Latest news with #HurricaneIan
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Will a Category 5 hurricane make landfall in Florida in 2025? History says that's unlikely
Starting today, June 1 and for the next 182 days (until Nov. 30), Southwest Floridians will paying more attention to the weather forecast, especially with what is happening in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf. It's called Hurricane Season. In recent years, because of the number of hurricanes Southwest Florida has had to deal with and the damage caused by those storms, including historic Hurricane Ian in September 2022, it might feel like we must have been hit by a Category 5 hurricane during this run. You could argue the back-to-back hurricanes we had last year (2024) − Helene and Milton − combined added up to a Cat 5, but that's not how it works. More: Hurricane season is almost here. When should I build my hurricane kit, what should I put in it? Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane on Sept. 26, 2024, with winds of 140 mph. Just 13 days later, Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida as a Category 3 hurricane. It struck near Siesta Key Oct. 9, 2024. The storm was accompanied by sustained winds of 120 mph. Turn back the clock a couple of years to Sept. 28, 2022 and we had Hurricane Ian, which caused catastrophic to Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel Island and other coastal locations in Southwest Florida. It sure felt and looked like a Category 5 hit here. But officially, Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm. It was initially a Category 5 storm before weakening to a Category 4 just before landfall at Cayo Costa. Ian had maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. There were more than 140 deaths attributed to Ian. It is possible, but not probable based on past history. Could it happen? Sure. But since records have been kept, it has never happened here, even though with Ian it was right on the edge of being added to the short list. Since the 1900, three Category 5 hurricanes have made landfall in Florida: The 'Labor Day Hurricane' of 1935 The 1935 Labor Day Hurricane is considered the strongest storm ever recorded to make landfall in the U.S., smashing into the Florida Keys on Sept. 2, 1935, with winds of 185 mph. It killed an estimated 409 people. Hurricane Andrew in 1992 On Aug. 24, 1992, Andrew made landfall in South Miami-Dade County with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph. Although 23 deaths were directly attributed to the storm, according to NOAA, "Hurricane Andrew destroyed more than 50,000 homes and caused an estimated $26 billion in damage, making it at the time the most expensive natural disaster in United States history." And the most recent, Hurricane Michael in 2018 Hurricane Michael made landfall in the Florida Panhandle on Oct. 10, 2018, as a Category 5 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 161 mph. According to the National Weather Service: "Wind and storm surge caused catastrophic damage, particularly in the Panama City Beach and Mexico Beach areas. Eight direct fatalities were reported: seven in Florida and one in Georgia. In addition, 43 indirect deaths were attributed to the storm." More: When does hurricane season start in Florida? What to document for insurance now There's only be one. Hurricane Camille in 1969. Camille had sustained winds of more than 170 mph when it hit Mississippi on Aug. 17, 1969. More than 250 people were killed, many in Virginia due to massive flooding the storm brought to that state. Camille tracked north-northwest across the Gulf of Mexico, becoming a Category 5 the day before making landfall. This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: How many Category 5 hurricanes hit Florida?
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Will a Category 5 hurricane make landfall in Florida in 2025? History says that's unlikely
Starting today, June 1 and for the next 182 days (until Nov. 30), Southwest Floridians will paying more attention to the weather forecast, especially with what is happening in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf. It's called Hurricane Season. In recent years, because of the number of hurricanes Southwest Florida has had to deal with and the damage caused by those storms, including historic Hurricane Ian in September 2022, it might feel like we must have been hit by a Category 5 hurricane during this run. You could argue the back-to-back hurricanes we had last year (2024) − Helene and Milton − combined added up to a Cat 5, but that's not how it works. More: Hurricane season is almost here. When should I build my hurricane kit, what should I put in it? Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane on Sept. 26, 2024, with winds of 140 mph. Just 13 days later, Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida as a Category 3 hurricane. It struck near Siesta Key Oct. 9, 2024. The storm was accompanied by sustained winds of 120 mph. Turn back the clock a couple of years to Sept. 28, 2022 and we had Hurricane Ian, which caused catastrophic to Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel Island and other coastal locations in Southwest Florida. It sure felt and looked like a Category 5 hit here. But officially, Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm. It was initially a Category 5 storm before weakening to a Category 4 just before landfall at Cayo Costa. Ian had maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. There were more than 140 deaths attributed to Ian. It is possible, but not probable based on past history. Could it happen? Sure. But