Two more forecast teams call for the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season to be slower than normal, although not by much.
AccuWeather.com, the online weather firm, predicts 12 named storms, including five hurricanes, two with sustained winds greater than 110 mph.
WSI, a part of The Weather Channel, projects 11 named storms, including six hurricanes, two of those intense.
Both forecasts would translate to a slightly slower than normal season: on average, there are 12 named storms, including six hurricanes, three major.
In early April, Phil Klotzbach and William Gray of Colorado State University predicted 10 named storms, including four hurricanes, two of those major. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will release its seasonal outlook on May 24.
Climatologists expect Atlantic sea surface temperatures to be cooler than over the past several years. They also say El Niño, the atmospheric pattern that suppresses storm formation, might emerge over the summer.
“There is still uncertainty regarding the development of El Niño,” said Todd Crawford, WSI chief meteorologist. “If the chances of El Niño development increase, our forecast numbers will likely go down even further in future updates.”
If the predictions are on target, 2012 would be considerable slower than the previous two years. Both 2010 and 2011 saw 19 named storms, tying them with 1995 and 1887 as the third busiest on record.
In 2011, seven hurricanes emerged, with Irene striking the U.S. coast in August. In 2010, 12 hurricanes emerged, yet not one struck the United States.
While not specifying where storms might hit this year, Paul Pastelok, AccuWeather’s lead long-range forecaster, said atmospheric conditions indicate that storms might rise up in the western Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. And in the wake of Irene, “another big storm is possible for the East Coast.”
Hurricane season starts June 30 and runs through Nov. 30.
Read More from ThingsNews Media
- Jose Wejebe, ‘Spanish Fly’ host who died in plane crash reached 100 to 150 feet before nose-diving
- Motorcyclist dies in crash west of Lantana
- Kirsten Storms
- Mena Survari Files For Divorce….
- Potential Breakout Stars in 2012
