Commercial weather forecaster AccuWeather on Wednesday repeated earlier predictions about the intensity of the coming hurricane season.
The company said a turbulent year in the tropics is expected, possibly approaching a record-setting pace that could run through the entire list of names for tropical storms and hurricanes -- and beyond.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through the end of November and residents in affected areas were urged by AccuWeather's long-range forecasters to prepare for a frenzy of tropical systems.
AccuWeather said there are signs that the first named system could appear before the season kicks off in June.
In 2023’s hurricane season there were 19 named storms, but only four direct hits on the U.S. impacts. Hurricane Idalia was the storm of the year, hitting Florida as a powerful Category 3 hurricane in late August.
The company’s forecast said all signs continue to point toward the upcoming season being worse than the last, with the potential for the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season to rank as one of the most active in history.
In February, a rare early-season warning from AccuWeather meteorologists sounded an ominous warning forecast about the 2024 hurricane season due to, among other reasons, February sea temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean resembling summertime.
AccuWeather forecasters said they were also seeing the El Nino weather pattern in place right now giving way to the hurricane-favorable La Nina pattern, which might be in place by the start of tropical weather season June 1.
That warning merged with other forecasters agreeing that the top aspects of 2024's storm season causing some concern were the return of La Niña and historically warm water across the Atlantic Ocean.
The 2024 hurricane season forecast from Colorado State University, considered the pre-eminent forecasting center, isn't due out until April 4.
Philip Klotzbach, a CSU meteorologist specializing in Atlantic basin seasonal hurricane forecasts, cautioned in a Tweet: "It should be noted that it's only February, and a lot can change between now and when the Atlantic hurricane season really ramps up (typically in early to mid August)."
Klotzbach, however, also said he would certainly agree with AccuWeather that the odds favor an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season at this point.
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