since records have been kept, it has never happened here, even though with Ian it was right on the edge of being added to the short list. Since the 1900, three Category 5 hurricanes have made landfall in Florida: The 'Labor Day Hurricane' of 1935 The 1935 Labor Day Hurricane is considered the strongest storm ever recorded to make landfall in the U.S., smashing into the Florida Keys on Sept. 2, 1935, with winds of 185 mph. It killed an estimated 409 people. Hurricane Andrew in 1992 On Aug. 24, 1992, Andrew made landfall in South Miami-Dade County with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph. Although 23 deaths were directly attributed to the storm, according to NOAA, "Hurricane Andrew destroyed more than 50,000 homes and caused an estimated $26 billion in damage, making it at the time the most expensive natural disaster in United States history." And the most recent, Hurricane Michael in 2018 Hurricane Michael made landfall in the Florida Panhandle on Oct. 10, 2018, as a Category 5 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 161 mph. According to the National Weather Service: "Wind and storm surge caused catastrophic damage, particularly in the Panama City Beach and Mexico Beach areas. Eight direct fatalities were reported: seven in Florida and one in Georgia. In addition, 43 indirect deaths were attributed to the storm." More: When does hurricane season start in Florida? What to document for insurance now There's only be one. Hurricane Camille in 1969. Camille had sustained winds of more than 170 mph when it hit Mississippi on Aug. 17, 1969. More than 250 people were killed, many in Virginia due to massive flooding the storm brought to that state. Camille tracked north-northwest across the Gulf of Mexico, becoming a Category 5 the day before making landfall. This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: How many Category 5 hurricanes hit Florida?
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Hurricane season 2025: Central Florida prepares for flooding
When Hurricane Irma barreled through Central Florida in 2017, floodwaters rose several feet in the streets of the working-class neighborhood of Orlo Vista and up to the window sills in Levi Williams' home. 'We could see fish and tadpoles swimming in the water,' she said Thursday. It was weeks before she could finally return to the home where she had lived since 1975. It was the first time her house flooded. Williams was chased out of her home again by flooding in September 2022 when Hurricane Ian swamped Central Florida, dumping nearly 15 inches in some spots. She remembered sheets of water flowing along the streets of Orlo Vista, destroying nearly everything in its path, before spreading into homes. Some residents had to be rescued out of their houses by the National Guard with high-water vehicles. Williams will often tell her stories of those two storms to warn Central Florida residents — even those who have lived in the region for decades — that a hurricane's rains are just as dangerous as its winds. 'We have no control over the weather. That's God's doing,' she said. 'But we can be prepared.' That's the message that national weather forecasters, emergency management directors and public officials also are spreading as this year's Atlantic hurricane season starts today and continues through Nov. 30. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts another 'above average' hurricane season with between 13 and 19 named storms. Central Florida residents, they warn, should be ready for heavy rains that can destroy homes within hours, even if their area is not in the direct path of a large storm. 'We're not on the coast, so people say: 'Oh gosh, we don't have to worry about hurricanes so much,'' said U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, former governor of Florida, on Thursday during a press briefing in Sanford regarding hurricane preparedness. 'But if you really look at these hurricanes, what's happened is: They've really become big water events,' Scott said, as he gathered with public safety officials. 'We've had unbelievable flooding where people thought we've never had flooding before.' Scott and other emergency officials at the event urged homeowners purchase flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program, even if their properties are not in a designated flood zone. Marie Lackey, a program manager for Seminole County's public works department, said Central Florida has experienced what scientists and weather experts refer to as a '100-year flood event' four times since 2017. A 100-year flood event means it's so rare that it has only a 1% chance of occurring within a specific year. 'Our systems are not designed for that amount of rainfall,' she said. 'And that is a concern, not just in our county, but in our surrounding counties.' Jean Brower and her husband, James, learned that first hand. They were forced to live in a hotel for more than two weeks after Hurricane Ian dumped 19 inches of rain in some spots of Osceola County and flooded the couple's mobile home park, Good Samaritan Society's Kissimmee Village. More than a dozen units were later demolished. County crews have since dredged nearby canals with hopes of preventing a similar disaster. 'We're a little more nervous this year,' said Brower, who blames the stress from the hurricane for a stroke she suffered that left her wheelchair-bound in January 2023. 'We know that they're predicting another busy hurricane season,' she said. 'But it's coming up too soon. We'll keep our fingers crossed.' In Osceola, officials plan to soon implement FloodWise, a software technology that can predict where flooding will occur at the street level up to three days in advance of an approaching storm. 