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Tropical Storm Mindy hit the Florida Panhandle Wednesday night, hours after it formed in the Gulf of Mexico as the 13th named storm of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season.
According to the National Weather Service, Mindy is located about 100 miles southwest of Tallahassee. Vincent Island, Fla.
It was expected to bring heavy rains to the Florida Panhandle, southern Georgia and coastal South Carolina before crossing into the western Atlantic Ocean by Thursday. Two to four inches of rain is expected, with up to six inches in some areas.
The storm was producing maximum sustained winds of about 45 miles per hour, with some strong winds. Air Service saidfor urging people to protect outdoor items such as trash cans and patio furniture.
Some flooding was possible, as there were isolated hurricanes on the panhandle. Forecasters also warned of pea-sized hail.
“While we don’t expect widespread, significant damage, there is still a chance for flash flooding, strong winds, tornadoes and severe thunderstorms,” said Mayor Lenny Curry of Jacksonville, Fla. Declaration. Although we are not unfamiliar with these conditions, it is important that our citizens are on the alert.”
in the Atlantic Ocean, Hurricane Larry It continued to advance at 13 miles per hour toward Bermuda, threatening to bring dangerous waves to the East Coast of the United States.
It’s been a dizzying few weeks for meteorologists, who have watched several named storms form in rapid succession across the Atlantic, bringing stormy weather, flooding, and damaging winds to parts of the United States and Caribbean.
Shortly before them, in mid-August, Tropical Storm Fred landed on the Florida Panhandle and Hurricane Grace Hit Haiti and Mexico. Tropical Storm Henri On August 22, it cut power and brought record rainfall to the Northeastern United States.
The rapid succession of named storms may seem like the Atlantic is spinning them like a fast-paced conveyor belt, but their formation coincides with the peak of hurricane season.
The links between hurricanes and climate change are becoming more apparent. A warming planet can expect to see stronger hurricanes and a higher incidence of the strongest storms over time – but the overall storm count may decrease because factors such as stronger wind shear can prevent weaker storms from forming.
Hurricanes also get wetter due to more water vapor in the warmer atmosphere; scientists have suggested storms like Hurricane Harvey in 2017 produced far more rain than it would have had without human effects on the climate.. Also, rising sea levels are contributing to higher storm surge, the most destructive element of tropical cyclones.
A big United Nations climate report The report, released in August, warned that nations were delaying curbing fossil fuel emissions so long that they would no longer be able to contain the intensification of global warming over the next 30 years, leading to more frequent life-threatening heatwaves and severe droughts. Tropical cyclones have likely become more intense over the past 40 years, a change that cannot be explained by natural variability alone, according to the report.
Ana became the first named storm of the season on May 23, marking the seventh year that a named storm has developed across the Atlantic before the official start of the season on June 1.
In May, scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 13 to 20 named storms This year, there will be six to 10 hurricanes and three to five major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher in the Atlantic. In a mid-season update to the forecasts in early August, they continued to warn that this year’s hurricane season will be above average, suggesting the season is coming to a heavy end.
Matthew Rosencrans of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said an updated forecast suggests there will be between 15 and 21 named storms, including seven to 10 hurricanes, by the end of the season on November 30. Mindy is the 13th named storm. year 2021.
had last year 30 named stormsIncluding six major hurricanes, it forced meteorologists a second time to exhaust the alphabet and switch to Greek letters.
This was the highest number of storms on record, exceeding 28 in 2005, and included the second highest number of hurricanes on record.
Michael Levenson contributed to the reporting.
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