While the disaster focus in media has been on Maui, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warns that this year’s Atlantic hurricane season will be above normal, notes Grumpy Editor.
Elevated ocean temperature this year can fuel more hurricanes.
NOAA expects 14 to 21 named storms this year, of which six to 11 will expand into hurricanes — with winds 74 miles per hour or more.
Two to five storms this year are expected to become major hurricanes.
NOAA says there is a 60 percent chance of an above-normal season.
IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…
FED MULLS INTEREST RATES. The Federal Reserve on Wednesday will release minutes from its July meeting when policymakers raised interest rates to the highest l;evel in 22 years. Those minutes will likely provide some insight into whether the central bank will hike rates again next month. The Fed has raised rates 11 times since it began its inflation fight in March, 2022.
BEAR ESCAPES FROM PLANE. A bear being transported on an Iraqi Airways flight from Baghdad to Dubai causes an unexpected delay after it escapes from a crate in the cargo hold.
SHARKS ACTIVE IN LONG ISLAND. Three possible shark sightings are observed in Long Island, N.Y. a day after a 65-year old woman is hospitalized after a shark bite on her left thigh at Rockaway Beach in Queens, the first shark attack at that location in 70 years.
NORTH KOREA BUSY AGAIN. As the U.S. and South Korea prepare for a large-scale military exercise, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un orders his military to sharpen its war plans.
MAJOR PUBLISHER SOLD. Publisher Simon & Schuster is sold to private equity firm KKR, months after a federal judge blocked its purchase by publisher Penquin Random House.
NOAA SEES MORE WEATHER DISASTERS. While it’s only August, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the U.S. reached a record 15 different weather disasters this year. Those disasters caused at least $1 billion in damage, adds Noaa.
