PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Federal forecasters announced Thursday that they predict near-normal hurricane activity is likely in the Atlantic this year.
Hurricane season starts June 1 and The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s new outlook forecasts a range of 5 to 9 hurricanes —including up to four major hurricanes.
Meteorologists attribute “the high-activity era for Atlantic hurricanes” to the “warmer-than-normal” sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea are balancing the outlook.
The good news for South Florida is that the effects of El Niño reduce the chance of hurricanes.
There will be up to 17 named storms this season, as NOAA reports there is a 40% probability of a near-normal season, a 30% probability of an above-average season, and a 30% probability of a below-normal season.
With the changing climate, flooding from tropical storm rainfall has remained the deadliest hazard during the last 10 years, so the National Weather Service announced there is a new generation of forecast flood inundation mapping in the works to be released for the entire country by 2026.