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2020 Atlantic Hurricane Projections
What’s in store for hurricane season 2020? Forecasters expect ‘above average’ storm activity.
Doyle Rice USA TODAY
Published 11:52 a.m. ET Apr. 2, 2020 – Updated 10:15 a.m. Apr. 15, 2020
(Photo by NOAA via Getty Images)
16 named storms are predicted to form in 2020.
There’s a 69% chance for at least one major hurricane to make landfall along U.S. shores.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30,
After yet another destructive hurricane season in 2019, top hurricane forecasters from Colorado State University on Thursday said we can expect major activity again this year.
“We anticipate that the 2020 Atlantic basin hurricane season will have above-normal activity,” the forecast said. In addition, there is an “above-average probability for major hurricanes making landfall along the continental United States.”
The season begins June 1.
Meteorologist Phil Klotzbach and other experts from Colorado State University – among the nation’s top seasonal hurricane forecasters – predict 16 named tropical storms will form, eight of which will become hurricanes.
An average season has 12 tropical storms, six of which are hurricanes. In 2019, there were 18 named storms, six of which were hurricanes.
Colorado State Researchers Predict Above-Normal 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season
By John Morales – Published April 2, 2020 – Updated on April 2, 2020 at 3:26 pm
Hurricane Forecast 2020
El Niño usually results in stronger wind shear that can tear fledgling storms apart. La Niña produces the opposite effect, which can facilitate the strengthening process for tropical systems in the Atlantic.
Sea surface temperatures are warmer than normal across the tropical Atlantic, and super warm in the subtropical Atlantic. Should that hold into summer and early fall, that could also lead to more and stronger hurricanes.
Two dozen entities – from academic institutions to commercial weather firms – throw their hat into the seasonal hurricane prediction ring every year. The handful of forecasts that have been released for 2020 concur that the season will be more active than an average year.
The U.S.’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will release its forecast in late May.
And What Should We Do?
The Atlantic hurricane season is upon us. If you reside on the Atlantic or Gulf Coasts, now is a good time to start your planning for the possibility that you and your loved ones will be impacted by a Hurricane sometime this year.
Till next time
“BeSafe