How bad was the 2024 hurricane season in Florida? Take a look at these stories
The hurricanes of 2024 hit Florida hard.
Hurricane Milton and its record-breaking pressure levels highlighted the increasing intensity of storms fueled by warm ocean waters.
Hurricane Beryl, an early-season Category 5 storm, set new records for rapid intensification and served as a preview to stronger and more destructive storm systems.
Storm surge and inland flooding emerged as critical threats, with regions like Florida's Big Bend area facing surges as high as 15 feet.
Take a look at what Florida faced last year.
The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories below were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.
NASA satellites captured images of Hurricane Beryl as it barreled through the eastern Caribbean.
NO. 1: WE'VE NEVER SEEN A STORM LIKE BERYL. WHAT THE CAT 5 HURRICANE SAYS ABOUT A WARMER FUTURE
'It's like redefining what is typical behavior. It's really eye-opening.' | Published July 3, 2024 | Read Full Story by Alex Harris
KINGSTON, JAMAICA - JULY 03: A person walks through the wind and rain as Hurricane Beryl spins offshore on July 03, 2024, in Kingston, Jamaica. Category 4 storm Beryl has caused widespread damage in several island nations as it continues to cross the Caribbean. (Photo by)
NO. 2: HURRICANE BERYL'S CAT 4 EYE SWEEPS JAMAICA COAST. ROOFS RIPPED FROM AIRPORT, BUILDINGS
Kingston could get hit with the 'dirty side' of the storm. | Published July 3, 2024 | Read Full Story by Alex Harris
The hurricane center is tracking five disturbances with low chances of strengthening in the next seven days.
NO. 3: ATLANTIC, CARIBBEAN AND GULF RAMP UP TO 5 TROPICAL DISTURBANCES. WHAT THE FORECASTS SHOW
One system is shuffling along the northeastern U.S. coast, and another will cause rains in Texas and Louisiana in the coming days. | Published September 5, 2024 | Read Full Story by Devoun Cetoute
Tropical Storm Helene is on track to strengthen into a hurricane on Wednesday as it enters the Gulf of Mexico.
NO. 4: TROPICAL STORM HELENE COULD HIT FLORIDA GULF COAST WITH 15 FEET OF SURGE AS CATEGORY 3
Sixty-one of Florida's 67 counties are under a state of emergency. | Published September 24, 2024 | Read Full Story by Ana Ceballos
A large oak tree split and came down on the grounds of the Governor's Mansion in Tallahassee during Hurricane Idalia on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.
NO. 5: FLORIDA'S CAPITAL CITY BRACES FOR 'UNPRECEDENTED DAMAGE' AHEAD OF HURRICANE HELENE
'Recovery will be a marathon, it will not be a sprint,' Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey said at a news conference on Wednesday. | Published September 25, 2024 | Read Full Story by Lawrence Mower
Brian Zoller and Cristie Caseman had water intrusion in their garage and pantry from Hurricane Idalia in their home along Riverside Drive East in Bradenton. By Tiffany Tompkins
NO. 6: WHAT CAN A CAT 3 HURRICANE DO TO FLORIDA? TAKE A LOOK AS MILTON TARGETS THE GULF COAST
What to know about what can happen from Milton. | Published October 8, 2024 | Read Full Story by Jason Dill
A radar image captured Hurricane Milton just before it came ashore in Sarasota.
NO. 7: WHY MONSTER HURRICANES LIKE MILTON ARE HAPPENING IN THE GULF. IT'S NOT GEOENGINEERING
Republicans and Democrats have pushed back on disinformation circulating about hurricanes Milton and Helene. The Herald spoke to scientists to get the facts | Published October 10, 2024 | Read Full Story by Denise Hruby
This report was produced with the help of AI tools, which summarized previous stories reported and written by McClatchy journalists. It was edited by journalists in our News division.
