By Staff Reports
(LIHU‘E) – The official hurricane season in the central Pacific region, which includes Hawai’i, starts on June 1 and runs through Nov. 30.
According to the National Weather Service, this year’s outlook calls for an equal 40 percent chance of a near- or above-normal season with four to seven tropical cyclones likely, and only a 20 percent chance of a below-normal season.
The outlook is a general guide to the overall seasonal hurricane activity in the central Pacific basin and does not predict whether or how many of these systems will affect Hawai‘i.
An average season has four or five tropical cyclones, which includes tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes.
“It is important for the public to plan and prepare for hurricanes at the start of the hurricane season and not just wait until a storm threatens the state,” said Kaua‘i Emergency Management Administrator Elton Ushio. “Every family should have their own disaster preparedness plan and take the time to practice it. Their disaster kit should include at least a five- to seven-day supply of non-perishable food, four quarts of bottled water per person per day, a battery powered radio, flashlight, an extra supply of prescription medicines and other items specific to individual and family needs.”
Ushio also urges residents to take the necessary steps to strengthen their homes so they can withstand hurricane force winds.
The Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC) continuously monitors weather conditions, employing a network of satellites, land- and ocean-based sensors and aircraft reconnaissance missions operated by NOAA and its partners. Complex computer modeling and human expertise serve as the basis for the hurricane center’s track and intensity forecasts that extend out five days.
The CPHC issues a Hurricane or Tropical Storm Watch when a hurricane or tropical storm-force winds are possible within 48 hours.
A Hurricane or Tropical Storm Warning is issued when a hurricane or tropical storm-force winds are expected to strike within 36 hours.
When either a watch or a warning is issued, residents and visitors should listen to their local radio or TV stations and monitor local web/internet media and websites for official weather information and civil defense instructions.
Information on planning and preparation regarding hurricane season is available on the county website, www.kauai.gov., or the Central Pacific Hurricane Center website, http://www.prh.noaa.gov/hnl/cphc/.
To sign up for the county’s free emergency notification service, Connect CTY, please go to the county website, www.kauai.gov.
Connect CTY is designed to quickly inform residents and businesses about civil defense emergencies including: tsunamis; hurricanes; earthquakes; flash floods; and any other situation that could impact the safety, property, or welfare of residents and visitors.
Those without Internet access can have their phone number and other pertinent information added to the county database by calling the Kaua’i Civil Defense Agency at 241-1800.