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North Carolina State researchers say the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season will be active and is likely to continue with the same trends set in 2020.
According to a press release on Wednesday, at least 15 named storms will impact the Eastern U.S. over the coming months, which is above the average currently set at eleven. Out of that, seven to nine hurricanes are expected, two or three of them being considered catastrophically major.
As for storms hitting the Gulf of Mexico specifically, NC State said “there is a more consistent estimate that includes three to five named storms, two to four becoming hurricanes and one becoming a major hurricane.”
A record-breaking 30 named storms ravaged the eastern U.S. in 2020, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Six of those storms developed into major hurricanes, which surpassed the prediction of one or two set by researchers at Colorado State University last year.
NC State looked into more than 100 years of data for the region, including previous storms paths and their intensity levels. Other variables included weather patterns and sea-surface temperatures. All constant factors when predicting tropical storm systems.
The Atlantic hurricane season goes from June 1 through Nov. 30.
2021 Atlantic Hurricane season will be active, NC State says was originally published on wbt.com
