Tag: NOAA

Tropical Storm Alberto puts insurers on alert ahead of hurricane season

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Hurricane Season 2012 - Tropical Storm Alberto

Tropical storm forms ahead of official start to hurricane season Hurricane season in the U.S. does not officially begin until June 1, but the season’s first tropical storm has formed off the coast of South Carolina. The storm was reported by the National Hurricane Center in Florida, which noted that the storm boasts of 50mph winds with more powerful gusts at the time it had formed. Though the storm was not expected to gain any strength during its lifespan, it did raise concerns within the insurance industry, which has been…

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U.S. to be a “weather-ready” nation as the federal government takes measures to guard against destructive weather

To date, the cost of natural disasters befalling the U.S. has reached $35 billion. The year is not yet over and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts several turbulent storms crowding the horizon. While there can be no guarantee whether these storms will actually come to pass, the federal government is not willing to suffer more losses at the hands of nature. NOAA, along with the National Weather Service, is now tasked with making the nation “weather-ready.” The initiative aims to provide protection to communities throughout the nation…

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NOAA updates hurricane season forecast, still calls for an active season

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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has updated their forecast of this year’s hurricane season. The original outlook was issued in May in which the agency noted that the current season would be more active than usual. Several major storms have already formed in the Atlantic Ocean, with some making landfall in Florida and Texas. None have cause any major damage, thus far, but that may change during this month as NOAA predicts as many as five category 3 hurricanes to form offshore. According to Gerry Bell, Ph.D., the…

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Floods this summer could break records

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Forecasters have predicted that this summer could be accompanied by the worst flooding the United States has seen in its history, as rivers continue to run higher than flood levels and the soil is still saturated from the spring’s rising waters.  The last record-breaking floods were in 1993, when $25 billion in damages occurred between the months of April and August within nine states.  According to the National Weather Service, this year, the water levels haven’t receded much and the soil remains soaked so that it would take only a…

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