By Clint Thompson
Predictions of neutral or La Niña weather conditions from July through September could transition into an active Atlantic tropical season.
According to the University of Georgia (UGA) Extension Climate and Agriculture Blog, Pam Knox, UGA Extension agricultural climatologist, said the likelihood of increased storm activity this summer is stronger if the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico water temperatures continue to stay warmer than average.
“It doesn’t say anything about where those storms are going to go. They could all stay out in the ocean like a lot of them did last year where it’s not going to cause that much impact,” Knox said. “But it only takes one like (Hurricane) Idalia to cause a lot of problems for some producers. We know that if we have a more active season, the likelihood that some are going to come over land does increase just because of the number of storms.
“It’s a good reminder for people that they need to make sure they’ve done their preparation before they get to the heart of the tropical season. If we start to get a real active pattern, you may not have a lot of time to do inventory and things like that. They really need to be prepared at the beginning of the season even more so if we know it’s going to be active.”
Knox’s blog was in response to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center and its latest El Niño and the Southern Oscillation discussion. It predicts that neutral weather conditions are more likely from April through June.
The July through September time period is in the most active part of the Atlantic tropical season.