There have been 14 named storms in the Eastern and Central Pacific Ocean this year, almost as many as the US sees in an entire year, and hurricane season isn't over yet, with three more months to go. According to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach, the monthly energy output in August from storms in the Eastern Pacific broke the highest-ever record in September of 1992, Bloomberg reported Sunday.
There have been just five real storms to date in the Atlantic region, and all have been relatively brief — a far cry from this time last year when the Atlantic generated several meteorological monsters that killed thousands and resulted in over $200 billion in damages.
"If you look at the top 15 busiest northeast Pacific seasons, only one was also active in the Atlantic,'' Klotzbach told Bloomberg Sunday.
Last week, the Hawaiian Islands were rocked by one of the most threatening storms in decades, as outer bands of Hurricane Lane pounded the Big Island.
On Thursday, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen arrived in Hawaii on Thursday, one week after rain from Lane hit the islands.
"Our initial response is just the beginning. We remain here and will be here," Nielsen said during a news conference at the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency's Joint Information Center in Diamond Head, the Star Advertiser reported August 31.