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Scientific American
8 hours ago
- Scientific American
How to Decode a Hurricane Forecast
If you've ever taken even a cursory glance at a hurricane forecast, you've seen some version of the 'cone of uncertainty.' It sounds like some other-dimensional realm of indecision, but it's a mainstay for communicating hurricane forecasts. Though these maps pack in plenty of valuable information, it can be a bit tricky to interpret them if you don't know exactly what you're looking at. Here Scientific American walks you through all the forecast components and what they mean—and, almost as crucially, what they don't. We also point you to some other resources that are often the most helpful for those staring down an approaching storm. NHC Forecast On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. Above is an example of what you might see if you visit the National Hurricane Center's (NHC's) website during a storm in progress—in this case it's an archived forecast from 2024's Hurricane Milton. Various broadcasters, news sites and other groups that cover the weather often have their own versions of this map. There's a lot happening here, so let's break things down piece by piece. Timeline First off, because the cone-of-uncertainty graphic is a depiction of a forecast, it's looking into the future. Each update to the map shows the storm's current location, then roughly where the center of the storm will be over the next three to five days (depending on which version you are looking at). Cone of Uncertainty This is the centerpiece of the graphic—the actual cone of uncertainty—so called because it is an indicator of the possible error range in that forecast of where a tropical storm or hurricane is headed. The first key point in understanding the cone is that the error isn't based on the specific storm forecast; rather, it's an average of the overall forecast error over the past five years. So the more forecasts improve, the narrower the cone gets. The cone gets its shape because 'the uncertainty increases with time,' says Brian McNoldy, a hurricane researcher at the University of Miami. It's easier to forecast the near future than several days out. And because the error is based on that long-term forecast average, 'you get the exact same cone all year long for every storm,' McNoldy says. It can appear different—for example, more squat or elongated—because of how fast or slow the storm is going. The cone is meant to encompass where a storm actually goes two thirds of the time, so 'the cone is designed to fail one third of the time,' says James Franklin, former chief of the NHC's Hurricane Specialist Unit. So two thirds of the time, the storm will follow some path within the cone, but about one third of the time, its center will venture outside of the cone as the storm progresses. This is one reason why you never want to assume that because you're just outside of the cone, you're in the clear. The other reason is that the cone only tracks the path of the storm's center —it does not mean the storm's impacts are limited to the area of the cone. 'It isn't accounting for how big the storm is,' or if a storm's winds and rains are concentrated on one side, says Kim Wood, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Arizona. 'It really makes no sense to look at the cone, see that you're outside of it and then ignore everything else,' Franklin says. Storm Strength The map also includes the expected form of the storm at various points in the future, which are denoted with black or white circles and letters. The letters show whether a storm will be a tropical depression (D), tropical storm (S), hurricane (H) or major hurricane (M). (A major hurricane is a Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale.) A black circle means the storm is a tropical cyclone, or one that derives its strength from heat-driven convection at its core. A white circle denotes a potential tropical cyclone (one that could become a tropical cyclone) or a former one—often a storm that is now extratropical, meaning it is driven more by a temperature difference across a weather front than by convection. There are also color-coded indicators of hurricane and tropical storm watches and warnings. But these indicators are only based on a storm's wind speeds—they don't suggest anything about potential storm surge, rainfall or tornadoes, all of which can be threats from tropical cyclones. Another Way NHC forecasts—including the cone of uncertainty graphic—are useful, but they are intended mostly for other meteorologists and emergency managers that use that information to make more detailed local forecasts and decisions about where people should evacuate or position supplies. 'The NHC is not issuing information for a person,' Wood says. Some researchers have explored making versions of the cone that are more useful for communicating threats. A 2019 study found that people estimated more damage from a hurricane when a forecast track went over a location than when it didn't. The researchers suggested that forecasts should show more hurricane paths to convey the uncertainty in where a hurricane would go. The graphic above is an example of such a visualization. It shows that the forecast is more certain in the near future and that paths at the outside of the cone are less likely than those at the center—but still possible. The cone graphic as it exists now can still be useful when looking out four or more days before a storm might arrive to get a general sense of where it is now and where it is going—for example, if a storm in the Gulf of Mexico looks likely to curve into Florida, people in New Orleans may not need to be as alert. 'It can be a decent starting point in just getting oriented into what the threat might be,' Franklin says. 