Advertisement

Colorado State University predicts above-normal hurricane season

Hurricane Dorian caused damage in Treasure Cay in the Bahamas on September 9. Colorado State University forecasters said the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season will be above-normal. File Photo by Joe Marino/UPI
Hurricane Dorian caused damage in Treasure Cay in the Bahamas on September 9. Colorado State University forecasters said the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season will be above-normal. File Photo by Joe Marino/UPI | License Photo

April 2 (UPI) -- A team of meteorologists in Colorado said Thursday that the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season will have above-normal activity, with 16 named storms.

The Colorado State University Tropical Meteorology Project predicted that of the 16 storms, eight will become hurricanes. Four of the storms will strengthen into major hurricanes, which means they'll be Category 3 or higher.

Advertisement

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. The average season typically features 12.1 named storms, 6.4 hurricanes and 2.7 major hurricanes.

The meteorology project said there's a 69 percent chance at least one major hurricane will make landfall on the United States and a 95 percent chance a hurricane of any strength will strike the coast.

Forecasters blamed the above-normal hurricane season on a predicted lack of an El Niño this year. The Atlantic is also warmer.

"The tropical and subtropical Atlantic generally is warmer than normal," CSU meteorologist Philip Klotzbach tweeted. "The region with above-normal [sea surface temperatures] in Atlantic correlates fairly well with typical March SST pattern associated with above-normal #hurricane seasons. Exception is current cold anomaly in far North Atlantic.

The World Meteorological Organization's list of names for the 2020 hurricane season include: Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gonzalo, Hanna, Isaias, Josephine, Kyle, Laura, Marco, Nana, Omar, Paulette, Rene, Sally, Teddy, Vicky and Wilfred.

Latest Headlines