Potential Tropical Storm Headed toward Caribbean
A woman carries cotton candy through a flooded street caused by heavy rains overnight in the Cite Soleil neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Thursday Feb. 18, 2010. The capital city of Haiti is particularly vulnerable to rains at this moment as it recovers from the heavy damage it suffered during last month's earthquake. (AP Photo/Javier Galeano)
Chief Hurricane Expert Joe Bastardi is predicting that the strong wave in the Atlantic Basin will move northwestward, reaching the Caribbean this weekend, and could hit Haiti with flooding rains.
This system, the first in the Atlantic, whether it is upgraded to a tropical depression or storm, could lead to heavy rainfall and flooding in Haiti and Dominican Republic.
Another system is also anticipated in the next five to 10 days.
This reflects the hurricane season prediction first made by AccuWeather.com in February, weeks after the Haitian earthquake on Jan. 12.
Bastardi predicted that rain could be a major issue for the already ravaged Haiti.
The early nature of the African wave train may be a precursor to a big season for hurricanes and tropical storms.
Bastardi is predicting 16 to 18 named storms and believes the greater threat is a possible six to 10 storms impacting the United States coastline.
This hurricane season may exacerbate an already wild weather year following record-cold temperatures and snowfall from the winter season. For the Southeast states, Bastardi is predicting a top-10 summer in terms of heat and humidity.
Bastardi concludes that this hurricane season may also be a record-breaker with the worst case scenario being a top two or three hurricane season in recorded history.
For Texas through the mid-Atlantic states, Bastardi says there is the potential for a "once in a lifetime" weather year because of the combination of the extreme winter followed by the record heat and hurricane threats during the summer months.
The most recent example of a similar December to December weather pattern was 1963 to 1964, according to Bastardi. That year recorded more-than-normal snow, followed by warmer-than-average summer temperatures and active hurricanes around Florida.
Content contributed by Kirstie Hettinga, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer
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Daily U.S. Extremes
past 24 hours
| Extreme | Location | |
|---|---|---|
| High | 78° | Needles, CA |
| Low | -20° | Fosston, MN |
| Precip | 0.66" | Chatham, MA |
WeatherWhys®
The "Dead of Winter," the one-month period when normal temperatures reach their lowest levels, has come to an end for much of the United States. Some people may find it odd that the "Dead of Winter" does not encompass the darkest day of the year (the first day of winter). That is due to a seasonal lag in temperatures. More heat continues to be lost than is gained from the start of winter until this time of year.
This Day In Weather History
Washington, D.C. ()
1899 -15 F., all time record low (3rd day in a row at least -7 F.
Richmond, VA ()
1899 (llth-13th) 16.3" of snow, fourth biggest snowfall on record.
Rough Weather
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