A busy season in the foreacst

NHC‘s 2006 hurricane forecast came out a couple of hours ago, and they’re calling for a busy Atlantic season. NHC is forecasting 13-16 named storms this year with 8-10 hurricanes, 4-6 of them major
One thing we need to add to our hurricane kit is stuff for the dogs. Need to do some research to see what needs to go in their kit. The ASPCA website has some good tips on emergency pet preparedness

From the NOAA press release:

Warmer ocean water combined with lower wind shear, weaker easterly trade winds, and a more favorable wind pattern in the mid-levels of the atmosphere are the factors that collectively will favor the development of storms in greater numbers and to greater intensity. Warm water is the energy source for storms while favorable wind patterns limit the wind shear that can tear apart a storm’s building cloud structure.
This confluence of conditions in the ocean and atmosphere is strongly related to a climate pattern known as the multi-decadal signal, which has been in place since 1995. Since then, nine of the last 11 hurricane seasons have been above normal, with only two below-normal seasons during the El Niño years of 1997 and 2002.