Florida Gulf Coast residents should track every Atlantic hurricane or tropical storm. When a storm forms, you will hear weather forecasters talk about the “forecast cone.” The cone represents the probable track of the center of a storm. A “5-day cone” and “3-day cone” are created to show the forecast path of the center of the storm with as much as a 198-mile “cone of uncertainty.” Because the storm could track anywhere within the cone, everyone in the cone area needs to begin storm preparations.
The most important thing to remember is to do as much as you can before a hurricane warning is issued, even before a storm ever enters the Gulf of Mexico. Waiting until the warning is issued will only give you about 24 hours to complete preparations and evacuate if necessary. We must remember that hurricane forecasting is not an exact science, and they don’t always go where predicted.
Click here for information from Escambia County Emergency Management on what to do when a tropical storm or hurricane is approaching our area.
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