As if things in the Gulf of Mexico weren’t bad enough, the 2010 Atlantic hurricane forecast calls for added misery to the battered region. Caribbean and southern US region, which can expect up to seven major hurricanes this year, rivaling 2005 when Hurricane Katrina destroyed New Orleans. A major hurricane is any storm rated Category 3 or higher, and carrying winds of at least 111 miles per hour. “If this outlook holds true, this season could be one of the more active on record,” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration official Jane Lubchenco said in a statement Thursday. Never in the dozen years since the Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center began issuing long-range forecasts has the agency started with a high-end prediction of 23 named tropical storms, said Chris Vaccaro of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The forecast calls for between eight and 14 hurricanes total, and 14 to 23 tropical storms. Even a minor hurricane could spell catastrophe for the Gulf Coast if the current epic oil spill persists. Heavy winds and surging waves could propel oil further inland and cause irreparable damage to the wetlands.
A second major concern is a hurricane hitting Haiti, which is still reeling from January’s massive earthquake that reduced parts of the Caribbean nation to rubble. The director of the National Hurricane Center says the potential for a new catastrophe in Haiti is his biggest concern for the upcoming Atlantic storm season. Director Bill Read could offer little help to Haitians who have been living under flimsy tents since the Jan. 12 earthquake. He warned people to move out of low-lying areas, as Haiti’s bare, mountainous landscape leaves the Caribbean country vulnerable to flooding even in strong rainstorms.
The worst hurricane season since 2005 could hit hard the main agricultural export region of the United States and hurt various crops growing around the Atlantic basin and Caribbean Sea. The Port of New Orleans, devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and the Port of South Louisiana, some 30 miles upstream from the city, are the main agricultural export ports of the U.S.
Image: Sattelite picture of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
