Hurricane season forecast: How many storms are expected this year?
This hurricane season, there is a return of La Niña conditions in the Pacific.
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La Niña brings upper-level winds over the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, creating favorable conditions for tropical systems to form.
That plus the continuation of record-warm Atlantic waters are giving us the biggest seasonal forecast ever issued by Colorado State University.
CSU projects 23 named storms -- 11 hurricanes, five of which are forecast to be major hurricanes (Category 3 or stronger).
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Typically during hurricane season, there are 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes.
Since 2016. Florida has had six named storms with four of them hitting the Central Florida area -- Hurricane Matthew in 2016, Hurricane Irma in 2017, Hurricane Dorian in 2019 and hurricanes Ian and Nicole in 2022.
The Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1, but it’s not uncommon to have weaker, preseason systems in May or even April.
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