What if Erin hadn’t turned north?
The Outer Banks (OBX) is one of my favorite places to just hang out and spend time with my ocean.
But watching the news last week and seeing Hurricane Erin blow up to a Category 5 that reached 800 miles wide was scary. The OBX, which are barrier islands created by the currents that make that area treacherous for navigation and sailing, took a glancing blow from the storm. Waves and surf at high tide battered the protective sand dunes and tore some of them out, burying the only road that runs through there.
The locals are somewhat used to it and got to work immediately digging things out. There was beach erosion and damage, of course.
Twenty two years ago, Hurricane Isabel made direct landfall on the islands and literally tore Hatteras Island in half.
Ultimately, Erin was a “fish storm.” Even with damage and high surf, most of its energy stayed out to see. But what if it hadn’t. What if it had turned and slammed right into the coast at Charleston, South Carolina or Myrtle Beach?
There was a story this week in the Washington Post titled “Erin joined a long list of recent Category 5s. Are they happening more often? (gift article). The short answer is yes, they are. We are seeing them more frequently.
Eleven of the 33 Cat 5 storms since 1924 have happened in the last decade.
“To get a sense of how unusual that is: Over the longer term, there have been only 33 seasons with Category 5s since 1924, or about one-third of all years. Before the last 10 years — when there have been 11 Category 5 hurricanes — it took 27 years for the prior 11 of that level and 34 years for the 11 before that.”
It’s readily apparent what is causing the increase in storms. The oceans are heating up dramatically. That gives them more energy and they explode in size overnight.
I found a list on the NOAA website that tracks Billion dollar storms. It’s unsettling.
The Washington Post story says there is a good likelihood that we could see another Cat 5 this year. I am hopeful we get as lucky this time.
But I’m not so sure.
Semi-related, several years ago, I published a children’s story about hurricanes. It’s free on my website. Share it with anyone you know who has children who have questions.
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