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View Full Version : Rain, and yes, hurricane season starts today



NewsWhore
06-01-2011, 04:40 PM
As many as 16 tropical atmospheric phenomena could occur during the hurricane season that begins today and ends on 30 November, according to experts from the University of Colorado. Upon making the announcement, Gloria Ceballos, the director of the National Meteorological Office (Onamet), said that five of these storms could develop into strong hurricanes, four might be moderate and seven could reach the category of tropical storms. Ceballos stated that Onamet has the necessary tools to guarantee the publication and dissemination of the meteorological reports. She told reporters that it was not possible to say how many of these cyclones (tropical storms or hurricanes) might affect the country, and she therefore called on the public to be alert for the meteorological bulletins and to have contingency plans in place. This season has been classified as "more active than normal", due to the number of storms that are predicted. Nonetheless, it will be less intense than 2010, during which 21 storms occurred, due to the influence of La Nina.

This year, both La Nina and El Nino will influence weather patterns, and we are therefore in a neutral period, according to Ceballos. "It is important for the public to be informed about these atmospheric phenomena and for people to pay attention to the advisories that Onamet issues when there are threats from one of these storms", Ceballos said. Some of the names of this year's tropical cyclones are: Arlene, Bret, Cindy, Don, Emily, Franklin, Gert, Harvey, Irene, Jose, Katia, Lee, Maria, Nate, Ophelia, Philippe, Rina, Sean, Tammy, Vince and Whitney.

The rains begin today. The Onamet director said that as of tonight they are forecasting heavy rainfall in the southwest, the frontier, the northwest and the central mountains. These rains could be as much as 100mms (4 inches) of rain per day. "These are important numbers, due to the fact that we already have saturated terrain as a result of the rains of May," stressed the official. The rains forecast are caused by a low-pressure trough that is moving from Jamaica. Because of the accumulation of water, the Emergency Operations Center (COE) is maintaining its yellow alert in place for the provinces of Independencia and Sanchez Ramirez.

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