It seems we talk about disasters and the weather a lot here. Today, we get to combine those topics, for today is the first day of the North Atlantic hurricane season. It is predicted to be an active one. Not to diminish the efforts of the good folks at the National Oceanograpic and Atmospheric Administration, but that office has issued such predictions in the past, only to be embarrassed by an unusually calm season. Here’s hoping for more embarrassment.

The first storm of the season, by the way, will be Alex. Next come Bonnie and Colin. Heaven help us if we get to Walter.

Addendum: After I wrote the above, I read that the first tropical storm of the Pacific season, Agatha, already has killed 150 people in Central America. An inauspicious and tragic beginning.