Bringing The World Home To You

© 2024 WUNC North Carolina Public Radio
120 Friday Center Dr
Chapel Hill, NC 27517
919.445.9150 | 800.962.9862
91.5 Chapel Hill 88.9 Manteo 90.9 Rocky Mount 91.1 Welcome 91.9 Fayetteville 90.5 Buxton 94.1 Lumberton 99.9 Southern Pines 89.9 Chadbourn
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Mild Hurricane Season - So Far

Hurricane Irene
nasa.gov

The 2013 Atlantic storm season has been milder than expected so far. Only eight named storms have formed by the season's midpoint.  The latest -- Humberto-- is the first hurricane to form.

Researchers at North Carolina State University had forecasted as many as 17 named storms with up to 10 hurricanes.  Lian Xie teaches atmospheric sciences at NC State and is part of the team that put out the prediction earlier this year.  He says at least one of the conditions that leads to storm development IS present.

"Warm water is there.  That's not an issue," Xie says.  "Whether we actually had an overall stronger vertical wind shear..that's a good question I guess.  Some other people are speculating on maybe the air from Africa may be drier than normal."

Xie cautions mid- to late-September is historically the peak of the season when most hurricanes form and strengthen quickly.  Hurricane season runs through the end of November.

Gurnal Scott joined North Carolina Public Radio in March 2012 after several stops in radio and television. After graduating from the College of Charleston in his South Carolina hometown, he began his career in radio there. He started as a sports reporter at News/Talk Radio WTMA and won five Sportscaster of the Year awards. In 1997, Gurnal moved on to television as general assignment reporter and weekend anchor for WCSC-TV in Charleston. He anchored the market's top-rated weekend newscasts until leaving Charleston for Memphis, TN in 2002. Gurnal worked at WPTY-TV for two years before returning to his roots in radio. He joined the staff of Memphis' NewsRadio 600 WREC in 2004 eventually rising to News Director. In 2006, Raleigh news radio station WPTF came calling and he became the station's chief correspondent. Gurnal’s reporting has been honored by the South Carolina Broadcasters Association, the North Carolina Associated Press, and the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas.
Related Stories
More Stories