It’s been almost two decades since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and one expert is predicting another round of severe weather to line up with the storm’s anniversary later this month.
Josh Morgerman, a worldwide hurricane hunter based in Bay St. Louis, said during an appearance on The Ricky Mathews Show that the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season has so far been “unusually quiet” after record predictions were issued going in. With just one major hurricane making landfall in the U.S. since the season’s start on June 1, Morgerman believes a critical turning point has been reached.
“It’s been a strange season. You know, there were the big ominous forecasts before we got into the season, and then, there was that crazy early-season (Hurricane) Beryl. Not only a Category 5 but that thing was an epoch,” Morgerman said, looking back on the season up until this point. “It just seemed like woah, we’re really starting with a bang. But then, nothing basically.
“Climatologically, when you look at a chart of the typical Atlantic activity, August 10 is when things really ramp up. That’s when the season really starts,” Morgerman continued. “We’re at this climatological point of peak season and models are looking quiet, which suggests to me that with all that pent-up energy, probably late August into September is going to be kind of wild.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted before the start of the 2024 season an 85 percent chance of an above-normal season with up to 13 storms forming into hurricanes. While activity may look quiet two and a half months into the season, Morgerman predicts that’s bound to change.
“I liken it to you’re having a party and you tell everyone to be there at eight. At like eight o’clock, no one’s there and you think no one is going to come. An hour or two later, you have a great turnout and people just didn’t arrive on time,” Morgerman said. “I think that’s how this season is going to be.”
The 19th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina making landfall in Mississippi is Aug. 29 and while the milestone could bring back bad memories, Morgerman encourages Gulf Coast residents to use those memories to be prepared.
