florida’s most affected areas are
now open and welcoming visitors.
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Providing guidance to visitors before, during and after the Atlantic
hurricane season.
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Preparing to provide all necessary and emergency information during
the event of tropical storm activity in the 2006 season.
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