Scale Model Hurricane

As we enter the peak months (August through October) of the Atlantic hurricane season, Category 4 Hurricane Flossie is already stirring things-up in the Northeast Pacific just south of Hawaii. If the images and memory of Katrina seem somewhat distant, it might be worth giving yourself a quick refresher and reality check on hurricane severity. This fascinating, though somewhat depressing, animation walks you through the Saffir-Simpson Scale and provides a great link to trajectory maps for the past 150 years of hurricanes in North America and the Caribbean.

NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center today released its update to the 2007 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook, maintaining its expectations for an above-normal season. NOAA scientists are predicting an 85 percent chance of an above-normal season, with the likelihood of 13 to 16 named storms, with seven to nine becoming hurricanes, of which three to five could become major hurricanes (Category 3 strength or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale).