An Active 2013 Hurricane Outlook

With the memory of Superstorm Sandy still fresh in many people's memories, NOAA has released this year's hurricane outlook, and it is calling for a busy season.


Hurricane season officially starts June 1st and runs for six months. NOAA is forecasting an above average number of named storms (which includes tropical storms and hurricanes), hurricanes, and major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher) over that time.

NOAA cited three driving forces behind the forecast:
- A warmer than normal Atlantic Ocean and and Caribbean Sea
- No El Nino to suppress hurricane formation
- Monsoon conditions off the West African coast that will help lead to hurricane formation

Something important to remember is that this forecast only predicts the number of storms that form. It does NOT predict how many of these storms actually make landfall or where they will form. -BA