What to Expect This Hurricane Season

6/1/2021 (Permalink)

Stay one step ahead of hurricane season with some helpful info from your neighborhood restoration experts.

Summer has arrived in Oklahoma, which means hurricane season is officially in full swing. And after last year broke records for number of storms (according to The Farmer’s Almanac and the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University), another active hurricane season is anticipated in 2021.

Scientists anticipate 17 named storms in 2021, eight of which are categorized as hurricanes. These numbers are based on forecasts from April 2021 that are subsequently updated throughout hurricane season through the end of August. Since 1981, the average number of hurricanes per season is 6.4, meaning this summer is likely to continue a recent trend of above-normal storm seasons in the USA.

In 2020, much of the hurricane-caused flooding in the U.S. occurred in Louisiana, Texas, and other gulf states. However, hurricanes can persist as severe storms as they make further landfall into inland Texas and Oklahoma. 

You already know that SERVPRO is faster to any disaster, and that no matter the storm damage our restoration experts can make it "Like it never even happened." But the more you know about hurricanes, the better you can prepare before they hit.

Here are a few hurricane facts that could come in handy this summer:

What Criteria Qualify a Hurricane

A hurricane is a tropical storm with winds that are at least 74 mph. They’re usually weakened when they make landfall, which is why states bordering large bodies of water (like the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico) are often the most impacted. However, even if after making landfall it falls below the threshold of an active hurricane, it can still cause wind damage and flooding from the intense rain that persists.

There Are Different Classes of Hurricanes

Hurricanes can be classified from 1-5 depending on the speed of wind of that particular storm. A Class 1 hurricane ranges from 74-95 mph, while a class 5 hurricane is a storm with 156+ mph winds. The last class 5 hurricane to make landfall in the United States was Hurricane Maria in 2017.

How Meteorologists Predict Hurricanes 

Thanks to modern satellite technology, meteorologists are able to identify and track hurricanes that develop and travel more easily than ever. Hurricanes usually take a few days (or even more than a week) to fully develop and ultimately make landfall. That’s why it’s vital to heed hurricane warnings if a storm threatens our area!

And, as always, call us 24/7 for expert advice or to have a team of specialists dispatched to your home or commercial property: (405) 252-9400.