Members of the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Florida Task Force 1 help residents to remove debris after Hurricane Idalia in Horseshoe Beach, Florida, on Thursday, August 31, 2023. Photo: Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg
Tropical Storm Lee is likely to rapidly intensify into an "extremely dangerous major hurricane" by the weekend, according to the National Hurricane Center, and an advisory from the NHS warns, "It is becoming a question of when and not if rapid intensification (RI) occurs with Lee."
It is still too early to determine the exact path of the storm, but most models show the storm skirting east of the Caribbean and the U.S. coast.
The (potential) reprieve from the effects of this storm is especially welcome as it comes on the heels of Hurricanes Hilary and Idalia, which both impacted the U.S. in August. Karen Clark & Company (KCC) recently released flash estimates for both of these hurricanes that paint a picture of just how impactful they were in affected areas.
Hurricane Hilary
Hurricane Hilary strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane off the coast of southwestern Mexico before decreasing in intensity. It was downgraded to a tropical storm before making landfall near Baja, California on August 20. Though it didn't hit the U.S. as a hurricane, it still boasted winds of around 65 mph and brought flooding rains to parts of western Mexico and Southern California, KCC reports. Hilary also marks the first time a storm has caused the NHC to issue a tropical storm warning for Southern California.
KCC estimates privately insured losses from Hilary in the U.S. will be around $600 million, not including boats, offshore properties or NFIP losses.
Hurricane Idalia
Hurricane Idalia made landfall near Keaton Beach, Florida on the morning of August 30 as a Category 3 hurricane with 125 mph winds, KCC reports. It was the strongest hurricane to hit Florida's Big Bend region since 1896, and also caused impacts from storm surge and wind in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
KCC estimates that privately insured losses from Idalia will be around $2.2 billion. Of that damage, less than $5 million is from wind damage in the Caribbean, with the rest in the U.S. These figures also do not include boats, offshore properties or NFIP losses.
© Arc, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.