NewsJReview (NJR) As far Inland as Atlanta some positive side effects of Tropical Storm Beryl are being felt this Memorial Day…frequent breeze. No need for air conditioning today. The windows are open. Close attention will have to be paid to  grill fire cinders… Citizens along Georgia’s Southeast coast and Florida’s Northeast coast, where TS Beryl is located have experienced heavy rain, floods and sustained wind at 40 miles per hour. An unhappy memorial day. It could have been worse. At sea, Beryl’s winds clocked at 74 miles per hour. It lost punch on shore. Still, precaution is the name of the game.

Beryl now (May 30) a tropical depression is spreading rain along the Eastern seaboard as it heads NNE. It rained steadily in Atlanta overnight.

So what’s in the forecaste? “NOAA predicts a near-normal 2012 Atlantic hurricane season. Conditions in the atmosphere and the ocean favor a near-normal hurricane season in the Atlantic Basin this season, NOAA announced today from Miami at its Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, and home to the Hurricane Research Division. For the entire six-month season, which begins June 1, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center says there’s a 70 percent chance of nine to 15 named storms (with top winds of 39 mph or higher), of which four to eight will strengthen to a hurricane (with top winds of 74 mph or higher) and of those one to three will become major hurricanes (with top winds of 111 mph or higher, ranking Category 3, 4 or 5). Based on the period 1981-2010, an average season produces 12 named storms with six hurricanes, including three major hurricanes. “NOAA’s outlook predicts a less active season compared to recent years,” said NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D. “But regardless of the outlook, it’s vital for anyone living or vacationing in hurricane-prone locations to be prepared. We have a stark reminder this year with the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Andrew.” Andrew, the Category 5 hurricane that devastated South Florida on August 24, 1992, was the first storm in a late-starting season that produced only six named storms. Favoring storm development in 2012: the continuation of the overall conditions associated with the Atlantic high-activity era that began in 1995, in addition to near-average sea surface temperatures across much of the tropical Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, known as the Main Development Region. Two factors now in place that can limit storm development, if they persist, are: strong wind shear, which is hostile to hurricane formation in the Main Development Region, and cooler sea surface temperatures in the far eastern Atlantic. August 24, 2012 will be the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Andrew’s devastating landfall in South Florida. The seasonal outlook does not predict how many storms will hit land. “Every hurricane season we ask families, communities, and businesses to ensure they are prepared and visit www.ready.gov/hurricanes,” said Tim Manning, FEMA deputy administrator for protection and national preparedness. “Being prepared includes developing a family emergency plan, putting an emergency kit together or updating your existing kit, keeping important papers and valuables in a safe place, and getting involved to ensure your community is ready.” The complete weather picture at: www.noaa.gov