Peak hurricane season begins in Texas with warm water temperatures in Gulf of Mexico
GALVESTON, Texas - Peak hurricane season along the Texas coast is now here. According to experts, most destructive hurricanes strike Texas in August and September.
"For the whole Atlantic basin, September is peak," said Lance Wood from The National Weather Service in Galveston. "For just Texas, it’s August and September. It’s kind of a flat peak."
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Historically, most destructive hurricanes in Texas have made landfall during the months of August and September. This includes Hurricanes Harvey, Rita, and Ike.
Now, officials in Galveston County are hoping people have a plan in place if a hurricane forms this year.
"We estimate that as much as 25% of our county may have never experienced any kind of storm," said Galveston County Judge Mark Henry. "That concerns us. [If] they think hurricane, they think hurricane party. That’s not at all what we’re doing. We’re paying attention. We’re making good, life critical conditions during that time a hurricane comes towards us."
It has been a hot start to the summer so far for much of Texas and the Gulf of Mexico is heating up. On Monday, the National Weather Service said sea surface temperatures off the Galveston coast were around 90 degrees.
"It’s kind of like gasoline for your car," said Wood. "That warm water fuels tropical cyclones. It’s there, so if we get the disturbance, something could happen out there."
"The warm water is a concern," said Henry. "We don’t want a hurricane in the Gulf, because if it does, it’s going to have what it needs to intensify."
Many people living along the Texas coast are watching the forecasts closely, and hoping for the best, as we enter peak hurricane season.
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"When the news says it’s time to we, we’ll make a decision," said Tex Leggio, who lives on Bolivar Peninsula. "It’s just part of living on the upper Texas coast. It’s part of it. This is where we live. It’s where we choose to live."