7 Day Forecast

Emergency Managers, first responders, and top weather minds are meeting this week at the 2009 Governor's Hurricane Conference. The goal..to help us get better prepared for the season ahead.

Some good news, the Colorado State Team recently lowered their predictions from 14 storms down to 12 including 6 Hurricanes. Early indications show this lowering trend may continue in their June update.

What's happening is the water temperatures off Africa have gotten colder than normal and to the North the pressures have gotten higher. Also, El-Nino may develop. The resulting warmer Eastern Pacific causes wind shear in the Atlantic. If you have strong winds at upper levels out of the West and Strong winds at low levels out of the East it disrupts the vortex so it's less likely to develop into a tropical cyclone.

The Hurricane Center continues to streamline their operations. Last year they set track accuracy records. Because of this the infamous Cone of Uncertainty shrinks a little.

The shrinking of the track error will be the single most factor in gaining confidence of the need to evacuate

Bottom line, you can trust their forecasts more.

The information we receive from them regarding storm surge and storm wind probabilities will get an upgrade too. This will help us to keep you better informed during the 2009 Hurricane Season.