VOA News | Friday, April 5, 2024 
23 storms predicted for ‘extremely active’ Atlantic hurricane season

The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is predicted to be “extremely active,” weather forecasters at Colorado State University said Thursday. Out of 23 projected storms, five of 11 total hurricanes could become major, with winds above 178 kph. This estimate is above the yearly average hurricane season, which usually produces 14 named storms of varying degrees of intensity. This uptick, according to CSU, is because of warm ocean temperatures and weather patterns that are less likely to break up the storms in the summer and fall months. Another factor is the impending end to the El Niño weather pattern, which changes wind speeds and direction at different altitudes over the Atlantic basin. The incoming La Niña pattern enables cyclones to develop tall clouds and intense low-pressure centers. “We anticipate a well above-average probability for major hurricanes making landfall along the continental United States coastline and in the Caribbean,” CSU said. The forecast report also notes that the surge in global heat over the past year is greater than the gradual warming scientists have observed in recent decades. This can contribute to greater risks of extreme weather. “It would take something pretty crazy for the Atlantic to not be substantially warmer than normal for the peak of…Read more