A Lesson From Bertha...and Humberto...and Alicia...

Hurricane Bertha will never pose a threat to the Gulf of Mexico, but the recent rapid intensification of this storm hammers home an important point: Be prepared.  On Sunday afternoon, weather satellites estimated Bertha's maximum sustained wind speeds had reached 60 mph, a solid tropical storm force.

Then Bertha began to rapidly intensify as the storm moved into a low shear environment located over slightly warmer waters.  By Monday afternoon, the storm's pressure had dropped 50 millibars, sending the maximum sustained winds up to 115 mph.  In 24 hours, Bertha grew from a tropical storm into a powerful category three hurricane.

Rapid intensification is difficult to predict, making it a forecaster's nightmare.  Thankfully Bertha is out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, far away from land.  But imagine if this storm were sitting a few hundred miles away from the Gulf coast.  It's a scenario that has happened here before, Alicia in 1983 and Humberto just last year.  Both storms rapidly intensified before making landfall, catching many forecasters and, in turn, residents off guard.

The best way to not get caught off guard is to always stay on guard.  In other words, be prepared.