'It will alert us where to put pumps and sandbags,' said Linette Matheny, Osceola's executive director of environment and public lands. 'We can tell people in an apartment complex to move their cars or property out of the way.' Trying to estimate how much rain will fall in a particular area during an approaching storm can drive weather forecasters and emergency management officials to frustration. Devastating floods can occur far from a hurricane's eye. A storm's outer bands of rain can cause local deluges, so residents should be prepared even in areas that are outside a storm's forecasted track. When Hurricane Milton cut a path across south Osceola last October, Kissimmee received slightly under 4 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service. But Sanford, more than 35 miles north from the eye, saw more than 11 inches of rain. Olivier Welscher — who runs Meriwether Farms next to the historic Midway community near Sanford — said he's uneasy about this year's hurricane season after his property off Celery Avenue flooded during Ian in September 2022. 'Ian was just a crazy storm,' Welscher said. 'We have never been flooded that bad. … And that was followed by [Tropical Storm] Nicole' in November 2022. Midway residents have long struggled with flooded roads and inundated yards after strong storms because of an aging stormwater infrastructure. Many Midway homes were built more than half a century ago. The flooding has become worse in recent years, residents say, because of stronger storms and hundreds of new homes built around their community in Sanford. The city's stormwater drains and ditches are often clogged with tree limbs and other vegetative debris, according to residents. 'It has been woefully neglected,' said Emory Green Jr., a longtime Midway resident, said. 'This is a priority that needs to be addressed. … And it makes me 100% nervous.' In Altamonte Springs, residents in the Spring Oaks neighborhood, tucked along a crook of the Little Wekiva River, have had to use canoes and kayaks to leave their homes after hurricanes Irma, Ian and Milton flooded their roads. More than 60 residents were evacuated after Irma. Spring Oaks resident Alan Wyland has already started stockpiling sandbags and other items in preparation for this year's hurricane season. 'We've learned to be ready,' he said this week. In south Orange County, Jimmy Tadlock remembered a wave of stormwater flowing into his home during Ian in the Bonnie Brook neighborhood. 'It ruined everything — furniture, appliances, even the vehicle,' he said. 'The lift stations just couldn't handle it.' Those memories make Tadlock nervous about this year's hurricane season, too. 'It's just been getting worse every year,' he said. 'The weather is bad everywhere, not just here. You're seeing heavy rains, winds, tornadoes; everywhere around the country.' In Orlo Vista, Williams hopes Orange County's recent improvements to the stormwater drainage systems will help spare her neighborhood from flooding this year. In November 2022, two months after Ian, Orange County hired a North Carolina company to a $21.5-million contract to deepen three storm-water ponds and install a new pump station and stormwater conduits. 'The ponds have been dug deeper, and they can now hold a lot more water than in the past,' said Jeff Charles, operations supervisor with Orange's stormwater management division. Charles pointed out no Orlo Vista properties were flooded during last October's Hurricane Milton, even after receiving nearly six inches of rain. 'But they should've taken more active measures earlier,' Williams said, remembering her flood-damaged home from hurricanes Irma and Ian.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Editorial: Rick Scott, Ashley Moody must defend against political storms by backing emergency funding
1It's June 1, the official start of hurricane season. And Floridians know, for sure, that there is a storm coming. But when? Where? How bad will it be, and how much help can the state expect as it rebuilds? Those are questions that can't be answered. That's because this storm is of human origin — a swirling morass of short-sighted buyouts pushed by Donald Trump's DOGE bounty hunters, potential budget cuts and a threatened shift in the way the nation funds disaster recovery. Even if Florida dodges a direct hit by a major hurricane this year, the uncertainty of storm-prediction capabilities and recovery aid are likely to drive Florida's property insurance industry into a maelstrom of uncertainty, potentially fueling catastrophic rate increases. The only hope lies in restoring the hard-won stability that, until last year, Floridians had grown to rely on. And there's still a chance for two key leaders — our U.S. senators, Ashley Moody and Rick Scott — to defend Florida's chances of surviving brutal storm seasons. Both have ample reason to know what's at stake. Moody, who until recently served as state attorney general, witnessed the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, which caught southwest Florida underprepared for a last-minute course shift. As governor, Scott oversaw turbulent storm seasons, including 2017, when Hurricane Irma forced the largest mass evacuation in the nation's history. Both of them witnessed the slow, painful slogs to recovery every time a major storm hit Florida. As the Senate responds to the starvation-level budget approved by the House last month, they owe it to Floridians to tilt the national spending plan back to rationality. That includes repairing the tattered U.S. weather-monitoring