2010 Atlantic Hurricane Season Begins

The Atlantic hurricane season has officially arrived and according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) “an ‘active to extremely active’ hurricane season is expected for the Atlantic Basin this year.”

Across the entire Atlantic Basin for the six-month season, which begins June 1, NOAA is projecting a 70 percent probability of the following ranges:
• 14 to 23 Named Storms (top winds of 39 mph or higher), including:
• 8 to 14 Hurricanes (top winds of 74 mph or higher), of which:
• 3 to 7 could be Major Hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of at least 111 mph)

The outlook ranges exceed the seasonal average of 11 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes. Expected factors supporting this outlook are:
• Upper atmospheric winds conducive for storms. Wind shear, which can tear apart storms, will be weaker since El Niño in the eastern Pacific has dissipated. Strong wind shear helped suppress storm development during the 2009 hurricane season.
• Warm Atlantic Ocean water. Sea surface temperatures are expected to remain above average where storms often develop and move across the Atlantic. Record warm temperatures – up to four degrees Fahrenheit above average – are now present in this region.
• High activity era continues. Since 1995, the tropical multi-decadal signal has brought favorable ocean and atmospheric conditions in sync, leading to more active hurricane seasons. Eight of the last 15 seasons rank in the top ten for the most named storms with 2005 in first place with 28 named storms.

As with every hurricane season, this outlook underscores the importance of having a hurricane preparedness plan in place. If you are an event organizer, part of that plan should be an Event Cancellation insurance quote from BUA.

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Extreme Winter Weather

The past several years have seen increasingly extreme weather conditions. As an example, the winter of 2009-2010 saw major disruptive storms on in all areas of the country.

The recent extreme weather has cancelled events that had occurred without incident year after year. And now the beginning of the Atlantic hurricane season is only a few short months away.

The time to get your client to look at Event Cancellation coverage for their summer and fall events is now, not a few days before the event with a hurricane bearing down on the venue.

Inevitably, we’ll get that desperate call from a broker whose client’s tradeshow, concert, or outdoor festival is three days away and directly in the projected path of a named storm.

As much as we’d like to help that broker, we wouldn’t be very good underwriters if we walked right into a claim like that.

So please, BEFORE the wind blows, contact BUA for a no obligation Event Cancellation quote. We can provide multiple options that will fit practically any budget. And when the wind does blow, your client will thank you for your foresight and you’ll be the hero!

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