2011 Hurricane Season Checklist
The 2011 Atlantic Hurricane season officially started on June 1. Here’s our suggested hurricane preparation checklist (better to be safe than sorry):
- Bottled water
- Non-perishable foods (especially canned items with a non-electric can opener)
- First aid kit
- Flash light(s) and extra batteries
- Battery-operated radio
- Candles (or kerosene lamp) and matches
- Utility knife
Look Out For Hurricane Fiona
Hot on the heels of Hurricane Danielle and Hurricane Earl comes yet another tropical storm that seems likely to develop into a hurricane. The National Hurricane Center announced earlier today, that Tropical Storm Fiona has formed in the Atlantic Ocean, and is currently located east of the Leeward Islands.
Fiona is the sixth named storm for the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season and is currently packing winds of 40 mph (65 kph). Early computer models suggest that Fiona will take a path similar to both hurricanes Danielle and Earl – moving northwest in the Atlantic and passing west of Bermuda.
Hurricane Earl Now A Category 3 & Growing
Earlier today, Hurricane Earl became a major hurricane in the Caribbean, reaching Category 3 status with maximum sustained winds near 120 miles per hour (195 kilometres per hour). Significantly, forecasters expect Hurricane Earl to gain more strength, and to affect areas on the United States East Coast from the Carolinas to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, over Labor Day weekend.
While it’s still too soon to tell whether the storm will make landfall on the U.S. coast, Earl’s outer bands are likely to hit North Carolina this Thursday (September 2), kicking up large swells and possibly generating rip currents and pounding surf throughout the upcoming Labor Day weekend.;
As of 3 p.m. ET today, the National Hurricane Center reported that Hurricane Earl was located 60 miles (120 kilometers) from St. Thomas (virgin Islands) and 120 miles (230 kilometers) from San Juan, Puerto Rico. At the time, the storm’s eye was passing just north of the British Virgin Islands. It is expected to swing Northwest by tomorrow (August 31).
Hurricane Earl Heads For The North Caribbean
Hurricane warnings are in effect for several countries, as Hurricane Earl races for the northern Leeward Islands.
A hurricane warning is in effect for Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, St. Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla, as well as for the Dutch islands of St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius. A hurricane watch is in effect for the British Virgin Islands, the United States Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico including the islands of Culebra and Vieques.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said that Hurricane Earl, with its maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph), could hit the northern Leeward Islands later tonight (Sunday, August 29). It is likely to become a major hurricane by Tuesday — probably while positioned just north of Puerto Rico.
Forecasters have indicated that there is a strong chance that Hurricane Earl could brush the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region later this week, with its closest expected approach being to North Carolina on Thursday. At a minimum, the U.S. East Coast is likely to see pounding surf and dangerous rip currents as a result of Hurricane Earl.
Hurricane Danielle Seems Harmless, But Look Out For Earl
On August 23, 2010, Hurricane Danielle formed in the Atlantic, making it just the second hurricane of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. Earlier today however, it suddenly weakened from a Category 2 to a Category 1 hurricane, due to unexpected dry air intrusions and Westerly shear.
Hurricane Danielle is not expected to have much impact on the Caribbean and the United States, but may create rough conditions for Bermuda by Sunday, August 29. Don’t let your guard down just yet though, as the National Hurricane Center has warned that an ‘angry red blotch’ of weather located just south of the Cape Verde Islands, signals a mass of thunderstorms that stands a 90% chance of becoming a tropical cyclone within the next 48 hours. This will be EARL, and who to tell where he’ll end up!
