El Nino may suppress hurricane activity off NC coast

1992, an El Nino year, proved you can't gamble with mother nature

By: Arthur Mondale | WNCT
Published: July 10, 2009

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Thursday announced the arrival of El Nino in the Pacific and it is expected to persist though the winter. El Nino is a warm water event.
Even though it's half-way around the world, El Nino's gives us insight into what our hurricane season may be like. Statistical data shows an El Nino season tends to suppress hurricane activity in the Atlantic ocean.
Meteorologists say while strong upper level winds linked to El Nino create storms for the western coast of our country, these same upper level winds impact the Atlantic Hurricane Season differently.
“The strong jet stream wind flow, may help to disrupt the organization of tropical storms and hurricanes down the road," said meteorologist Gannon Medwick. "As we get into those traditionally more active months of August, September, and October if we do have strong subtropical jets, powered in part by the El Nino that could only mean good things for the Atlantic Basin. Even though El Nino years tend to be linked to lower than average hurricane activity in the Atlantic--that's not a slam dunk guarantee that we're going to have below average activity."
For instance 1992--an El Nino year--proved you can't gamble with mother nature, "One of those very storms was Hurricane Andrew and it did attain category five status and it's infamous of course for ravaging south Florida and then it went on to effect the coast of Louisiana so again it goes back to it only takes one storm,” Medwick said.
Even thought this is an El Nino year, the National Weather Service says everyone in our state needs to get ready in case a tropical storm or hurricane heads our way.