NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center located in College Park, Md., has issued its updated outlook for the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season. NOAA forecasters monitoring oceanic and atmospheric patterns say conditions are now more favorable for above-normal hurricane activity since El Nino has now ended. The likelihood of an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season is now to 45% (up from 30% from the outlook issued in May).
The number of predicted storms is also greater with NOAA now expecting 10-17 named storms (winds of 39 mph or greater), of which 5-9 will become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or greater), including 2-4 major hurricanes (winds of 111 mph or greater). This updated outlook is for the entire six-month hurricane season, which ends Nov. 30.
