{"id":2835,"date":"2016-01-08T14:49:22","date_gmt":"2016-01-08T14:49:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ocfl.flywheelsites.com\/2016\/01\/preparing-for-an-active-el-nino-season-tips-from-the-orange-county-office-of-emergency-management\/"},"modified":"2022-01-12T12:12:21","modified_gmt":"2022-01-12T17:12:21","slug":"preparing-for-an-active-el-nino-season-tips-from-the-orange-county-office-of-emergency-management","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/2016\/01\/preparing-for-an-active-el-nino-season-tips-from-the-orange-county-office-of-emergency-management\/","title":{"rendered":"Preparing for an Active El Ni\u00f1o Season: Tips from the Orange County Office of Emergency Management"},"content":{"rendered":"

Warmer waters over the eastern Pacific Ocean near the equator and the resulting influence on the atmosphere indicate a strong, and perhaps historic, El Ni\u00f1o this winter and upcoming spring, according to the Orange County Office of Emergency Management<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What does this mean for Central Floridians? From a meteorological perspective, a direct relationship exists between the presence of a strong El Ni\u00f1o and increased winter storminess in Florida, mainly due to a southward shift in the position of the jet stream over North America. This increased storminess brings greater potential for severe weather with significant impacts.<\/p>\n

Past strong El Ni\u00f1o events have been highly correlated with well above normal seasonal storminess across the entire Florida Peninsula between November and April. In fact, the two deadliest tornado outbreaks in state history occurred during El Ni\u00f1o conditions and resulted in the loss of 63 lives collectively. On February 22-23, 1998, there were 42 fatalities in Osceola, Orange and Seminole counties as a result of the F2 and F3 tornadoes that hit Central Florida between 11 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. On February 2, 2007, there were 21 fatalities in Lake and Volusia counties during what is referred to as the Ground Hog Day tornado outbreak.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must be prepared for the enhanced risk of severe weather and increased chances for strong-to-violent tornadoes and tornado outbreaks from now through the end of March,\u201d cautioned Keith Kotch, assistant manager at Orange County Office of Emergency Management. \u201cWe\u2019ve already visited with meteorologists from local TV stations to discuss what should be included in their weather broadcasts. The goal is to provide the community with accurate information and ample warning if and when severe weather strikes.\u201d<\/p>\n

In order to be prepared for severe weather, the Orange County Office of Emergency Management \u2014 which handles all hazard preparation and makes sure that the community and first responder teams are ready \u2014 recommends the following:<\/p>\n