51.0°,
Light Rain Legislator helps residents prep for the 'Big One'
David Denenberg holds hurricane-preparedness seminar
The U.S. could be in for one very active hurricane season, according to weather experts. That, in part, prompted Nassau County Legislator David Denenberg, a Democrat who represents Bellmore-Merrick, to hold a hurricane-preparedness seminar on Wednesday at the Freeport Library.
Experts from the National Weather Center, along with Jim Callahan, commissioner of the Nassau County Office of Emergency Management, spoke about the outlook for this year's hurricane season and how the public can prepare for it.
According to Bill Goodman, a National Weather Center forecaster, 14 to 20 tropical storms, half of which could become hurricanes, are expected to form in the Atlantic this year. Four to six could become intense hurricanes, with maximum sustained winds of more than 115 mph.
The reason for this, Goodman said, is due to higher-than-normal temperatures in the tropical Atlantic, and because atmospheric winds are currently stronger than usual. The greatest number of hurricanes traditionally have formed in August and September.
According to the National Weather Center, a Tropical Storm Warning is issued when sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph are possible within the specified coastal area within 48 hours. If those winds exceed 74 mph, a Hurricane Warning is put into effect.
On average, Long Island is hit by tropical storms every five years and hurricanes every 17 years. The last major hurricane to strike Long Island was Hurricane Gloria, which rolled through on Sep. 27, 1985, causing an estimated $300 million in damage. While Gloria began as a Category 4 hurricane when it originated in the Bahamas, its wind speed decreased to 95 to 100 mph by the time it hit Long Island, qualifying it as a Category 2 storm.
A Category 1 hurricane is classified by winds of 74 to 95 mph; Category 2, 96 to 110 mph winds; Category 3, 111 to 130 mph winds; and Category Four, 131 to 155 mph. The chances of a Category 5 hurricane, with winds greater than 155 mph, hitting Long Island are extremely small, because water temperatures are too cool to sustain such a storm here.
