We are still 54 days away from the official beginning of hurricane season (June 1), but we're already getting a glance at what forecasters are expecting this year. Several entities release their outlook on the season throughout the year and Colorado State University has just released a forecast that calls for an above average season. The forecast calls for 19 named storms, 9 of which will become hurricanes— 4 of which will be major hurricanes.
A typical season features 14 named storms, around seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes. While hurricane season begins June 1st, we have seen tropical systems develop in May in each of the last 7 seasons. There are some anecdotal conversations happening to move the beginning of the season up two weeks— May 15th...but for now those are just conversations. In 2021, we had 21 named storms, which made it the third most active season on record. Of those storms, seven of them became hurricanes— four of which were considered major hurricanes.
It's a little early to have our eyes on the tropics, where sea surface temperatures need to be 82° or higher to sustain tropical development— but we'll keep our eyes to the skies and waters and keep you posted as soon as things begin heating up.
#staytuned
