Arranged by the leader of the Community Association Hurricane Response Team, Mary Rau-Foster, the renowned TV weatherman Bob Harrigan enlightened a packed audience in the River Club with a tour de force of the history, most recent, current, and near future of the weather events which set Florida apart from other states — hurricanes. This event was held on July 8, 2025. See video here.
Bob, an honorary member of the HRT, received a HRT shirt from Mary, and the Venetian Golf club gave him a certificate for a round of golf for a 4-some. We all witnessed Bob’s genuine pleasure and the warm reception he received from the audience. This was his third visit to the Venetian, and it was undoubtedly the best one yet.
Bob told us last year was the worst year for hurricanes on the Sun Coast (Sarasota-Venice) area ever! Although there’s a 2% chance of a major hurricane hitting this year, he emphasized that forecasting a hurricane season is not reliable. However, forecasts are becoming more accurate, and Artificial Intelligence is expected to have a significant impact as landfall for hurricanes becomes smaller.
The intensity of a forecasted hurricane can be wildly inaccurate as it approaches land. The difference between a weak level 3 hurricane and a strong level 3 hurricane is vast. Bob warned us that the period after hurricanes is the most dangerous, with side causes of death like heart attacks and electrocution posing significant risks. He also mentioned that the outer bands of hurricanes can spawn tornadoes, and the warning system needs to be improved to respond quickly.
Bob urged us to buy a weather radio. (AM/FM NOAA Emergency Radios are cheap and available from Amazon.)
In a surprising twist, Bob suggested that we need hurricanes to cool off Florida. He argued that if we didn’t have hurricanes, Venice would be too hot to live in.
