The forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center are predicting a busier than average Atlantic hurricane season, with the possibility of 13 to 19 named storms, six to 10 hurricanes and three to six major hurricanes.
To be named, a storm must have wind speeds of 39 miles per hour or higher with a circular rotational pattern. Hurricanes are named storms with winds of 74 miles per hour or higher while a major hurricane is considered one that ranks as a category three, four or five storm with wind speeds of 111 miles per hour or higher.
NOAA forecasters also predict a 60% chance of an above-normal hurricane season, a 30% chance of a near-normal season and a 10% chance of a below-normal season. Reasons for the predictions include above-average ocean surface temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, no El Nino conditions to suppress hurricane formation and weak tropical tradewinds.
This year, three of the 21 names for storms have already been assigned to Tropical Storm Arthur and Tropical Storm Bertha in May and Tropical Storm Cristobal in early June.
