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Economic downturn could leave US property insufficiently insured during 2010 hurricane season Friday, March 19, 2010
This year’s hurricane season could be more extreme with several major storms hitting the US and causing problems for property owners, especially in Florida and the Gulf coast, meteorologists are warning.
This year has the chance to be an extreme season. It is certainly much more like 2008 than 2009 as far as the overall threat to the East and Gulf coasts,’ said Joe Bastardi, chief long-range meteorologist and hurricane forecaster at AccuWeather.com.
The threat level is likely to be above normal with seven landfalls of which five will be hurricanes, he added. Weather forecasters also expect 16 to 18 tropical storms with 15 predicted to hit the Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico, more than they usual 11.
Last year was calm, but in 2008 Hurricane Ike hit a 500-mile stretch of coastline in Louisiana and Texas, triggering insured losses of roughly $11.5 billion. That made it the third most expensive US hurricane, after Katrina in 2005 and Andrew in 1992.
Bastardi said the El Niño climate pattern is rapidly weakening and the ocean is warmer in the Atlantic, which could give storms more energy. The hurricane season officially begins on June 1 and continues through until the end of November.
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