HOUSTON (CW39) – NOAA has just released their latest hurricane predictions for the 2023 season. They are forecasting a near-normal season considering the development of El Niño over the summer, after three hurricane seasons with La Nina present. El Niño is known to supress hurricane development, typically. Other factors that are playing into this years predictions are above average sea surface temperatures and an above average west African monsoon. These two factors are known to be favorable for tropical activity to form and sustain itself over the Atlantic basin.
Hurricane season begins June 1st. NOAA states that there is a 40% chance of a normal season with a 30% chance for above and 30% chance for a below normal season. 12-17 named storms are possible with 5-9 of them becoming hurricanes and just 1-4 storms being major.
In NOAA’s full report there is a quote from FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell stating… “As we saw with Hurricane Ian, it only takes one hurricane to cause widespread devastation and upend lives. So regardless of the number of storms predicted this season, it is critical that everyone understand their risk and heed the warnings of state and local officials. Whether you live on the coast or further inland, hurricanes can cause serious impacts to everybody in their path“.
Websites such as ready.gov or listo.gov are great resources to help you prepare. You can also get real time alerts by downloading the FEMA App.
