Michigan Internet Marketing Club: Below-normal hurricane season predicted for 2015

Below-normal hurricane season predicted for 2015

For the third year in a row, weather forecasters are predicting a quieter hurricane season with fewer storms than normal. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting six to 11 named storms from the beginning of June to the end of November with the possibility of three to six becoming hurricanes. But “six to 11 named storms is still a fair amount, so be prepared,” cautions Gerry Bell, NOAA’s lead hurricane forecaster.

Factored into the forecast is the presence of El Niño in the Pacific, which NOAA says results in cooler than average ocean temperatures that tend to dampen the formation of hurricanes in the Atlantic. But using the hashtag #ItOnlyTakesOne, the National Hurricane Center is cautioning residents of hurricane-prone areas to remain vigilant. “A below-normal season doesn’t mean we’re off the hook. As we’ve seen before, below-normal seasons can still produce catastrophic impacts to communities,” said NOAA Administrator Kathryn Sullivan, referring to the 1992 season in which there were only seven named storms but the first, Hurricane Andrew, developed into a category 5 hurricane that devastated South Florida.

New to hurricane forecasts this year is a graphic for storm surge watches and warnings that will highlight coastal areas at risk of life-threatening flooding associated with tropical storms. “Storm surge has the potential to cause the largest loss of life in hurricanes,” states the National Hurricane Center on its website. “Water, not wind, has accounted for nearly 90 percent of all tropical cyclone deaths in the U.S. [since 1963].”

Of course, it doesn’t take a hurricane to knock out your power or knock down your trees, as victims of tornadoes, Nor’easters and other weather events well know. Anyone who lived through such hurricanes as Katrina and Sandy likely remembers getting along for days or weeks without electricity, which is why interest in generators has surged. And that’s why Consumer Reports has stepped up its tests of portable and stationary generators and recommends two dozen of the 45 we’ve put through their paces.

Portable generators

The portable generators in our tests range in price from $480 to $4,000 and have run-times ranging from 7 to 19 hours on a full tank of fuel. Of the 17 recommended portable generators, six are CR Best Buys, which offer both performance and value. Here are the top three portables:

Honda EU7000is, $4,000
Ridgid RD906812B, $1,000, CR Best Buy
Kohler PRO7.5E, $1,400

Stationary generators

Stationary generators have the advantage of switching on when your power goes off eliminating the hassle of refueling and offering hundreds of hours of uninterrupted run-time. Of the 10 stationary generators in our tests, seven are recommended and there’s one CR Best Buy. They range in price from $1,800 for a smaller model to $4,300 for a larger one. Here are the top three stationary generators: