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Historical Hurricane Tracks: Learning From History

 

 

 

# 5626

 

 

Hurricane activity in the Atlantic is cyclical, and as luck would have it, I grew up in Florida during a time of relatively high activity.

 

My `first hurricane’ was the infamous Donna of 1960, which ultimately impacted 13 Atlantic seaboard states, and claimed 364 lives.

 

During the next dozen years I had brushes with Betsy, Agnes, Alma, and Gladys and managed to make my way to a devastated Biloxi not long after Camille struck in 1969.

 

Here are the storm tracks of the hurricanes that crossed Florida during my youth, in the years between 1954-1972.

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As you can imagine, these made quite an impression on me growing up.

 

Then we went into a 20+ year period where relatively few storms threatened Florida.  Here are the storms that came close to central Florida between 1973 and 1994.

 

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Quite a difference.

 

During this period of quiescence, millions of people moved to Florida, many of whom built on vulnerable barrier islands and along the coast.

 

Most have no idea what a `real’ hurricane would be like.

 

But now, since the mid-1990s - we’ve returned to a heightened level of Atlantic and Gulf hurricane activity.  Here are the tracks of hurricanes that struck Florida between 1995 and 2010.

 

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All of these maps come from a nifty Historical Hurricane Tracks website  put together by NOAA, that allows you to pick any area of the country, define tropical storm categories and time spans, to see historical storm tracks.

 

http://csc.noaa.gov/hurricanes/#

 

You can also drill down on each of these tracks and see detailed information on each storm, making this an excellent learning tool for coastal residents and anyone else interested in these massive storms.

 

No one knows what 2011 will bring, as there can be a lot of variability between years even during an up-cycle.  But forecasters warn us to expect an active season.

 

Of course, it isn’t just Florida or the Gulf States at risk.  

 

There have been cycles within cycles, years where storms have tended to track north along the eastern seaboard instead of south and into the Gulf of Mexico.  

 

New York City, and much of New England, are considered `overdue’ for a major hurricane. 

 

Here is a final look at hurricanes that came within 100 miles of Boston, MA over the past 80 years.

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Sobering evidence that Hurricanes aren’t just a Florida problem. 

 

Now . . .while the tropics are quiet, is the time to prepare for this year’s hurricane season.

 

To help you along, NOAA, FEMA, and the American Red Cross have released an updated preparedness guide for the 2011 tropical season.

 

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To become better prepared as an individual, family, business owner, or community to deal with hurricanes, or any other type of disaster: visit the following preparedness sites.

 

FEMA http://www.fema.gov/index.shtm

READY.GOV http://www.ready.gov/

AMERICAN RED CROSS http://www.redcross.org/

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