How National Hurricane Center, WAPT forecast hurricanes to keep public informed

OFFICIAL START TO HURRICANE SEASON IS JUST A FEW DAYS AWAY. >> THURSDAY MARKS THE BEGINNING. 16 WAPT. METEOROLOGIST ISABEL DAVIS JOINS US AS OUR WEATHER TEAM GETS READY. NATIONAL OCEANIC ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION AND THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER ARE MONITORING THE ATLANTIC FOR ANY ACTIVITY THAT MAY IMPACT US HERE IN THE GULF. >> THIS EVENING, WE TAKE A LOOK AT HOW THESE ORGANIZATIONS PREPARE FOR HURRICANE SEASON AND HOW MUCH HAS CHANGED OVER THE YEARS. SINCE 2020, THE ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON HAS BEEN MORE THAN ACTIVE RATHER RECORD BREAKING, CHURNING OUT 30 NAMED STORMS IN 2020 AND 21 NAMED STORMS IN 2021. MOST STORMS IMPACTS THE US START AS TROPICAL WAVES OFF THE COAST OF AFRICA. THE WARMER THE OCEAN, THE STRONGER THE STORMS TEND TO BE. WHEN A WAVE FORMS. THIS IS WHEN NOAA, THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER, THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND WAPT COME IN. SO OUR ROLE AT THE HURRICANE CENTER IS TO SORT OF FOLLOW THE STORM AND LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE HAZARDS THROUGH ITS ENTIRE LIFE CYCLE AND THEN WORK WITH THE LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICES IN EACH COMMUNITY TO GET THAT INFORMATION DOWN TO THE LOCAL LEVEL. IN 2021, WAPT BROUGHT CONTINUOUS COVERAGE ON HURRICANE IDA. MANY PEOPLE WHO LIVE ALONG THE COAST HAVE TO EVACUATE DURING THESE STORMS. THEY SAY IT REMINDS THEM OF A SIMILAR STORM FROM YEARS AGO. HURRICANE KATRINA WAS EXPECTING THE IMPACTS FROM IDA TO BE A LOT LESS HERE INLAND AS COMPARED TO KATRINA, WHICH REALLY PUT A BIG HIT ON US. THE DATA WE USE TO FORECAST THESE STORMS IS COLLECTED BY HURRICANE HUNTERS AND AIR FORCE PILOTS. THESE MEN AND WOMEN FLY DIRECTLY INTO HURRICANES. >> THE VISUAL IMPACT OF BEING ABLE TO BREAK THROUGH THE EYEWALL AND THEN SEE THAT STADIUM EFFECT IN FULL DISPLAY IS REALLY SOMETHING THAT IS UNLIKE ANYTHING ELSE I’VE EVER EXPERIENCED. >> THEIR MISSION IS TO GATHER INFORMATION ON HOW THE STORM’S DEVELOP AND WHAT COULD HAPPEN DURING ITS EVOLUTION. >> WE GO OUT AND WE’LL WE’LL COLLECT DATA, GETTING THE INTENSITY OF THE STORM, WHERE THE STORM IS HEADING, ALL THAT AND IT JUST KIND OF SHRINKS THE CONE OF UNCERTAINTY OF WHERE IT’S LOOKING LIKE IT’S GOING TO GO THERE, HELPING US TO LOCATE THE STORM, DETERMINE HOW STRONG THE STORM IS AND HOW BIG THE STORM IS. >> AND THEN ALL THAT INFORMATION THEY COLLECT GOES INTO COMPUTER MODELS THAT HELP US MAKE OUR FORECASTS. >> AND THIS IS ALL INCORPORATED INTO THE DAY TO DAY WORK AT THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER. IT’S ALL COMBINED WITH INFORMATION FROM SATELLITES, BUOYS AND SHIP OBSERVATIONS. THE PROCESS SINCE HURRICANE KATRINA HAS BROUGHT FORECASTING AND RESEARCHING HURRICANES A LONG WAY, MAKING THE FORECASTING SO MUCH MORE ACCURATE HAS REALLY BEEN BENEFICIAL TO THE PUBLIC. >> HURRICANE KATRINA IS BLAMED FOR NEARLY 400 FATALITIES. >> IT’S THE COSTLIEST STORM TO EVER HIT THE US. THIS STORM HAD AN ESTIMATED COST THAT EXCEEDED $100 BILLION IN DAMAGE. WHILE JACKSON IS FARTHER INLAND, WE STILL EXPERIENCE SOME EFFECTS OF LANDFALL FROM HURRICANES, INCLUDING GUSTY WINDS AND FLOODING. >> IT WAS REALLY BAD. IT’S AS BAD AS IT GETS THIS FAR INLAND FOR HURRICANE. AND YOU KNOW, THE POWER OUTAGES, EVERYTHING IN SERVICES CRIPPLED AND WHAT STICKS IN MY MIND IS THAT THE NIGHT BEFORE PEOPLE WOULD START LINING UP AT A GAS STATION, SLEEPING IN THEIR CARS BECAUSE THERE WAS WORD THAT A GAS STATION WAS GOING TO GET GAS THE NEXT DAY. WE WERE CRIPPLED BY THE STORM FOR MANY, MANY DAYS. >> WHILE IT’S NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO PREDICT IF A STORM WILL IMPACT THE GULF PRIOR TO THE STORM ACTUALLY DEVELOPING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY HAVE GIVEN US A WAY TO FOCUS AND PREPARE THOSE IMPACTED A LOT SOONER AND MORE EFFICIENT. >> THE IMPORTANCE OF THE INFORMATION THAT WE’RE ABLE TO GET FROM FLYING DIRECTLY INTO THE STORM AND THE IMMEDIATE IMPACT THAT WE’RE ABLE TO HAVE ON THE FORECASTING AND EVERYONE THAT IT HELPS IS SOMETHING THAT’S REALLY IMPORTANT TO US AND WE’RE ALL REALLY PASSIONATE ABOUT. >> LISTEN TO YOUR LOCAL OFFICIALS. AND WHEN THEY SAY GET OUT, IT’S PROBABLY TIME TO GET OUT. >> ISABEL DAVIS, 16 WAPT. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MORE THAN THREE YEARS, THE NOAA IS FORECASTING AN AVERAGE HURRICANE SEASON. THEY ARE PREDICTING 12 TO 17 NAME