The 2016 Atlantic hurricane season has been extremely quiet this year, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says there is now a near-normal or above-normal season anticipated for the rest of the year.
The 2016 Atlantic hurricane season has been extremely quiet this year, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says there is now a near-normal or above-normal season anticipated for the rest of the year.
While NOAA revised the annual forecast it says the season is still expected to be the most active since 2012.
Forecasters say we can now expect a 70-percent chance of 12-17 named storms of which 5-8 are expected to become hurricanes, including 2-4 major hurricanes.
“We’ve raised the numbers because some conditions now in place are indicative of a more active hurricane season, such as El Nino ending, weaker vertical wind shear and weaker trade winds over the central tropical Atlantic, and a stronger west African monsoon,“ said Gerry Bell, lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.
So far there have been five named Atlantic storms this year.
For more on this story read Friday’s Brownsville Herald.
