GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Hurricane season has blown into town and Florida Museum of Natural History visitors can learn more about these storms with the new “Earth’s Forecast: Hurricanes and Climate Change” exhibition.

satellite image of hurricane
The exhibit also features satellite images of modern storms, such as this picture of Hurricane Irma in 2017. Photo courtesy of NASA/NOAA

Now open, this free exhibit highlights the effect of climate change on these natural disasters and presents information on their formation, naming, categories and hurricane seasons around the world. Charts and graphics illustrate the facts about climate change-related hurricane trends, while historic and satellite images showcase six historic Florida hurricanes.

“Because of the museum’s closure due to COVID-19, we previously adapted this exhibit to be an online experience to mark the beginning of hurricane season,” said Julie Waters, Florida Museum exhibit coordinator. “I’m excited for the exhibit to now be on display in the museum as well.”

Hurricane season is the time of year when hurricanes usually form. In the North Atlantic, including Florida, the season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. Other parts of the world experience hurricanes on different timelines, one example being the Northwest Pacific, where the season runs from May 15 to Nov. 30.

“Hurricanes are a huge part of Florida’s cultural history, and everyone has their preferred method to ride out the storm,” Waters said. “I learned a lot while creating this exhibit, and even long-time residents may learn something new.”

The exhibit is part of the “Our Changing Climate” series, which has covered a variety of climate change-related topics. Previous exhibits in the series featured climate change’s impact on cultural heritage sites, sea level rise and the past and present changes to Earth’s climate.

This exhibit is also available online at www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/exhibits/online/hurricanes-climate-change.

For more information, visit www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/exhibits/hurricanes.

For more information on the museum’s reopening procedures, visit www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/museum-blog/covid-19-update.

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Writer: Nikhil Srinivasan, 352-273-2034, nsrinivasan@flmnh.ufl.edu
Source: Julie Waters, 352-273-2073, jwaters@flmnh.ufl.edu
Media contact: Kaitlin Gardiner, 352-273-2028, kgardiner@flmnh.ufl.edu