CCTV Installation Company in New Port Richey, FL

NEW PORT RICHEY — More than 500 people showed up for the city’s fourth annual Monarch Festival on May 4, which aimed to educate residents about the importance of butterflies and other pollinators while livening up the message with music, face painting and children’s crafts.

The festival was presented by the New Port Richey Environmental Committee and New Port Richey Farm Net.

New Port Richey is a Monarch City, a designation bestowed by in 1922 by Monarch City USA. That organization recognizes cities that have made efforts to support the monarch population by planting milkweed and nectar plants, and generally creating a welcoming environment for them. In Pasco County, Dade City is also a Monarch City.

According to Monarch City USA, more than 1 billion of the insects have disappeared in the U.S. since 1990. They are essential not only for pollinating wildflowers, but their presence — or lack — indicates the health of other pollinator speeches. A loss of pollinators will eventually adversely impact not only the environment but the food supply.

The featured speaker at the event was Shawn Charlton, “The Milkweed Man.” That is also the name of his nursery in Spring Hill, which grows milkweed and other native Florida plants without chemicals or pesticides.

Former New Port Richey Mayor Rob Marlowe, a member of the environmental committee, spoke about the work of the committee, its goals and its three initiatives: urban agriculture, reforestation and reducing the use of Styrofoam. Sasha Bartunek of the Sierra Club Pasco gave a general overview of “Protecting and Restoring Our Only Home” — the planet Earth.

Tomás Monzón outlined the many community-building and programming efforts — including a free seed library — of the New Port Richey Public Library.

The Pasco Fine Arts Council was on hand to help children with a butterfly craft project. The event was so popular, interim director Andrea Monge told the Suncoast News that she ran out of butterflies and had to improvise more on the fly. The crowd was so dense that at times the line for face painting extended to the street.

“This was by far the largest and most well attended of the festivals,” said Dell deChant of the environmental committee. “Several hundred people came. The first 40 people to arrive were able to take home potted milkweed plants, and hundreds of seeds were gifted to those in attendance.”

Marlowe said the committee is hoping to encourage other environmental efforts. He mentioned Grand Gardens, an organic community garden that has lasted much longer than the six or seven years typical for most of its type, and has a waiting list. The environmental committee, he said, is hoping the city will consider allowing community gardens on public land. He also noted that property owners who want to plant a tree in their yard can get one free from the city.

“There’s precious little shade” in some areas, he said. While trees such as live oaks can take decades to mature, “Imagine 30-40 years from now. It will be a place that people are going to want to live.”

For those who want to learn more, the New Port Richey Public Library’s Master Gardeners program will present “Pollinators” on Tuesday, May 21, at 5:30 p.m. at the library, 5939 Main St. There will also be a “Save the Bees Kids Event” for all ages at Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park, Shelter #3, on Sunday, May 19.

The New Port Richey Environmental Committee meets the first Thursday of the month at the public library.

Temperatures are forecast to be about 2 degrees above average for over half the U.S. from June to August. What can FL look forward to?

Deb Belt, Patch Staff

FLORIDA — Summer 2024 is likely to be hot and steamy in Florida, with a "supercharged Atlantic hurricane season" looming, according to a seasonal forecast Wednesday from AccuWeather. The agency calls for sizzling weather ahead for most of the country.

The first hurricane of 2024 could form before the season officially begins on June 1. "All indications are pointing toward a very active Atlantic hurricane season in 2024," AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Forecaster Alex DaSilva said.

The mercury is predicted to hit 90 degrees more frequently than historical averages across many East Coast cities, according to AccuWeather. In Tampa, the high temperature reached 90 degrees on April 20, a few weeks ahead of summer norms.

The Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be especially active and exceed 30-year historical averages, and the first storm could spin up before the official start of the season on June 1, AccuWeather said.

AccuWeather meteorologists are forecasting between 20 and 25 named storms across the Atlantic basin in 2024, including eight to 12 hurricanes, four to seven major hurricanes, and four to six direct U.S. impacts.

Find out what's happening in New Port Richeywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“There is an increased flood threat for the Gulf States as a busy tropical season is anticipated with one or two threats in the summer season,” Pastelok said.

While there were 19 named storms during the above-normal 2023 Atlantic hurricane season, only one hurricane directly hit the U.S. last year. Hurricane Idalia made landfall as a category-3 hurricane on Aug. 30 near Keaton Beach, Florida, causing storm surge inundation of 7 to 12 feet and widespread rainfall flooding in Florida and throughout the Southeast.

This season, Texas, the Carolinas and Florida — particularly the Panhandle and South Florida — face a heightened risk of a direct hit, forecasters added.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also predicted a strong Atlantic hurricane season for 2024.

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Temperatures are forecast to be about 2 degrees above historical averages for more than half of the country from June to August. That comes on the heels of the warmest year on record in 2023.

Areas from the Plains to the Northeast could see scorching heat waves. The hottest areas, when compared with historical averages, could be over the Great Lakes, Upper Midwest and Southwestern Plains, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Paul Pastelok said.

At the same time, rain over the Pacific Northwest is expected to reduce the chance of a long heat wave in places such as Seattle and Portland.

Overall, showers and thunderstorms may bring some periodic relief from the heat in June and July, but drier weather in August could bring scorching temperatures, he said.

Heat could fuel strong storms, AccuWeather said. In Florida, severe weather is expected to peak between June and August.

“Severe weather events can be frequent in June and part of July,” Pastelok said, adding the risk includes derechos, or “inland hurricanes” with sustained winds of 58 or more mph, with gusts of up to 100 mph, over an area more than 400 miles wide.

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