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The Atlantic hurricane season remains in hyperactive mode, as the National Hurricane Center is watching four tropical waves, including one off the southeast corner of the US, which could develop in the next few days.
Hurricanes Laura and Marco have moved on, but the tropics continue to be very active.
As of Monday morning, there are four tropical waves (or areas, one is over Africa) which all have the potential for developing within the next 2 to 5 days, according to forecasters from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), KHOU 11 reports.
One system in the eastern Caribbean Sea has an 80% chance of becoming a named tropical storm in the next five days, 6 ABC reports.
The immediate areas of concern with this storm are Jamaica, Honduras, Belize, Guatemala, and the Yucatan peninsula.
The other two active tropical waves in the Atlantic have less than a 40% chance of development, according to the NHC. One is currently in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, while the other is still forming over the West Coast of Africa.
The NHC is currently keeping a close watch on a tropical wave that is just off the southeast corner of the United States, off the Georgia coast. Forecasters believe it will develop within the next few days, predicting it will become a tropical depression by the middle of the week.
The tropical wave is currently being given a greater than 70% chance of developing into a named storm. The next available name on the tropical cyclone list is “Nana.”
However, there is a bit of good news… The forecast track for the storm, even if it does develop, is moving away from the US back toward the Atlantic.
The coronavirus pandemic complicates matters in trying to prepare hurricane kit, mainly due to the fact that many supplies are in high demand and hard to come by because people were already stocking up earlier in the year with the COVID-19 outbreak.
In particular, soap, hand sanitizer, and toilet paper remain in short supply. Nonetheless, the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season is far from over and September tends to be a very active month for storms. If you don’t have your hurricane kit prepared yet – don’t delay.
One gallon of water per person, per day, and one gallon of water per pet.
A two week supply of food per person and per pet. Make sure to pack a can opener.
Power could be out for days, weeks, even a month. Make sure to have a backup supply of batteries for at least two flashlights.
Your cellphone is your lifeline. It’s the one critical piece of equipment to have in case you need help. But with the power out for days, weeks, even a month, your phone will quickly run out of power leaving your lifeline cut off.
Make sure to get a portable battery backup (even more than one) that always stays fully charged so you will have a way of recharging your cell phone or smartphone even with the electricity out. Check out these chargers at Amazon.
Pack at least a week or two-week supply of medicine for people and pets. It could be difficult to reach a pharmacy.
Keep important items (insurance documents, birth certificate, etc.) sealed up in a waterproof, Ziploc bag.
With electricity off, purchases may not be possible, especially with debit and credit cards. Make sure to keep cash on hand.
Electricity outages may shut down gasoline pumps. Make sure to have spare gas cans filled and stored in a safe place.
