6th Consecutive Active Hurricane Season Predicted in Atlantic

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is forecasting another active hurricane season in the Atlantic.

This is the sixth consecutive active season in a row; which NOAA calls “unusual.”

The prediction is for “extraordinarily high levels of activity.”

"Now is the time for communities along the coastline as well as inland to get prepared for the dangers that hurricanes can bring. The experts at NOAA are poised to deliver life-saving early warnings and forecasts to communities, which will also help minimize the economic impacts of storms," said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

The hurricane season comes following a most active time for hurricanes in the North Atlantic Basin.

30 storms were recorded in 2020, 12 of which struck the United States. This was an all time high.

For this year, a few main factors indicate a high level of activity. Matthew Rosencrans, the lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, advises that ENSO-neutral (or El Niño-Southern Oscillation) and La Niña support the conditions associated with the ongoing high-activity era.

"Predicted warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, weaker tropical Atlantic trade winds, and an enhanced west African monsoon will likely be factors in this year's overall activity."

SOURCES: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) & The United States Department of Commerce.