OUTLOOK: 2013 ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON

NOAA Predicts Active Hurricane Season

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an "Active to Extremely Active" Hurricane Season for 2013.

As a surfer on the Texas Coast, hurricane season is a chance for world class waves. As an Emergency Manager (my day job), hurricane season is a nightmare. So I'm torn between two worlds here. Nonetheless, with warm water temps, no El Nino, and the African monsoon, it could get interesting one way or the other.

NOAA is giving a wide prediction of 13 to 20 named storms, 7 to 11 of which could become hurricanes, with 3 to 6 becoming major storms rated Category 3 or bigger.

READ ABOUT IT HERE

Who knows what will happen... but one thing is sure, we will put a "Hurricane Tracker" on the blog when the season starts so you can keep up to date and stay prepared... for either surf or evacuation.

Peace Out!

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Adventure Week - Day 2... VAS

Courtesy - PeriscopeFilm.com

So I awoke on Sunday morning in hopes of good surf, but I knew the moment I stepped outside that there would be too much onshore winds for anything good. But alas, Texan surfers have a saying... "You won't know if you don't go", so I went.
I loaded up the jeep with my surf gear, called up a buddy, and tried to hit up a dawn patrol. My friend who arrived before me called as I was nearing the beach saying it was total choof, but a few guys were giving it a go.

Being like I thought, I decided I was in no hurry and stopped for a cup of coffee, then pulled onto the beach. I took a stroll down the jetty to find my friend looking sad. The surf was big, choppy, and wind-blown... and the cold front hadn't even arrived yet. Most of the better shortboarders were getting a drop and maybe a turn before the wave totally closed out.

Since my friend hadn't paddled out in a while, we thought we'd give it a go anyway. It was for naught. Being a longboarder makes for real difficulty in that kind of wind. Not to mention the steepness of the waves. I pearled the first two tries, stood up finally on the third wave which closed out as I hit the bottom. This went on for an hour or so before I said "Screw it" and went on in. It was a good thing too because not fifteen minutes later the from hit, kicking winds up to about 45mph.

I spent the rest of the day hiking a bandit biking trail, searching for good camera placement spots for the documentary.

Such is life as a Texan surfer...

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Surfers Take On Sandy...

Photo by Credit: @kellyslater

For surfers, Hurricane Season is a mouth-watering, frothing time of year. Along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, summer bring flatness and often the only hope for a big swell is a good ole hurricane.

Hurricane season comes as a mixed blessing to surfers. No one wants the destruction and devastation that comes with landfall. No one wants to see lives uprooted and the tragedy that families face in the aftermath. Texan surfers remember all to well the suffering that came with storms like Katrina and Ike.

But this year, a late season storm, Hurricane Sandy, dubbed by some as "Frankenstorm", brought a huge swell to Florida's Atlantic Coast, and with it were walls that rival Hawaii's Pipeline.

Many a pro surfer joined in the fun. Surfings most prolific icon, Kelly Slater, even got in on the action in his native Florida. Check out the video below...

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2012 Winter Outlook for Adventurers

With winter weather approaching in many U.S. States, outdoor adventurers are keeping an eye on whats going to happen with the "Elusive" El Nino.

Weather Prediction experts expected El Nino to begin by now, but that hasn't been the case. That makes this years outlook less certain than in previous years. The western half of the U.S, along with Alaska  is expected to be warmer, while Florida and Hawaii are expected to be cooler. The eastern half looks to be about normal conditions. This could be good news for many adventurers and climbers, but not so great for skiers and winter-sports enthusiasts.

What can you say? If you don't like the weather, just wait an hour and it will change.

To read this years outlook from NOAA, click HERE... or check our Sidebar for more info.

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