- May storms have formed over the past six years, according to NOAA.
- While the majority of the recent May storms have been fairly harmless, some haven’t.
- The official start of the Atlantic hurricane season this year will not change.
Due to a surge in May storms, meteorologists are considering moving the start date of the Atlantic hurricane season from June 1st to May 15th.
The hurricane season has started June 1 for more than five decades.
The discussion about changing the start date began in December on National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationThe Hurricane Conference (NOAA) that followed the busiest hurricane season ever when 30 named storms formed.
According to NOAA, storms have formed in May for the past six years. In 2020, Tropical Storm Arthur came to life on May 16, followed by Tropical Storm Bertha on May 27.
Since the late 1960s, when satellites began to identify tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic, 19 named storms have formed before June 1. Colorado State University researcher Phil Klotzbach said.
More:The record-breaking 2020 hurricane season in the Atlantic is officially coming to an end
While the majority of the most recent May storms were harmless, some didn’t: “Since 2012, there have been at least 20 deaths from storms in late May, with a total damage of about $ 200 million, and one of those systems was a 60-knot Storm (70 mph) tropical storm on landing “, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO),
The last confirmed hurricane in May dates back to May 20, 1970 – Hurricane Alma, which, according to AccuWeather, hit maximum sustained winds of 80 miles per hour. A tropical storm becomes a hurricane when its maximum sustained winds reach 74 miles per hour.
Klotzbach is concerned about rescheduling the start date to May 15, as the most dangerous storms usually don’t appear until the peak of the season, from late August to mid-October.
“If you extend the season by another 15 days, you could basically have three months with very little storm activity,” said Klotzbach. “People can only prepare for things until they just say ‘forget it’.”
The east Pacific hurricane season begins May 15, but Klotzbach said the Atlantic basin has a much higher peak season.
The World Meteorological Organization and NOAA will hold meetings this spring to discuss rescheduling the hurricane season date. The WMO has the final say on a possible date change.
“There should be an examination of the necessity and possible impact of a possible postponement of the start of the hurricane season to May 15th.” National Hurricane Center Spokesman Dennis Feltgen said in a statement sent to the US TODAY.
Regardless, there won’t be any changes to the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season this year, he said.
Although the basin hurricane season start date traditionally began on June 1st, the end date has historically been postponed from October 31st to November 13th to November 30th, where it is today. AccuWeather said.
Contributor: Kimberly Miller, Palm Beach Post
