Happy Monday and welcome to another edition of the Beyond The Forecast newsletter! We’re talking hurricanes and how you can prepare for them, even though the season does not officially begin until June 1.
The National Weather Service has declared this week (May 9-15) as Hurricane Preparedness Week. If you follow any weather accounts on Facebook and/or Twitter, you’re likely to see information about this initiative each day through Saturday.
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Each day will focus on a different way for you to be ready for tropical cyclones. For example, today’s topic is about developing an evacuation plan.
You may not think this is worth doing, as we live so far inland, but it may be worthwhile to think about if you live in a flood-prone area. Remember, we received 12-18″ of rain across eight different tropical systems in 2020 and flooding was an issue at times.
Other topics include getting a supply kit ready, checking on insurance and seeing if you’re covered when hurricanes hit and strengthening your home against wind and flooding.
Let’s talk about what you could potentially include in a supply kit. Everything listed on the graphic below would be useful in a worst-case scenario.
I think the photo of your residence is especially important, because if you have a tree fall on your house due to wind or your basement gets flooded, you’ll have a record for insurance purposes.
We’re coming off one of the most active hurricane seasons on record and, unfortunately, the upcoming season is looking active again.
Colorado State and North Carolina State have already issued their hurricane season forecasts and we expect the National Hurricane Center to follow suit later this month.
In case you missed it, the World Meteorological Organization has ended the use of the Greek alphabet to name hurricanes, so you won’t hear about Tropical Storm Alpha or Hurricane Iota ever again. A supplemental list has been developed, just in case the seasonal list is exhausted in a given year.
Switching gears to your forecast, we’re coming off a warm Mother’s Day! Don’t get used to it, because cooler air will be with us much of this week. Meteorologist Chris Michaels has a look at when temperatures could warm back up in our daily forecast article.
You can always get specific forecast details for your zone, whether it’s the Roanoke Valley, Southside, the Highlands or elsewhere around Southwest and Central Virginia, anytime at WSLS.com/weather. Know your zone!
In case you missed it, we’re posting great weather and science content on WSLS.com. Here are a few links from the past week to check out:
If you prefer your weather information delivered by social media, you can follow Your Local Weather Authority on Facebook and Twitter.
You can also keep up with me on social media. I’m on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, follow along!
-- Justin McKee