Join us as we kick-off the start of hurricane season with some lessons from the active 2024 season that saw 18 named storms and multiple category 5 hurricanes. Our presenter is Nathan Barnes, a University of West Florida graduate student working toward a master's degree in Environmental Science under the mentorship of Dr. Jason Ortegren.

Nathan's presentation will explore hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin, beginning with the growing risks they pose to coastal communities and the damage they can cause when they make landfall. He’ll then look at the bigger picture—how climate patterns, like ocean temperatures and currents, as well as human-driven changes, influence these storms. The talk will also touch on how hurricane names help us understand their history, and will include a closer look at the hurricanes from the 2024 season and what they tell us when viewed in a historical context.