Some are probably breathing a sigh of relief, now that it appears Tropical Storm Karl will stay well to the Northeast of the local area (see related graphic). However, they should not let their guard down just yet.
After all, it regards a preliminary
forecast track and other weather systems have varied considerably in direction from the original expectations. What’s more, it may be Hurricane Karl when it passes by and have a relatively broad impact.
But perhaps the best reason is that the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season is far from over and still has almost 2½ months to go. Indeed, a new disturbance coming off the West Coast of Africa is already being watched by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami.
People would do well to remember also that there have been major storms during the month of October and even as late as November, when Hurricane Lenny flooded much of Philipsburg in 2000. Therefore, to think the islands where this newspaper is sold are definitely off the hook for this year would be premature and even foolhardy.
Make no mistake, as long as these systems appear in the Eastern Tropical Atlantic there is always a chance they might end up here. Continued preparedness remains the key, because it only takes one.
