THOMPSON: Hurricane season not the time to visit Florida

The official hurricane season in the Atlantic and Caribbean starts in a week…June 1. Why is that important? Well, 2.9 million Canadians visited Florida last year…down 14 percent from the year before…consistent with the drop in popularity of President Donald Trump across Canada.

Of course, hurricanes routinely make landfall in Canada…usually two to four tropical storms hit Nova Scotia, Labrador, New Brunswick and Quebec each year. About 600 people have died in Canada since 1900…most of them from drowning in flood water from storm surge.

But the Sunshine State – a veritable schnoz on the face of the United States – is like a nose in a fist fight…usually suffering a few blows every hurricane season. This year might be what folks always hope and wish for…a forecast of just 13 tropical storms…just six of them likely to develop into hurricanes.

That’s a normal, or slightly below normal prediction. Only two are expected to reach winds of 111 M.P.H. or more…considered major hurricanes. Last year, not a single hurricane made landfall in the U.S. Two, Erin and Melissa – downgraded hurricanes – hit Canada last year.

I grew up with hurricanes…and have been through more than a few rough ones in my life. They are something to, well, respect…if not fear. I still place hurricanes behind tornadoes and earthquakes –  which I’ve also seen up close and personal – as dangers Mother Nature might throw at you.

Generally, hurricanes are getting more numerous and stronger, which benefits absolutely no one. Scientists say it is one of the many effects of climate change…a fact too many people still doubt. Just 19 percent of Americans and 20 percent of Canadians said they were worried about global warming in a 2006 Pew Research survey…20 years ago.

The weaker La Niña earlier this year – which keeps waters cooler in the Atlantic and Caribbean – is giving way to El Niño which might intensify hurricanes later this Summer and Fall. The hurricane season lasts six months in the Atlantic/Caribbean, ending Nov. 30. Hurricane season started May 15 in the Pacific.

Good news: the West African monsoon season – yet another hurricane factor – might be less severe this year. All of this means that massive evacuations might not be necessary in usual hot spots…Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, North and South Carolina. But, as a seasoned hurricane observer…some advice; be prepared.

And some travel advice…don’t let low prices for hotels and flights and DisneyWorld lure you to Florida during the Summer. Pay more and go when the weather in Canada turns cold. A week in 98-degree F with 98 percent humidity will make you wish you were knee-deep in snow. Better yet, go after President Trump leaves office…and you’ll have a better political climate, as well.

From October to May in Florida…it’s warm to hot…but lower humidity. There’s a reason 23 million people call it home…and millions of those have Summer homes in cooler mountain climes like North Carolina, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont…Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia.