8/11 NEWSBREAK: Hurricane season now projected as 'above normal'

The 2023 Atlantic hurricane season is now projected to have an “above-normal level of activity” according to an annual forecast update by scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). They increased the chance for an above-normal level of activity to 60% from the earlier estimate of 30%.

This is an El Niño year, a climate pattern that creates wind conditions that disrupt hurricanes, but record-high ocean temperatures are setting the stage for an active Atlantic hurricane season with explosive tropical development, experts say.

“The June/July sea surface temperatures in the main development region of the North Atlantic, were the warmest since 1950 at 1.23 degrees Centigrade above normal,” said Matthew Rosencrans, lead hurricane season outlook forecaster of NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.

Though the season so far has only had five named storms, the slow start is in line with the coming busy part of the season, according to Rosencran. NOAA expects between 14 and 21 named storms, with seven to 11 of them being hurricanes. Between two and five of those storms are expected to be major hurricanes with winds stronger than 111 mph, the forecast says.

For resources on how to be prepared for the season, Charleston City Paper this year offered a guide for hurricane preparedness, including an emergency kit checklist and safety tips.

In CP news today:

CP OPINION: Teach more civics, civil rights history

“Charleston and South Carolina students need to know about slavery and how it was cruel, violent and deadly — not anything at all like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Board of Education’s politically motivated reinterpretation of history that slaves benefited from slavery by getting “useful skills.” That’s utter hogwash.”

CP CARTOONS:

CP NEWS: Federal funding cuts could upend S.C.’s child care system. Billions of dollars of federal stabilization funding are poised to expire Sept. 30, experts say, up to almost $900 million a year. Such cuts would have a major impact on child care programs across the state, experts say.

CP NEWS: Labor struggles on Charleston’s waterfront rooted in history. A local dockworkers union’s recent federal appeals court win in a labor dispute with the S.C. Ports Authority is related to a historic battle over the handling of cargo that began after the Civil War.

CP MUSIC: The magic of Sightsee’s Bandwagen Sessions. Husband-wife duo, music lovers and owners of Charleston’s Sightsee Coffee shop Allyson Sutton and Joel Sadler have hosted a recurring series outside their little line street shop: Bandwagen Sessions.

In other news around the state:

Statewide preschool initiative gets permanent approval. South Carolina is cementing a public-private partnership that has been expanding preschool services statewide over the past quarter century, preparing children ages 4 and under.

State health officials release updated vaccine requirements for schools. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control has announced updated immunization requirements for kids in childcare and school, including changes to required ages for certain vaccines.

New adolescent health care center opens ahead of back-to-school season. Trident Medical Center opened a new adolescent unit at their Live Oak Mental Health and Wellness facility, providing students a resource to return to school with a healthy, happy mind.

College of Charleston graduate launches non-alcoholic beer. Kyle Alligood, founder of Ceebo Brew Co., launched a new German pilsner-style malt beverage sold in North Carolina and South Carolina. The flagship brew uses North Carolina malt and a specialized yeast that never goes above 0.5 percent ABV to keep the drink considered non-alcoholic.

North Charleston police officers to see raise. The North Charleston City Council voted to raise police officers’ salaries $5,600 a year in the city.

Community expresses concerns over James Island development. Residents in a James Island neighborhood say they are worried about the impacts of more buildings and people that a proposed development along Dills Bluff Road could bring to the area.