Here's some data I recently compiled. First, concerning Hurricane Felix:
* After not having once since Andrew in 1992, we are now expected to see two Category 5 Atlantic basin hurricane landfalls in the space of 2 weeks.
* Hurricane Felix reached Category 5 on September 2, just 13 days after Hurricane Dean reached it on August 20.
* Both hurricanes are stronger than anything seen in the Pacific this year, even though Pacific typhoons are generally more frequent and powerful than Atlantic hurricanes.
* 11 am ET, Sunday Sept 2: Felix was at 90 knot maximum sustained winds. By 8 pm ET, Sunday Sept 2, maximum sustained winds were 145 knots, for an increase of 55 knots in 9 hours.
The staggering facts also continue when it comes to the Atlantic in general:
* There have now been 8 Category 5 hurricanes in the past 5 years (Isabel, Ivan, Emily, Katrina, Rita, Wilma, Dean, Felix)
* There have been two Category 5s this year; only three other seasons have had more than one (1960, 1961, 2005). (Thanks, Llewelly.)
* There have been 8 Category 5 hurricanes so far in the 2000s; no other decade has had so many. The closest runner up is the 1960s with 6 (Donna, Ethel, Carla, Hattie, Beulah, Camille).
* For the 2007 Atlantic Season, all hurricanes so far have been Category 5 hurricanes.
Are we worried yet?
[See here for the total list of known Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes. It is likely that at least some Category 5s were missed in earlier eras.]
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Of course we're not worried, because hockey stick .01 degree correction liberals trying to steal my SUV and Al Gore is fat.
Right?
If we're not, we should be.
Phrasing it that way seems a bit misleading to me. Haven't there only been two hurricanes so far for the Atlantic season, Dean and Felix?
And if there were 12 cat 5 hurricanes out of a total 12 hurricanes that would be misleading too? -- I suppose.
So, 8 Cat 5s under Bush, one Cat 5 under Clinton. I suppose more Cat 5 hurricanes under Bush than under all presidents from Ford to Clinton (total 7).
As many Cat 5's in the last five years as the last 30 years of the 20th century.
... Yeah... All two seems a little odd.