Will a hurricane hit Louisiana in the next couple of weeks? According to forecast models circulating online, it's possible.
You may have seen forecasts online showing a tropical system coming towards Louisiana in two weeks. Those posts have some people--especially those recovering form Hurricane Francine--in a frenzy. However, one expert says it's much too soon to know and much too soon to panic.
"The system hasn't even formed yet," LSU Health climatologist Barry Keims said. "Very few models are accurate two weeks out."
According to Keim, the forecast models agree on only one aspect of this potential system.
"The models are in some pretty good agreement that something is going to spin up down there over the weekend or, perhaps, early next week," Keim said. "Some of the model resolutions do track it to Louisiana, but a whole other set of models track it towards South Florida."
While Keim urges people not to panic or buy into any hurricane hysteria, he does caution Louisiana residents to be prepared just in case.
"We're definitely premature in getting worked up about this system," Keim said. "Keep an eye to the sky, and don't get too worked up over this thing yet. When we get into early next week, we'll have a better indication of where this thing might go."
Keim says there is a silver lining to this latest tropical to-do. He says it's good that so many Louisiana residents are taking an interest in hurricane tracking and forecasting.
"The fact that people are paying attention, are concerned about what may or may not happen, and are already kicking plans into gear, I interpret all of that as a good thing," Keim said. "The thing that concerns me, though, is that we don't want to get people worn out on all this kind of stuff with too many systems that are ultimately not going to do anything or affect Louisiana when we need those people to do it when there is a serious threat."
