2016 Hurricane Season not Expected to be Overly Active

Head of the Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson, says the 2016 hurricane season is not expected to be overly active.

He said projections from the National Hurricane Center are for “between 10 and 16 tropical storms this year, hurricanes from anywhere between four and eight, and major hurricanes between one and four.”

Mr. Thompson was speaking at the launch of the Disaster Preparedness Month by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston on June 1.

He said there will be an increase in rainfall this season. Activity will be within the normal range up to the end of June, before declining from July into August, with above normal rainfall expected for the primary season from September to October.

“Generally, the year after an El Nino produces significant rainfall so we can look forward to an increase in rainfall. This is good news for some but it can cause flooding and flash flooding, which brings its own threat,” Mr. Thompson pointed out.

He called on Jamaicans to heed the warnings issued by the Met Service during the hurricane season from June to November.