Hurricane Season 2024

When the Army Corps stopped releasing millions of gallons of water down the Caloosahatchee River to lower the level of Lake Okeechobee, weather conditions changed, leaving the waterway nearly stagnant without water flowing from the lake toward the Gulf of Mexico; so the releases have resumed, but at a lesser rate

Smaller releases of polluted Lake O water before hurricane season OK with conservation group

Tom Bayles

There has been a change of heart that releases of polluted water from Lake Okeechobee into the Caloosahatchee River are no longer a near-apocalypse happening but rather a beneficial event

Weather

CSU researchers predicting 23 named storms/11 hurricanes for 2024 Atlantic season

By Colorado State University

Colorado State University hurricane researchers are predicting an extremely active Atlantic hurricane season in their initial 2024 forecast. The team cites record warm tropical and eastern subtropical Atlantic sea surface temperatures as a primary factor for their prediction of 11 hurricanes this year.

Colby Wottman, Supervisor with Restore Drilling, helps to guide the conduit off the cart as it is pulled underground. On Wednesday, FPL demonstrated how they are replacing overhead neighborhood power lines with underground lines to improve resiliency especially during hurricanes and severe weather and also enhance reliability in day-to-day conditions using the The Storm Secure Underground Program (SSUP). Trees and vegetation leading to downed power lines is the leading cause of power outages during storms. SSUP has brought underground lines to more than 400 neighborhoods. According to FPL, underground lines performed significantly better than overhead lines day-to-day and during severe weather – including six times better during Hurricane Ian in 2022 and 12 times better during Hurricane Idalia last year.

Hurricane Recovery

FPL asks more SWFL homeowners to bury power lines underground

Sandra Viktorova

The secret to a quicker hurricane recovery is hidden in the ground — at least if you ask FPL. The power company is promoting a new program to convince homeowners in older neighborhoods to do away with their overhead powerlines and agree to have them buried in the ground. The company said its research on power outages is clear.

Hurricane

Record-setting Atlantic hurricane season forecast for 2024

WGCU Staff

Commercial weather forecasting company Accuweather on Wednesday repeated earlier forecasts about the intensity of the coming hurricane season. The company said a turbulent year in the tropics is expected, possibly approaching a record-setting pace that could run through the entire list of names for tropical storms and hurricanes -- and beyond.

Weather

Hurricane season begins in a few months; Here’s what emergency managers want you to know

Riley Hazel

The countdown to hurricane season has begun, and Florida emergency management offices are sharing their safety tips to empower residents to act ahead of potential storms.