What appeared a relatively quiet 2024 Hurricane Season got quite busy in the past month. With Nadine and Oscar, there have been 15 named storms up to now this year.
Thankfully, most did not significantly impact or pose a big threat to the local area. However, Colorado State University (CSU) predicted above-normal tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic (see Friday/Saturday edition) during the next two weeks, with a 50% chance of that including hurricanes.
Advice by the Office of Disaster Management (ODM) led by Fire Chief and National Disaster Coordinator Clive Richardson to remain alert is therefore well-taken. The island has seen some major late storms over the decades, of which Lenny in November 1999 is perhaps best-remembered.
Stay aware of updates from the Meteorological Department of St. Maarten (MDS), also via this newspaper and its online products. Recent experience has shown how quickly these systems can strengthen but also shift in direction considerably.
In this part of the world, from June to December, hurricane season is not something one can bid an early farewell to or take a break from. There are only six more potential storm names left and it would not be the first time use is made of Greek alphabet letters to identify the rest.
So, letting your guard down is a bad idea, certainly for the moment. We all want it to be over as soon as possible, but that’s likely not yet the case.
