BALTIMORE — Hurricane season started June 1st and goes until November 30th. While the topics are quiet as of the second week of June, there is a lot of time for that to change.
It is always important to have a plan long before a hurricane arrives. Here is a breakdown of what to look for in the days leading up to a potential hurricane.
This first section on our timeline is anything past 6 days out from landfall. Every year we see social media posts of a potential hurricane generate a lot of attention and ultimately a lot of worry and panic for no reason. It is best not to trust anything that far out. Forecast models rarely have a good handle on what a potential storm will do that many days in advance. Know our weather team will be watching each model run that comes in for any consistency.
If that trend continues for a potential impact here 5 days out take that forecast with a grain of salt. A lot can still change and know that there can be a 400 plus mile spread in landfall. That is a lot of ground! You can start working on preparations that might take days.
Four days out our confidence starts to grow and you will see more reports from out WMAR 2 news team about what to expect. It is important here to not only focus on landfall, but even the arrival of strong winds which will be well before the core of the storm hits.
If models continue to bring a tropical system in 3 days out we start to use higher resolution models. This adds to our degree of certainty. It is best to heighten awareness and make sure you have a way to get the latest forecast.
By two days out it is time to start enacting your plan. Know where you need to go and have all projects done ahead of time.
Less than 24 hours out the forecast will have a much more refined area of impact. This is where we could start to see strong winds, flooding, and tornadoes.
Finally landfall will bring the strongest winds, storm surge, and flooding. Be prepared to deal with impacts from a storms days after.
Have a plan! It is much better to know what you need to do and never use it! Stick with our team through hurricane season. We have you covered!
