This year’s Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be “above normal” due to rising ocean temperatures and the El Niño phenomenon, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced on Thursday.
The agency predicted that there is a 60% chance that the hurricane season for this summer and fall will be above normal. The forecast is a significant increase from the prediction NOAA made in May, in which it said the hurricane season would be near-normal with only a 30% chance.
NOAA’s forecasts predict that the 2023 season, which begins on June 1 and ends on November 30, will have between 14 and 21 named storms—those with winds of 39 mph or greater.