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The return of La Niña and historically warm water across the Atlantic Ocean have some forecasters sounding the alarm about what could be a super-charged 2024 hurricane season.
Those two factors will set the groundwork for a potentially blockbuster season, and there are already “serious and growing concerns," AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said.
The season runs from Saturday, June 1 through Saturday, Nov. 30.
La Niña typically leads to more tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic due to reduced wind shear, or disruptive winds high in the atmosphere.
"The current El Niño pattern that is in place is forecast to transition into a La Niña pattern during the second half of the hurricane season," Porter said.
It could be a back-loaded season in 2024, as La Niña might not officially develop until late summer or early autumn, AccuWeather noted.
"The second half of the hurricane season is likely to be very active, as conditions will be more favorable for tropical systems," AccuWeather Long-Range Expert Paul Pastelok said.
In 2023, there were 20 named storms this season, which ranks fourth for the most named storms in a year since 1950, according to the National Hurricane Center, which says an average season has 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes.
Seven of the named storms last year became hurricanes, and three of the hurricanes were Category 3 or higher.
The strongest storm. to hit the US this year was Idalia, which made landfall in Florida as a high-end Cat 3 storm in late August after briefly intensifying to Cat 4 status.
The first named storm of 2024 will be called Alberto.
View the list, in order of 2024 hurricane names, by checking this link from the National Hurricane Center.
To view the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale with wind speeds and potential damage for each of the five hurricane categories, click here.
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