The Start of a New Season

It's the start of a new season, and I don't mean a new "gardening season." Nope, on June 1st the 2008 Hurricane season began. I was out spraying some water on my orchids when this bright color among the green grabbed my eye. Yep, the "hurricane" bromeliads were putting out their first bloom of the year - right on time. I guess that's how they got their knickname the "hurricane" bromeliad.


Here's the scoop on Hurricane season from the national hurricane forecasters: "For 2008, the outlook indicates a 60 to 70 percent chance of 12 to 16 named storms, including 6 to 9 hurricanes and 2 to 5 major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale).

The main factors influencing this year’s seasonal outlook are the continuing multi-decadal signal (the combination of ocean and atmospheric conditions that have spawned increased hurricane activity since 1995), and the anticipated lingering effects of La Niña,” said Gerry Bell, Ph.D., lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “One of the expected oceanic conditions is a continuation since 1995 of warmer-than-normal temperatures in the eastern tropical Atlantic.”