Will hurricanes be going Greek this year?
- September 14, 2020
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- By Story/Photos By Bryan Davis Surfguru
We are still a long way from the official end of the Atlantic Hurricane season on November 30th but with tropical storm Vicky there is now only one name left on the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane seasons names list, Wilfred. If two more storms manage to achieve tropical storm status we will officially be using the Greek alphabet with tropical storm Alpha. This is a somewhat rare occurrence having most recently been achieved in 2005 when we shot right past the last name on the list, Wilma, and ended on Tropical storm Zeta. Zeta was however a late bloomer and fell far outside of the normal Hurricane season forming on Dec 30th. 2005 like 2020 was an overly active season spawning 4 Category 5 hurricanes including Katrina.
With warming oceans making prime conditions for future storm development some are calling for additional names to be added to next year’s list possibly bringing the number to 24-30 but that will ultimately be up to the World Meteorological Organization who controls the list.
Currently we have 5 named storms in the Atlantic and the Gulf. Starting with Sally in the Gulf, Sally is currently south of the Pan Handle and on course for land fall near the mouth of the Mississippi River. New Orleans and other low lying areas are already bracing for the storm expected to be a strong Category 1 to a weak Cat 2 at landfall.
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Next up we have Paulette which is currently a Category 1 hurricane north of Bermuda and forecast to head east, away from the US, weakening then strengthen again until it ultimately swings south a bit and fizzles out in the Atlantic. This storm should send a nice ground swell to the beaches for the next couple of days.
Tropical depression Rene, which is out in the middle of the Atlantic, will likely stay put and dissipate by mid week.
Tropical Storm Teddy is our next most likely wave maker. Forecast to become a major hurricane in 4-5 days it will stay out in the Atlantic for the time being and with a bit of luck remain there. Teddy is currently on course towards Bermuda taking a path through the Sargasso Sea where it will come across very favorable conditions for strengthening, making it a storm to watch.
Last on the list is tropical storm Vicky just North West of Cape Verde. There is not much to this storm and it is expected to weaken and dissipate over the next 3 days.
