It is very rare for two hurricanes to hit in quick succession like Hurricanes Helene and Milton did earlier this year. Both caused hundreds of millions of damage on land and disrupted the cruise industry.
The two hurricanes closed through Port Tampa and Port Canaveral. Tampa was the hardest hit port in both cases, as Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Margaritaville at Sea changed ship departure and arrival dates.
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Milton struck while people were still cleaning up and making repairs after Helene. It was a devastating double whammy that left tens of thousands of people without power and, in some cases, a place to live.
With hurricane season lasting until November 1, Floridians and anyone who has booked a cruise are wary of any developing weather system. Royal Caribbean Chief Meteorologist Craig Setzer tracks storms for the cruise line and has been keeping an eye on Hurricane Oscar as it heads toward Cuba.
Image source: Craig Setzer
Hurricane Oscar's path clears
Setzer had good news for cruise ship passengers and all those still struggling from Hurricanes Helene and Milton. He posted an update about Hurricane Oscar on x, the old twitter, on the morning of Sunday, October 20.
“Enhanced satellite images from Sunday morning show Hurricane Oscar moving west-southwest toward the eastern part of Cuba, where it is expected to make landfall today or tonight,” he wrote. “Because it is such a small tropical cyclone, it will likely weaken considerably and may not survive its encounter with land.”
That's very good news, and Setzer had even more positive news to share.
“If it survives, as can be seen in the simulated water vapor images that do a good job of showing the forces influencing the storm, a trough in the jet stream appears and throws it northeastward early this week. “There is nothing left to threaten Florida from Oscar,” he shared.
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This followed a similar meteorologist's report the day before that actually suggested Florida would get at least a 10-day severe weather reprieve.
“To help quell the rumors, Hurricane Oscar, there is NO threat to Florida (or anywhere in the US),” he posted along with an image showing the “shear forecast.” Here is the shear forecast for the next 10 days. The red areas are very high shear, which will disrupt, if not destroy, hurricanes. “Even if Oscar headed toward Florida, he would be torn to shreds before he could get here.”
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