system by filling more than 550 vacancies at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service. The nation needs qualified meteorologists and scientists, whose predictions give storm-vulnerable areas the best chance of bracing for impact — and no state needs help more than Florida, which has incurred more hurricane losses than any other state over the past 10 years. And no state would suffer as badly as Florida if the current situation persists. Geography is obviously a factor: The state is exposed to both Gulf and Atlantic storms, which can rake any point in its nearly 8,500 miles of shoreline and often shift course with little warning. Reporting by CBS and the Miami Herald show that NWS and NOAA outposts across the state are critically understaffed — something called out in a letter signed by five former heads of the NWS, published in these pages last month. 'NWS staff will have an impossible task to continue its current level of services. Some forecast offices will be so short-staffed that they may be forced to go to part-time services,' they wrote. The loss of forecasters is compounded by the short staffing among technicians responsible for maintaining the radar arrays that detect and analyze storm activity. 'Our worst nightmare is that weather forecast offices will be so understaffed that there will be needless loss of life,' they wrote. That should be everyone's fear. Reconstituting the nation's storm-prediction resources won't be easy. There are only so many qualified meteorologists, radar technicians and other critical personnel to fill these vacant positions, and many who departed took retirement deals that could complicate attempts to rehire them — a clear illustration of the penny-wise, pound-foolish impact of DOGE's blindly draconian cuts. Any delay in fixing the damage could be fatal for as-yet uncountable Floridians. Scott and Moody must also make it clear that federal aid will be available to any part of this nation hit by natural disasters. Recent actions by the Trump administration — denying federal aid for other parts of the nation that have been hit by devastating storms and other emergencies — make the warning even sharper. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is holding back funding that was promised months or even years ago, while denying emergency aid. Among the rejected pleas: Aid for a Washington state town that was three-quarters destroyed by wildfire, and help following an Arkansas storm event with tornadoes and giant hail that killed three people. Most alarming, the administration slashed funding last week for North Carolina's Hurricane Helene recovery, a storm that left 230 people dead and thousands without power for weeks. Ironically, Trump blasted the Biden administration in January for not doing enough to help Helene's victims. These incidental denials could be just the start. If President Trump makes good on his threat to shift disaster response to the states, Florida and other states on the front lines of climate change will be the first to suffer. While the president may speak deceptively of 'reform,' Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has been far more blunt: She wants to shut FEMA down. And while we appreciate Scott's sense of timing, taking a tour of Florida to promote disaster preparedness, this is not a burden that can be carried by Florida residents and businesses alone. That's why Scott, Moody and other GOP senators in disaster-prone states should join forces and make it clear: The nation should not abandon Florida and other states to the winds of fate. Certainly the nation's disaster-recovery framework could be improved. But an abrupt denial of funding now could carry devastating consequences — not just for states on the front lines, but on the nation. Floridians have the right to expect their senators to defend their interests. The Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Opinion Editor Krys Fluker, Executive Editor Roger Simmons and Viewpoints Editor Jay Reddick. Contact us at insight@
New York Times
13-05-2025
- New York Times
The Pope's Florida Brother, a MAGA Disciple, Plans to ‘Tone It Down'
You can often find the eldest brother of the Successor of the Prince of the Apostles down at the Twisted Fork restaurant in Port Charlotte, Fla., where, on Honky-Tonk Thursdays, he is most likely boot-scooting along with the rest of the line dancers. His ringtone plays the opening riffs of Led Zeppelin's 'Immigrant Song.' He incurred $20,000 in roof damage from Hurricane Ian. And until recently, anyone could read his Facebook posts, which included vulgar potshots at Nancy Pelosi and her husband and a pronouncement that supporters of Joseph R. Biden Jr. suffered from a 'mental affliction.' Nearly a week after the Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost became Pope Leo XIV, the world is still adjusting to the fact that he has an American family that does typically American things. The Borgias, for all their many sins, never posted crude or spicy memes to the socials. And indeed, for Louis Prevost, 73, it is the Facebook posts, which he shared online before his brother was made pope, that have earned him the most attention in the last few days. By Tuesday, the posts were no longer publicly viewable. Among other things, he reposted an old video of Ms. Pelosi, under which the author of the original post referred to her with a vulgar sexist epithet. The original post also insinuated that Ms. Pelosi's husband, Paul, was gay, echoing a misinformation campaign that spread among those on the right after Mr. Pelosi was brutally attacked by a man who broke into his home in October 2022.
