(C) Verite News New Orleans This story was originally published by Verite News New Orleans and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . NOAA storm prediction at all-time high for 2024 hurricane season [1] ['Drew Costley', 'More Drew Costley', 'Verite News', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img', 'Height Auto Max-Width'] Date: 2024-05-23 There’s an 85% chance that this year’s Atlantic hurricane season will be above normal, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said during a briefing in Washington, D.C. on Thursday (May 23). The agency predicted that there will be 17 to 25 named storms during the season, which starts June 1 and lasts through November 30. That’s the greatest number of storms NOAA has ever forecast, said Ken Graham, director of the National Weather Service. “All the ingredients are definitely in place to have an active season. And…it’s reason to be concerned, of course, but not alarmed,” he said at the briefing. “We need to use this time to take advantage to really be prepared for the hurricane season.” Between 8 and 13 of the predicted named storms are forecast to be hurricanes and between 4 and 7 of those could be major hurricanes. Named storms could be tropical storms, hurricanes or tropical depressions. NOAA has 70% confidence in these forecasts. Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The prediction is a significant uptick from NOAA’s 2023 Atlantic hurricane season outlook, during which the agency said there would be between 12 and 17 named storms. They updated their prediction later in the season to between 14 and 21 storms due to atmospheric conditions and record-warm sea surface temperatures. This year’s forecast is due to near-record sea surface temperatures and the development of La Niña conditions in the Pacific, along with less Atlantic trade winds and wind shear, the agency said. Despite the number of predicted storms, the National Weather Service’s New Orleans/Baton Rouge office couldn’t say what the specific impacts would be on New Orleans or the rest of the Gulf Coast. Mike Efferson, a forecaster with that office, said the hurricane season outlook applies to the entire Atlantic basin, which includes the Gulf of Mexico, but also the Atlantic Ocean from Greenland to just north of the equator. He also said that even during historically busy seasons, local impacts could be limited. In 2023, the fourth busiest on record, for instance, Louisiana saw no impact from named storms. The technology doesn’t exist, Efferson said, to track where storms will develop this early in the year. But people should still be preparing for potential storms considering the likelihood that the season is going to be busier than normal, NOAA officials said. “The recommendation is to be prepared,” Efferson said. “We know we’re gonna have a very good chance of having an above normal season. Now’s the time to start getting your supplies.” Verite News reached out to Mayor LaToya Cantrell and the city’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness for comment on NOAA’s forecast. A spokesperson for Cantrell said Collin Arnold, the director of the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, was not available for comment before publication time. Mike Steele, communications director for the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, said the office isn’t changing its existing preparation plans for this hurricane season in light of NOAA’s forecast. Louisiana faces potential flooding from storm surges throughout the year, he said. “Whether it’s one or 33 [storms], we have to be ready,” he said. “We stress year round preparedness.” For more information on how to prepare for hurricane season, check out Verite News’ hurricane guide. Related Republish This Story Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license. [END] --- [1] Url: https://veritenews.org/2024/05/23/hurricane-season-2024-projection/ Published and (C) by Verite News New Orleans Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 US. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/veritenews/