Meteorologist say 2020 will see an above average number of tropical storms and major hurricanes.
During this year’s Atlantic Hurricane Season between June 1 and late November, 18 tropical storms are predicted to occur. Between 7 and 9 of these will likely become hurricanes, according to AccuWeather meteorologists. Experts at Colorado State University say that 4 of these storms will will be category 3 to 5, likely reaching wind speeds well in excess of 100 miles per hour.
“On a normal year, we have around 12 storms, six hurricanes and roughly three major hurricanes,” says Dan Kottlowski, AccuWeather’s top hurricane expert.
During an average year, the odds a major hurricane will make landfall in the US are around 50%. However, Colorado State’s meteorologists say there’s nearly a 70% chance America will suffer a major hurricane this year, and a 95% chance any hurricane will reach shores.
Weather researchers are confident in their grim prediction for 2020. (RELATED: Chinese Manufacturers Profit From Coronavirus)
“This year, we used four different techniques to develop our forecast,” hurricane researcher Philip Klotzbach told CNN. These techniques “all point towards an active season,” he added.
On reason experts like Klotzbach are so sure of their predictions is the lack of an El Nino, a weather pattern that can “tear apart” hurricanes, Klotzbach says.
One of the reasons for the above-average seasonal #hurricane forecast from CSU is due to the likely lack of #ElNino this summer/fall. El Nino generally increases vertical wind shear in the Atlantic, tearing apart hurricanes. pic.twitter.com/CkC93ukSCm
— Philip Klotzbach (@philklotzbach) April 2, 2020
The National Hurricane Center has also published its list of names for this year’s storms.