So, today is November thirtieth. Officially this is the last day of the Atlantic hurricane season! I am surprised that someone in Key West has not started the “End of Hurricane Days Festival” or something like that to draw in crowds and have another excuse to party on Duval Street.
The Atlantic storm season actually lasts half the year, from June first to November thirtieth. That is because this time frame encompasses over 97% of all tropical weather activity in the Atlantic. The peak season for tropical activity is the latter part of this time, with August through October being the busiest time for storms to form. Storms have been known to form outside of these months, mainly in May and December, but these are typically a very mild weather phenomena and very rare as well.
This past season, the Atlantic generated nineteen tropical storms. Six of these storms became hurricanes. And out of these six storms only two made significant landfall along the US Atlantic Coast. While those did cause damage to parts of the US, we were lucky to have such a mild storm season this year. Especially considering all of the hype that the National Weather Service was putting out back in May and June calling for an unseasonably busy storm season. I cannot help but to think that the weather service gets some sort of a payoff or kickback from big name corporations like Home Depot or Lowe’s or something like that so that we are scared into buying supplies well before a storm is even formed so that the stores profits rise. (This is solely my fancy and probably has no truth to it).
At this time there is still one lingering subtropical disturbance out there, but it is hundreds of miles away from the Leeward Islands and is not expected to amount to much of anything.
I do want to make mention that just because this time of year is hurricane season does not mean that coming to Florida is a bad idea. There are many advantages to coming to Florida in the summer and fall. Accommodations are generally a bit more affordable during this time than they are in the winter time. There are less crowds at different attractions. The waters are generally very calm during this time of year making it a great time for water sports activities and fishing charters. There are many festivals and other events that we have in the summer and winter months. In Key West some of our most popular events occur during this time: Hemingway Days, Fantasy Fest, World Super Boat Races, Pirate Days, and Goombay to name just a few.
For more information about things to do and see in our island city, go to our Key West Web Site. You can also visit our Key West Events Calendar to see upcoming special events.
And for more restaurant reviews check out our restaurant review section of this blog as well as our restaurant reviews at www.gotothekeys.com.
