SILVER SPRING, MD (WBTW) – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued an update for the 2019 hurricane season outlook, raising chances for an “above-normal” season.
The update was released Thursday. Forecasters with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center increased the chance of an “above-normal” Atlantic hurricane season to 45 percent, up from 30 percent in May’s outlook. Chances for a “below-normal” season are listed at 20 percent and chances for a “near-normal” season are listed at 35 percent.
According to the update, NOAA predicts 10 to 17 named storms (those with wind speeds of 39 mph or higher), with five to 9 of those becoming hurricanes (winds at 74 mph or higher). NOAA predicts two to four major hurricanes with winds 111 mph or higher.
The World Meteorological Organization selected 21 names for the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season. Two of those names, Andrea and Barry, have already been used.
“On average, the Atlantic hurricane season produces 12 named storms, of which six become hurricanes, including three major hurricanes. NOAA’s hurricane season outlook is for overall seasonal activity and is not a landfall forecast,” NOAA’s outlook says. ” Landfalls are largely determined by short-term weather patterns, which are only predictable within about a week of a storm potentially reaching a coastline.”
“Today’s updated outlook is a reminder to be prepared,” Pete Gaynor, acting FEMA administrator, says in NOAA’s updated outlook. “We urge everyone to learn more about hurricane hazards and prepare now, ahead of time, so that if state and local authorities announce evacuations in advance of a storm, you and your family will have planned where to go and what to do to stay safe.”
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