Forecasters call for a slightly below-normal hurricane season

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Colorado State University (CSU) has released its first Atlantic seasonal hurricane forecast. Dr. Klotzbach, along with meteorologists and research scientists with the Tropical Meteorology program are predicting a slightly below-normal hurricane season. This year they anticipate 13 named storms. six are expected to become hurricanes with two being major. Major hurricanes are category 3 and higher.

Contributing factors to the below-normal season being forecasted include El Niño conditions which are expected to get stronger as the season approaches. Typically, El Niño conditions will bring more wind shear and less favorable conditions for hurricane development. But Dr. Klotzbach cites the warmer than normal Atlantic Basin water temperatures are a reason to be cautious.

The official Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1st to November 30th. While tropical storms and hurricanes can happen outside of those months, 97% of tropical activity falls inside the official dates.

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