Atlantic Hurricane Season Update: What Can We Expect?

Courtesy of NOAA

After an active hurricane season last year, many people are wondering what is going on with the 2018 season. Even though summer is winding down, peak hurricane season is just beginning. Atlantic hurricane season runs from the first day of June through the last day of November, but peak season actually begins in mid-August and continues through late October.

So far in 2018, there have been five named storms in the Atlantic. These storms were Subtropical Storm Alberto, Hurricane Beryl, Hurricane Chris, Tropical Storm Debby, and Tropical Storm Ernesto. Only two of these storms brought impacts to the United States. Subtropical Storm Alberto was the only storm to make landfall in the United States this year. It made landfall on the Florida Panhandle on Memorial Day, bringing heavy rain to many southeast states. Hurricane Chris was the other storm that brought impacts to the country this year. Chris meandered off the coast of North Carolina, and brought rough surf to the Outer Banks.

NOAA released an updated Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook at the beginning of August. Overall, NOAA is predicting a below-normal to near-normal hurricane season. Their reasoning is due to cooler sea surface temperatures in the Caribbean and tropical Atlantic, and a stronger than previously forecasted El Nino. This outlook is predicting a total of 9-13 storms, with 4-7 becoming hurricanes for the entire season. It’s predicting up to 2 of these storms becoming major hurricanes, which is a Category 3 storm or higher.

Regardless of an active or inactive season, it only takes one storm to cause impacts, so it’s a good idea to have a hurricane plan before a storm is forecasted.