Dr. Corene Matyas was recently interviewed about the 2018 Hurricane Season by the St. Augustine Record.
“No one knows for sure what the season will bring, but Corene J. Matyas, an associate professor and climatologist with the University of Florida’s department of geography, said most predictions she has seen are not calling for particularly quiet months ahead.
“Most are predicting an average to slightly above average season,” she said.
That’s similar to what Stoughton said she heard recently from Colorado State University’s Philip Klotzbach at March’s National Hurricane Conference in Orlando.
Klotzbach’s April 5 extended range forecast available from Colorado State’s website calls for “slightly above average activity” in the Atlantic basin with a predicted 14 named storms.
But that was a message that comes with a reminder for coastal residents “that it only takes one hurricane making landfall to make it an active season for them.”
That was echoed by Stoughton and Matyas, who pointed out that a less-than-busy season doesn’t necessarily mean people are immune from impact, as even a storm passing by an area without a direct hit can cause plenty of problems.
“Around here we had a lot of flooding from Irma,” Matyas said Friday.
“Irma kind of hit all all four of the hazards that tropical cyclones can produce,” she said referencing the winds, storm surge, rains and tornadoes that last year’s storm brought to most of the state.”
Dr. Matyas is frequently interviewed about extreme weather events. Stay tuned to learn about how to stay safe this Hurricane Season.