NOAA has just updated its forecast for the Atlantic hurricane season, and it will be worse than they had thought just a few months ago. Indeed, NOAA says we now face a higher likelihood of an above-normal season, with the potential for it to be extremely active – the worst since 2010.
The new, harsher forecast says there is a 60 percent chance of an above-normal season, with 14 to 19 named storms; 5 to 9 hurricanes, and 2 to 5 major hurricanes.
Gerry Bell, the lead forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, says, “The wind and air patterns in the area of the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean where many storms develop are very conducive to an above-normal season.” This is in part because of a dropping chance of an El Nino (which tends to prevent storms from strengthening), and because of warmer waters across the tropical Atlantic.
