Hurricane Season 2022
As we await Tropical Storm Ian's South Carolina arrival on Friday, September 30, we wanted to give our readers an update on this year’s season and some tips on what you can do to keep yourself and your property as safe as possible during storm season.
Flood Map of Charleston, Mean Highwater Project
Hurricane Season 2022 has been a strange one. Despite the National Weather Service predicting and above average year for tropical cyclone activity, things have been relatively quiet… perhaps a little too quiet. In fact, it has been more than 20 years, and only the third August on record without a named storm in the Atlantic or Caribbean. Should that pattern of silence give us any consolation for the remainder of the season? To answer that we need to look a bit into the causes of hurricanes and how they impact the South Carolina coast.
Hurricane season traditionally runs from June 1st-November 30th. The season typically starts off slow as the northern hemisphere of the earth slowly leans farther and farther towards the sun, bringing on the full warmth of long summer days. This summer heat builds over following months, adding more and more energy to the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, and the atmosphere.
Most Tropical Storms and Hurricanes are born as atmospheric “tropical waves” roll off the west coast of the African continent. Cooler, low pressure, moist air in the south mixes with hot, high pressure, dry air coming off the Sahara Desert. Where these atmospheric air currents meet creates and undulating jet stream of air called the African Easterly Jet. In these waves, the low pressure systems pick up heat and moisture as they move west across the ocean. If conditions are right they can organize into powerful thunderstorms, tropical depressions, and eventually hurricanes.
At the Foundation, we are no stranger to preparing our four historic properties for the threats of a hurricane but we never underestimate the strength a weather threat can bring. See below for tips, tricks and links for hurricane preparation and up to date information from the City of Charleston.
Hurricane Prep and Tips
- TIE DOWN: Outdoor furniture, grills, equipment and loose items.
- BRING IN: plants, small items, etc.
- SECURE: windows, loose vinyl, garage door and any openings around doors and windows
- RECORD: Inventory of valuables, take photos and videos of the interior and exterior of your property
Helpful links:
City of Charleston Hurricane Prep GuideCity of Charleston Emergency Maps and InformationCity Parking Garages Open City of Charleston TIDE-Eye Flood Map and InformationHow to Protect your Historic Property from National Trust of Historic Preservation