'It's a good place to start, but you don't want to stop there.' Other Sources of Hurricane Information So where should you go for more useful hurricane information? Paying attention to a trusted local weather source, such as your local National Weather Service office, is generally the best bet for keeping up with impacts specific to your area and what steps need to be taken, such as whether to evacuate. The NHC also has maps that show when tropical-storm- and hurricane-force winds are likely to arrive at given locations and detailed maps showing expected storm surge levels. Much of this information is pulled together on the National Weather Service's Hurricane Threats and Impacts Tool, as well. This interactive map overlays the cone of a storm on top of wind, tornado, storm surge and rain threat information. You can click a given location and it will tell you what hazards you need to be concerned about. One of the most important things to remember no matter what forecast you're looking at is that forecasts change. Small variations in the storm itself or the larger atmospheric patterns can shift a storm's path or intensity. Human brains can naturally fall prey to the 'anchoring effect'—we can become mentally rooted in one specific forecast and base our decisions on it rather than updating our thinking as conditions change. Maybe there's a particularly ominous forecast or a particularly good one for your location, 'and then you don't keep looking for updates,' McNoldy says. But checking for updates is crucial to get ready for the coming storm.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Cabo Verde Hurricanes Are Typically Not A US Threat; That Danger Is Usually From 'Homegrown' Storms
Cabo Verde hurricanes are some of the Atlantic's most intense, but they usually don't make it to the mainland United States. Instead, those that form closer - "homegrown" storms - are more often a threat to America. What are Cabo Verde hurricanes? Each hurricane season, meteorologists focus on weather disturbances known as tropical waves that march westward off the coast of Africa into the Atlantic Ocean. According to the National Hurricane Center, about 85% of major hurricanes and about 60% of other tropical storms and hurricanes develop from these disturbances. These tropical waves sometimes waste little time strengthening into a tropical storm and then a hurricane after moving off Africa. These early developers are called "Cabo Verde hurricanes," named for the group of islands known as the Republic of Cabo Verde about 400 miles west of Senegal near which they often first become tropical storms. These islands were formerly known as Cape Verde. When and how often: Cabo Verde hurricanes usually happen in August or September. That's when the eastern Atlantic Ocean, not to mention much of the tropical Atlantic Basin, is most favorable for development. But there aren't usually many Cabo Verde hurricanes. Some hurricane seasons may have as many as five. Many other years fail to produce a single The most recent Cabo Verde hurricanes were in 2024. when Beryl first developed about halfway between Africa and the Lesser Antilles. It soon became the farthest east Atlantic Basin June hurricane on record. Two other Cabo Verde hurricanes — Kirk and Leslie — formed much later in the 2024 season. Another recent example was 2019's Hurricane Lorenzo. Lorenzo not only developed south of the Republic of Cabo Verde, but also exploded into the strongest hurricane on record in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. (For even more granular weather data tracking in your area, view your 15-minute details forecast in our Premium Pro experience.) How often a U.S. threat: analyzed 235 hurricane tracks from 1995 through 2024 to calculate how much of a threat to the U.S. these Cabo Verde hurricanes have been. We picked that time frame because hurricane seasons have mostly been more active since 1995 than in, say, the 1970s or 1980s. Our analysis revealed these hurricanes don't often reach the mainland U.S., but when they do, they tend to be destructive. Of those 235 hurricanes, 60 either made landfall or brushed very close to the mainland U.S. to produce some direct impacts. That's an average of two U.S. hurricanes per season since the mid-1990s. But only 9 out of 60 hurricanes that reached the U.S. were of the Cabo Verde variety. Why so few U.S. Cabo Verde hurricanes: Cabo Verde hurricanes have thousands of miles of ocean to cover to make it to the U.S. A lot of things often go wrong along the way. They can be carried farther north into the central Atlantic Ocean if the Bermuda-Azores high is weaker or less expansive than normal. These recurving storms then curl around the weaker high well off the U.S. East Coast. Surges of hot, dusty air from the Sahara Desert move off the African coast every three to five days from late spring through early fall. These tongues of dry, sinking air suppress thunderstorms and squelch tropical development in the eastern Atlantic early in the hurricane season. Any lingering dry air pockets can also disrupt active or developing tropical cyclones during the peak of the season. Wind shear is another factor that doesn't allow development in the eastern Atlantic Ocean early in the season. These differing winds with height can rip apart a system trying to become a tropical storm. The few that made it: While Cabo Verde hurricanes are few and make up a small fraction of U.S. hurricane landfalls, those that have made the entire voyage were almost always very destructive. The aforementioned Hurricane Beryl ransacked parts of Grenada before it swept into southeast Texas, including the Houston metro area in early July 2024. September 2018's Hurricane Florence, despite weakening winds before landfall, triggered catastrophic flooding in the Carolinas due to its slow crawl. Others included Irma (2017), Ike (2008), Ivan (2004), Frances (2004), Isabel (2003), Georges (1998) and Bertha (1996). All but one of these – Bertha in 1996 – were so damaging that their names were retired from future use. In these cases, there was not enough dry air or wind shear to put a lid on their intensification, and expansive, strong high pressure to their north ensured they would be steered to the U.S. Bigger U.S. threat is "homegrown": Much more often, a U.S. hurricane threat usually comes from storms that develop much closer. As the map below shows, of the 60 U.S.