WOAY-TV (Oak Hill, WV): A developing La Nina and incredibly warm Atlantic water will produce an active tropical season, but what does this mean for us?
Chief Meteorologist Chad Merrill takes a look:
SHORT-TERM TROPICAL DEVELOPMENT: 30 knots of wind shear across the Atlantic is prohibiting the development of any tropical systems in the next two weeks.
LONG-TERM TROPICAL OUTLOOK: A developing La Nina and very warm Atlantic Ocean temperatures in the zone where tropical storms and hurricanes form will yield an active season.
Digging back through the tropical storms and hurricanes that came within 100 miles of our region during La Nina hurricane seasons, the table below shows their impact (note: the two highlighted storms were the windiest and wettest storms for all the La Nina season hurricanes):
HOW WILL THE UPCOMING HURRICANE SEASON IMPACT SOUTHERN WEST VIRGINIA: A higher probability in August and September for a tropical system to bring a heavy rain producer. So, just like any other time of the year, make sure you are prepared to take the necessary steps to protect you and your property in the event of flash flooding. We get stronger winds in squall lines and derechos than hurricanes, so widespread power outages are typically not a problem with decaying tropical systems in a La Nina hurricane season, but most of you likely have backup generators anyways.
