NOAA predicts above-normal hurricane season

Hurricane season FILE PHOTO: NOAA's GOES-16 satellite captured Hurricane Idalia approaching the western coast of Florida while Hurricane Franklin churned in the Atlantic Ocean at 5:01 p.m. EDT on August 29, 2023. (NOAA Satellite)

By Natalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

May 23, 2024 at 11:22 am EDT

Hurricane season officially starts on June 1 and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said 2024 will be an above-normal season for storms.

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NOAA released its predictions Thursday morning saying that there will be an 85% chance of an above-normal season, a 10% chance of near-normal and only a 5% chance of a below-normal season.

The agency said there will be between 17 and 25 named storms that will have winds of 39 mph or higher with eight to 13 becoming hurricanes with minimum winds of 74 mph. Of those, four to seven will be major hurricanes — category 3, 4 or 5 with wind speeds of 111 mph or higher.

Hurricane season A summary infographic showing hurricane season probability and numbers of named storms predicted from NOAA's 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook. (NOAA)

The prediction is only for the number of storms, not whether they will make landfall, NOAA said. It will be updated in August, before what has traditionally been the peak of hurricane season.

Why so many storms?

It can all be attributed to near-record ocean temperatures in the Atlantic and reduced trade winds along with less wind shear while the Pacific has La Nina conditions.

What names will the storms have?

The World Meteorological Organization has lists of names that are used on a six-year cycle. This year the list starts with Alberto and ends with William.