-impacting hurricanes from 1995 through 2024, only 11 first became hurricanes between the Lesser Antilles and Africa. The large majority of them first became hurricanes in the Gulf, Caribbean Sea or near the Southeast coast. One reason for this is simple geography. The closer to the U.S. it becomes a hurricane, the better chance of a U.S. hurricane landfall. A Gulf hurricane has nowhere else to go except Mexico or the U.S. if it doesn't fizzle first. But sometimes, the tropical wave encounters a hostile environment of dry air and wind shear elsewhere in the Atlantic, only to find a much more hospitable environment closer to the U.S. Deep, warm water is typically most plentiful in the Gulf, Caribbean Sea and far southwest Atlantic Ocean, so development in this part of the tropics isn't simply limited to August and September. Every hurricane should be taken seriously, particularly those in the Gulf, Caribbean Sea, or off the Southeast coast. But much more often than not, Cabo Verde hurricanes – even stronger ones – have to clear some atmospheric hurdles before they become a U.S. threat. Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. His lifelong love of meteorology began with a close encounter with a tornado as a child in Wisconsin. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on X (formerly Twitter), Threads, Facebook and Bluesky. 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Newsweek
10 hours ago
- Newsweek
Satellite Image Shows Hurricane Erin Roiling Over Atlantic
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A striking satellite image shared by NASA's Earth Observatory captured the first Atlantic hurricane of the 2025 season, "Erin," roiling over the ocean as it caused weather alerts in nearby coastal regions. The storm originally formed mid-August, and rapidly intensified into a category 5 hurricane as it approached the Caribbean and the U.S. East Coast. While it did not make landfall, it did send heavy rain and strong winds to parts of the the U.S. Atlantic coast as well as the Bahamas, Puerto Rico and the Turks and Caicos. An animation shared by NASA—composed of images acquired with the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on the Suomi NPP satellite—traces Erin's trajectory from August 14 to 19. Erin sustained heavy winds with peaks of 160 miles per hour on August 16, when the hurricane was northeast of Puerto Rico. A satellite image shared by NASA Earth Observatory shows hurricane Erin as it roils over the Atlantic. A satellite image shared by NASA Earth Observatory shows hurricane Erin as it roils over the Atlantic. NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview, and the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership. Scientists attribute Erin's rapid growth to a combination of favorable environmental conditions. According to meteorologist Bob Henson, the storm benefited from low wind shear and compact structure. Sea surface temperatures were also unusually warm for the season and the storm's swift movement over the ocean allowed it less time to churn up warm surface waters, helping sustain the heat as an energy source. Brian McNoldy, a meteorologist from the University of Miami, noted that Erin was only the 43rd Atlantic hurricane to reach category 5 since official records began in 1851. Despite its offshore trajectory, Erin's outer bands lashed Caribbean islands as it passed nearby. On August 17 Puerto Rico received heavy rains and high winds, leading to widespread power outages that affected more than 147,000 people. The Turks and Caicos Islands and the Bahamas faced tropical storm conditions, including dangerous surf, strong winds and coastal flooding, through to August 19. As Hurricane Erin continued on its westward path, it underwent eye-wall replacement cycles. This common process for intense hurricanes decreases maximum wind speeds but expands the size of the wind field. On August 18, NASA's Terra satellite, equipped with MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) sensor, captured a striking image of Erin's prominent eye, highlighting the scale of the storm. Forecasts projected that the hurricane would curve northwards, running parallel to the U.S. East Coast as a category 2 storm. Despite staying hundreds of miles away from land, the hurricane was expected to whip up hazardous conditions all the way from Florida to Canada. North Carolina's Outer Banks were placed under evacuation orders, as the state's governor declared a state of emergency. In New York and New Jersey, officials urged beachgoers to stay out of the ocean. Forecasters warned of dangerous surf and rip currents, flooding and beach erosion along the Eastern Seaboard. According to NASA, while hurricanes cannot exceed category five due to physical limits, more storms are now reaching category three, four or five levels compared to 40 years ago. Scientists investigating why stronger storms are becoming more common, believe that climate change plays a major role, explaining that warmer ocean waters caused by global warming increase hurricane intensity. Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about hurricanes? Let us know via health@
