The director of the National Hurricane Center unveiled planned improvements for forecasts and storm warnings. Rick Knabb said last year's storms provided some big lessons for the agency. One of the biggest lessons was on communicating and predicting storm surge.
It wasn't just the high winds that caused huge problems problems with storms last year. Speaking at the annual Governor's Hurricane Conference, Knabb said 2012 was all about flooding.
"2012 was all about water, water, water. Debby, Isaac, Sandy," Knabb said. "It was storm surge from the ocean, it was inland flooding, it was river flooding."
As a result, Knabb says the hurricane center will change the way it warns people about tropical storms that become something else, by continuing to put out advisories if a storm threatens people and land, even if it is no longer classified as a tropical cyclone.
The center is also upgrading its storm surge and forecasting system, which are expected to be ready by 2015.
In the meantime, Knabb says, residents should get ready for storm season 2013 now. Check insurance policies, make evacuation plans and buy emergency supplies well in advance.
The six-month Atlantic storm season begins June 1 and predictions on the season's severity are expected to be released later this month.