The average hurricane season has about ten named storms, six hurricanes, and two major hurricanes. This year has already smashed those numbers and we are barely halfway through. September and October are the busiest months and we have already seen 17 storms. Although some of these storms never made it to shore, 6 have made landfall. One, in particular, will have lasting effects now and in the future. Hurricane Laura formed into a tropical storm just off the coast of the Dominican Republic. As it traveled through the Caribbean, it left 9 people dead and brought torrential rain to the Dominican Republic and Haiti. On August 25th, Laura intensified into a hurricane as it entered the Gulf of Mexico. Shortly after entering the gulf, Laura rapidly intensified into a Category Four hurricane with winds of at least 130 miles per hour. 12. On August 27th in the middle of the night, Hurricane Laura made landfall near Cameron, Louisiana, killing at least 25 people. This wasn’t the only storm to cause substantial damage. In early August, Hurricane Isaias made its way up the East Coast bringing almost 7 inches of rain and gusty winds to our area. Needless to say, this hurricane season has been one of the worst in history and it isn’t nearly over yet.

Photo from Mason Todora