NOAA Boosts Chance For Above-Normal Season
NOAA has increased the likelihood of an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season to 45%, which is up from the 30% forecast in the outlook issued in May.
“NOAA forecasters monitoring oceanic and atmospheric patterns say conditions are now more favorable for above-normal hurricane activity since El Nino has now ended. Two named storms have formed so far this year and the peak months of the hurricane season, August through October, are now underway,” the organisation said in a statement today.
“NOAA will continue to deliver the information that the public depends on before, during and after any storms throughout the hurricane season,” said Neil Jacobs, Ph.D., acting NOAA administrator. “Armed with our next-generation satellites, sophisticated weather models, hurricane hunter aircraft, and the expertise of our forecasters, we are prepared to keep communities informed to help save lives and livelihoods.”
NOAA added, “Seasonal forecasters with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center have increased the likelihood of an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season to 45% [up from 30% from the outlook issued in May]. The likelihood of near-normal activity is now at 35%, and the chance of below-normal activity has dropped to 20%.
“The number of predicted storms is also greater with NOAA now expecting 10-17 named storms [winds of 39 mph or greater], of which 5-9 will become hurricanes [winds of 74 mph or greater], including 2-4 major hurricanes [winds of 111 mph or greater]. This updated outlook is for the entire six-month hurricane season, which ends Nov. 30.
“On average, the Atlantic hurricane season produces 12 named storms, of which six become hurricanes, including three major hurricanes. NOAA’s hurricane season outlook is for overall seasonal activity and is not a landfall forecast. Landfalls are largely determined by short-term weather patterns, which are only predictable within about a week of a storm potentially reaching a coastline.”
