hurricanes

The First COVID-19 Era Hurricane Season Is Here. Are We Ready?

, Policy Director and Lead Economist, Climate & Energy

May 21, 2020 11:51 AM EDT

Today NOAA announced its 2020 Atlantic hurricane season forecast and projected an above average year, with a likely range of 6-10 hurricanes and 3-6 major hurricanes expected. This year, we also face hurricane season amidst the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and a worsening economic downturn—yet another example of compound risks that are part of our new normal. Our nation’s ability to keep people safe is going to be severely tested, and in large part depends on how well the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and state and local authorities work together under these unprecedented circumstances.

Read more >

public domain
Bookmark and Share

NASA

Dangerous Hurricane Season To Open Amidst COVID-19

, climate scientist

May 21, 2020 11:42 AM EDT

COVID-19 took us by storm but likely won’t be the only storm we will see this year.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has just released its Atlantic hurricane season outlook for 2020, forecasting an above-average hurricane season with 13-19 named storms, of which 6-10 could turn into hurricanes. Of these hurricanes, 3-6 could become major. If the outlook projections materialize, 2020 would be the fifth year in a row with above-normal tropical cyclone activity. In addition, the NOAA outlook comes on the heels of the first named Atlantic tropical storm of the season, Arthur, which – for the sixth year in a row – formed before the official start of hurricane season, June 1.

Read more >

NASA
https://github.com/shaman-lab/COVID-19Projection
Bookmark and Share

https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/images/186797

In the Wake of COVID-19, Congress Must Support Pre-Disaster Mitigation Programs

, Climate Resilience Analyst

April 29, 2020 5:55 PM EDT

As Congress considers formulating economic recovery and relief packages for the nation, robust funding must be targeted to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) pre-disaster mitigation programs to help prepare and protect communities ahead of time, particularly African American, Latinx and Native American communities that are suffering the brunt of the pandemic in this dire time. Read more >

Bookmark and Share

Paddy O Sullivan/Unsplash

The Climate Decade: A Global Crisis Unveiled, a Global Movement Unleashed

, Senior analyst, Climate & Energy

December 19, 2019 12:31 PM EDT

We’ve all just lived through a most consequential ten years.

Some decades, like the 1860s for the Civil War and the 1960s for the Civil Rights Movement, are seismic and stand out in history for generations. The 2010s weren’t like that (though politically it’s been one long mixed-martial arts cage fight) but in this decade, amidst the stampede of everyday life, climate changes, sometimes subtle or invisible, have locked down their profoundly consequential influence on our future–with us, until recently, scarcely noticing. Read more >

Paddy O Sullivan/Unsplash
NOAA
Anthony Quintano/Wikimedia Commons
Climate Action Network/Flickr
Yann Caradec/Flickr
NASA
Melissa Kaye Angel/GLF
Bookmark and Share

Highlights, Firsts and Worsts of Hurricane Season 2019 and the Future of Hurricanes

, climate scientist

December 16, 2019 6:59 PM EDT

Hurricane season ended on November 30, but not before Hurricane Dorian had decimated the Bahamas, taking lives and setting their infrastructure and economy back, potentially for years. On U.S. soil, Hurricane Barry and Tropical Storm Imelda had flooded Texas and the Carolinas, leaving billions in damage.

All told, Hurricane Season 2019 storms were stronger, more rapidly intensifying, slower-moving, and dumped a lot of rain. And this trend may continue if no action is taken to combat climate change. Read more >

NOAA
NOAA
NOAA
Kerry Emanuel, MIT
Bookmark and Share