IT'S HURRICANE SEASON AGAIN.-Hurricane news next 4 posts. Be Sure to Check Out Granny's Post Below These For a Positive Blog!!

It's that time of year again and Florida just dodged the bullet as Alberto opened the season with a small salvo. Those of us in the Gulf Coast and Atlantic Seaboard states are not deceived, however. We wait, warily.

West Coasters, California and the Pacific Northwest do not experience hurricanes. The waters along that coast are too cool to nuture those storms. Southern California has received remnants of hurricanes moving northward from Baja California; in 1976 Kathleen dumped 6" - 12" rain in California's central and southern mountains, virtually destroying the town of Ocotillo by flooding.

However, our West Coast citizens do not escape devastating storms. They merely are not tropical in their formations. Ann and our other California bloggers can attest to the intense rain storms and subsequent flooding they experience, often accompanied by destructive land slides, a terrible sight to watch on TV.

The Eastern or Atlantic seaboard catches more than their share of hurricanes, although the cold waters past New England are not friendly to these storms. An unusual Category 5 hurricane did strike New England in 1938; but compensating for the dearth of warm water hurricanes, our northerly cousins have their Northeasters ( as in The Perfect Storm, a real wooly booger).

New York City is very vulnerable to terrible flooding and destruction if a major hurricane strikes it directly and storm surge moves into the harbor and inland.
All states bordering the coastal areas and even far inland are subject to severe weather and flooding even after the hurricanes have lost strength. The humid air pushed before them spawn thunderstorms and tornadoes.

A changing climate affects the formation and strength of all these storms and it is possible that they will increase in severity. Lest our Midstates feel left out, remember, climate also affects the tornadoes and vicious thunderstorms you experience.

The weather people predict an increase in hurricanes and in their severity in the coming years, and their predictions for the 2006 season are not encouraging.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/hurricane/2006-05-22-2006-forecast_x.htm?csp=34

So even if you do not live in a coastal area, weather and climate still affect you.
It's time for a cautious heads up, just in case. Remember the Boy Scouts' motto: "Always Be Prepared". Better to be prepared and not need it, than to need it and not be prepared.