Hurricane Season 2006

Hurricane season started officially on June 1. We are already preparing for the landfall of Alberto in Florida. This strong tropical storm is predicted to move across Florida, to emerge into the Atlantic Ocean and then to progress along the Southeastern coast of the US (or inland) toward North Carolina. This is by no means an unusual set of circumstances for us in North Carolina during the early part of hurricane Season. It is predicted that we will have rain and some wind starting tonight and lasting through Thursday.

Years ago, I recall a storm that took a similar turn from a west coast landfall in Florida to bring us wind and rain inland in North Carolina a few days later: Opal, or at least one of the incarnations of Opal. I can’t recall which year it was, except that I was living in northeastern Orange County at the time, in my home in the woods. It must have been around 1995 or so. Anyway, the storm had weakened greatly by the time it arrived here. Nonetheless, it found a dead pine in the edge of the woods, a skinny, spindly little tree that had been patiently awaiting its destiny. Opal blew it down in a gust, tossing it onto my tiller which was parked outside at that time, thus smashing the engine casing and forever ending my relationship with the torture instrument that had helped me cultivate a four acre garden in red clay, tree roots and huge quartz rocks.

It is strange to say that Hurricane season is simultaneously coming to an end. The hockey team that has moved to North Carolina from Hartford, Connecticutt, and that has captured the imagination and energy of thousands of newly created fans in this area won game 4 of the Stanley Cup playoffs last night in Edmonton against the Oilers. This was a close game, with a final score of 2-1. It felt more like watching a tropical storm than a hurricane, but one just strong enough to do damage. If the ‘Canes win the next game at home in Raleigh, they will clinch the Stanley Cup, one of the oldest prizes in sports history. It seems strange to me that I am watching hockey in June with a tropical storm on the way up the coast. It also seems strange that a team from Raleigh, North Carolina would be able to capture the Stanley Cup, not because of lack of talent, but simply because of geography. Then again, this is not the first time that the Cup had been taken by a Southern team….Florida and Texas have also held the Stanley Cup Title in the past. Isn’t it interesting that these two states, along with North Carolina, have the greatest frequency of land-falling hurricanes in the US as well…Hmmm.

Categories: North+Carolina hurricane ice+hockey weather 2006