Don’t raid those hurricane supplies yet

This year’s 14 named storms have already surpassed the federal government’s predictions, but don’t unleash that Cheez Whiz you got as part of your emergency supplies — yet.

We’ve still got seven weeks to go until Nov. 30, the official end of hurricane season.

And some of the deadliest and most-destructive hurricanes in history have shown up during the last weeks of the season. There was even one on Dec. 7, 1887, known as Hurricane No. 18.

“We shouldn’t let our guard down,” said Dennis Feltgen, a meteorologist and public affairs officer for the National Hurricane Center in Miami. “It looks like we’re going to get a little break for the next week or so, but I’m not willing to bet on anything beyond that.”

Of course, the havoc Hurricane Wilma wrought on Oct. 25, 2005 is still fresh in South Floridians’ memories. That storm first hit Cozumel as a Category 4 storm.

Even though Sept. 10 is the statistical peak of tropical weather season, October is still prime time for hurricanes to hit South Florida, said Bryan Norcross, a meteorologist with WPLG-Ch. 10.

“October is essentially equal to September in most likely to have a hurricane in South Florida,” Norcoss said.

The water is starting to get cooler and the hurricane-destroying wind shears pick up by this time, meteorologists agree. But sometimes the air and water temperature combination gets a storm kicking up.

Late-season storms have exacted some of the cruelest tolls.

Hurricane Mitch, for example, hit Central America on Oct. 27, 1998 and caused an estimated 9,000 deaths in Central America and $40 million in property damage in Florida, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration history.

Hurricane Sandy, which brushed South Florida’s shore on Oct. 26, 2012, was among the

costliest of hurricanes until it was surpassed by the property damage hurricanes Harvey and Maria caused in 2017.

Other notable late-season storms according to the NOAA archives:

Hurricane Hazel, came ashore as a Category 4 on Oct. 15, 1954 near the North Carolina-South Carolina border.

Hurricane Otto hit Nicaragua as a Category 3 storm on Nov. 24, 2010.

Hurricane Kate was late enough, Nov. 21, 2005, to arrive a week before Thanksgiving turkey.

Another Kate reached hurricane intensity on Nov. 8, 2015, but did not prove a major threat to land.

Hurricane Rina reached top speed Oct. 23, 2011, but weakened substantially before menacing land. A storm of the same name formed Nov. 9, 2017.

Late-season tropical action also tends to have some unusual patterns,

10’s Norcross said.

The so-called “Yankee Hurricane” slammed downtown Miami with 98 mph winds on Nov. 4, 1935. It was named after snowbirds, which, like the storm, came from the Northeast.

“We’ve seen these lateseason hurricanes make funny loops,” Norcross said. “This happened to loop right over downtown Miami.” Channel