Forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say this hurricane season will be less severe than predicted. An updated forecast says there will be between 9 and 13 named storms in the Atlantic this season. NOAA initially said there would be between 10 and 16.
Though ocean and the atmosphere conditions are conspiring to produce a less active Atlantic hurricane season, NOAA and FEMA officials are raising caution as the season enters its peak months.
“There are still more storms to come – the hurricane season is far from being over,” Gerry Bell, lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, said in a statement. “We urge continued preparedness and vigilance.”
The hurricane season started on June 1 and runs through November 30.
Of the 9 to 13 predicted named storms, forecasters say 4 to 7 will become hurricanes, with winds of 74 mph or greater, including 0 to 2 major hurricanes, with winds of 111 mph or greater.
So far, there have been four named storms and two hurricanes.