Jamie Biesiada
August and Labor Day weekend were weather anomalies, according to AccuWeather. August brought with it an "unusually quiet stretch in the tropics," and this Labor Day weekend was the first "without a named storm in decades," the weather forecaster said.
Indeed, the service reduced the number of named storms, hurricanes and major hurricanes it is calling for during the 2024 season.
AccuWeather now predicts 16-20 named storms this year, down from 20-25; six to 10 hurricanes, down from eight to 12; three to six major hurricanes, down from four to seven; and four to six direct impacts to the U.S., a figure that has held steady.
There have been three hurricanes so far this year: Beryl, Ernesto and Debby. But in their wake, August was relatively quiet thanks to several factors, according to AccuWeather chief meteorologist Jon Porter, including dry air and a surge of Saharan dust.
But the season isn't over yet, and AccuWeather is warning that September could be "supercharged" in terms of storms.
"We could see a parade of storms developing during the month of September," said AccuWeather lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva. "There's a possibility that we could see multiple tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic basin on the same day, similar to the frequency of storms that we've seen during other supercharged hurricane seasons like 2020. The statistical peak of the hurricane season is Sept. 10, and we expect the Atlantic basin to be incredibly active."
Getting clients ready for bad weather
It's important for travel advisors to prepare their clients for the possibility of travel disruptions and cancellations. It's never a bad idea to have alternatives ready in case a storm pops up while a client is supposed to be traveling.
And travel insurance can be part of the equation, too.
"It's hurricane season and storms are top of mind for travel advisors and their clients," said Daniel Durazo, director of external communications for Allianz Partners USA.
Durazo pointed travel advisors to several resources from Allianz: its Advisor Handbook, which offers sales tips, a list of "covered reasons" and more, as well as the AllianzAdvantage.com website that offers training and materials.
Indeed, among those reasons are the environmental reasons of "destination uninhabitable" and "home uninhabitable," meaning if a storm were to strike at a client's home or their destination, it is covered.
Travel insurance comparison site SquareMouth said a hurricane warning, mandatory evacuation at the destination and common carrier delays due to inclement weather can also make travelers eligible for coverage (but policies must be purchased before a storm is named). Depending on the policy, coverage can apply if a flight has been delayed as much as 48 hours; others require travelers to miss at least 50%, or four days, to be reimbursable.
SquareMouth also makes an important distinction: "Coverage is only available if a destination is uninhabitable. Just because beaches are closed doesn't mean you can cancel and receive reimbursement, as a loss of enjoyment is not covered under a traditional cancellation policy."
But a cancel-for-any-reason policy would cover that. While typically more expensive than other policies, cancel-for-any-reason policies will reimburse 50% to 75% of a trip's cost.