So far, the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season has produced 13 named storms, including four tropical storms and nine hurricanes. Among these, four were major hurricanes: Beryl, Helen, Kirk, and Milton. LSU Public Health Climatologist Barry Keim says there have been 300 deaths due to storms this season…
“Kind of at a state now where the forecasting has gotten so good, and emergency preparedness has gotten so good that we don’t normally see this much carnage from these storms.”
Following a lull from mid-July to mid-August, the season saw a significant resurgence, now above average in named storms, hurricanes, major hurricanes, and total hurricane days. Keim says the season is far from over.
“We just need to keep a watch on the tropics and hope that the backend is not busy, but there is some indication that it could linger for a while.”
The period from mid-August to mid-October accounts for most of the storm activity, but the season typically winds down after October. As ocean temperatures continue to drop, reducing the likelihood of storms, Keim says once we get into November, we can breathe a sigh of relief…
“Once we get to the end of October I kind of write off the season, but just realize that the probability of being hit in November is not zero. It certainly could happen, but it certainly not very likely.”
