Suddenly, the airlines and cruise lines are becoming amateur meteorologists.
That’s because forecasters are warning that the busy Atlantic hurricane season is far from over.
Travel disruptions are possible in what is supposed to be the final six weeks of the season. Supposed to be. Florida just experienced two hurricanes in three weeks. Hurricane Milton was the cause of nearly 2,000 flight cancelations and delays.
“As far as hurricane landfalls in the U.S., it’s been crazy busy,” said Jeff Masters, meteorologist for Yale Climate Connections. So far five hurricanes have made landfall in the U.S. The record is six.
Hurricane season in the Atlantic basin technically ends on November 30. However, Masters said the conditions are conducive for a longer hurricane season.
“I think probably two or three more named storms by the first week of November is a good bet with at least one of those being a hurricane,” he said.
“The Gulf (of Mexico) remains fairly anomalously warm even at this point in the year, so we shouldn’t relax,” said Chris Horvat, assistant professor of earth, environment and planetary science at Brown University.
One thing is for certain—airlines and cruise lines should add extra operators.
“Because of climate change making the oceans warmer, we should expect to see more high-end hurricanes and we should expect to also see them later in the season,” Masters said.
Bottom line? It’s not over.
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