Why So Many Hurricanes Happen In 2012?

Hurricane Sandy.
(Picture from: http://www.livescience.com/)

Mid-May 2012, weather observers in the United States did not think there would be so many hurricanes that occurred, including the hurricane Sandy that have swept east coast of America. As of October, had 19 hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean that has hit the country, 10 of which developed into hurricanes.

Storms and hurricanes that made the 2012 hurricane season, the Atlantic as one of the busiest in the history. Since 1851, there were only seven years experience as well as 19 or more storms in a season. Three of them occurred in the past decade. In the 2010 and 2011, respectively 19 storms occurred. While the 2005 season, there were 28 storms, including hurricane Katrina.

Initially, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts will occur 9 to 15 hurricanes this year. However, last August, NOAA forecast was raised to 12-17 storms, with five to eight of which developed into hurricanes.

Waves crash into a pier in Nags Head, N.C., Oct. 27, 2012. (Pictures from: http://news.yahoo.com/)

Not every storm has a name. Storms are named when it reaches tropical storm status, ie when the wind spins it reaches minimum speed 63 kilometers per hour. A tropical storms become hurricanes when winds peak at least 119 kilometers per hour.

"Seldom storms happening more than what is expected," said Gerry Bell, Chief of Hurricane Forecaster at the Climate Prediction Center at NOAA.

Why this time hurricane season busier than expected? "The estimates were too low was because of El Nino," said Bell. "The forecasters predict weather patterns, marked by warm surface temperatures in the ocean Pasifiki has grown and debilitating hurricane formation by affecting the atmosphere. But it has not happened."

At this year's cyclone activity in the Atlantic lasted longer than expected, undisturbed by El Nino. This natural phenomenon is generally spawned super strong winds to the east and can interfere with a circular motion, which gives strength to the storm. "There are strong indications that El Nino will be formed to suppress the peak hurricane season, but El Nino has not been established as well," he said. *** [LIVESCIENCE | KORAN TEMPO 4041]

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