2007 Should be a Very Active Hurricane Season

It has been forecasted the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season will be very active. It has been predicted that there will be 17 named storms, including nine hurricanes, five of them being major hurricanes. It has also been predicted that half of the major hurricanes will hit the east coast. There will be a 74 percent chance a hurricane with winds greater than 110 mph will hit a U.S. coastline.

This will be a substantial jump over the quite 2006 hurricane season but the 2007 hurricane season should not be as active as the 2004 and 2005 seasons. The activity of these two seasons was unusually strong. A normal hurricane season will have about 11 named storms including six hurricanes. The 2006 season was weak due to El Nino conditions which increases the wind shear across the tropical Atlantic which weakens the hurricanes. More information on the El Nino.

The opposite of an El Nino is a La Nina phenomenon. On February 28, 2007 scientists at the NOAA Climate Prediction Center said a La Nina may soon arrive. Cooler than normal water temperatures have developed at the surface of the pacific in the east central equator region which indicates the possible formation of La Nina conditions.

Unlike an El Nino which produces westerly winds, a La Nina produces easterly winds at upper levels and westerly winds at lower levels across the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean and tropical Atlantic. There tends to be a greater than normal number of Atlantic hurricanes during La Nina events because of this expanded area of low vertical wind shear. More information on what we should expect from a La Nina.

Another reason we should have an active 2007 hurricane season is due to abnormally warm waters in the tropical region of the Atlantic where hurricanes are formed. This natural cycle could cause active seasons for the next 15 to 20 years.

The over estimated 2006 forecast was due to the El Nino phenomenon arising.

Satellite phones are crucial after a hurricane hits the coast. Communication infrastructure is many times disrupted after a hurricane. Satellite phones by passes the local communication infrastructure allowing users to communicate in and out of the area of damage.

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