Many people may describe this year’s Atlantic Hurricane Season to be relatively quiet thus far. However, we are now entering the peak of hurricane season.
Specifically, late August, September and early October is the time of year in which tropical cyclones can develop in many locations in the Atlantic. Storms during this time are not only more frequent, but also more severe, with major hurricanes like 2018’s Hurricane Michael more likely to develop.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, recently announced that it expected a spike in tropical activity over the next couple of months. The prediction is that the spike will be significant enough that, overall, this year’s season will be above average in terms of activity. NOAA now believes the season is 45% likely to be above average and 20% likely to be below average.
Translating this into raw numbers, NOAA expects between 10 and 17 tropical storms and hurricanes overall, two of which have already developed. Of these, NOAA expects up to nine hurricanes, one of which has already developed, and up to four major hurricanes, that is, storms where top winds easily exceed 100 miles per hour.
This is, of course, only a prediction. Moreover, once a storm develops, it is hard to know exactly where it will hit land. Furthermore, lots of factors, beyond the storm itself, impact how much damage can result. Still, those along the Texas and Louisiana coasts should prepare themselves.
Hopefully, such preparation will wind up just being precautionary. However, if there is another storm in our area, it is quite likely that property owners will need help working with their insurance companies in order to get compensation for wind damage and, potentially, other property damage. Having the help of an attorney who has experience handling hurricane property damage insurance claims may be important in these circumstances.