2020 Hurricane Season is Likely to be More Active Than Usual

Caitlin Dempsey

Updated:

A newly released hurricane outlook from the Weather Channel expects the upcoming 2020 hurricane season to be more active than normal. The 30-year (1981-2010) normalized average is 13 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes. For 2020, Dr. Todd Crawford, chief meteorologist at The Weather Company, predicts that there will be 18 named storms, nine hurricanes and four major hurricanes.

Hurricane season starts June 1 and runs through November 1, 2020. Warmer Atlantic ocean temperatures, known as high sea-surface temperatures, or SST, contribute to the rise in intense storms. The intensity of storms is fueled by warmer ocean waters. As climate change contributes towards ocean warming, this is leading to slower and more powerful hurricanes.

More

2020 Atlantic hurricane season expected to be more active than usual, the weather company outlook says. (2020, April 16). The Weather Channel. https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/2020-04-15-atlantic-hurricane-season-april-outlook-the-weather-company-ibm

View of Hurricane Florence taken from the International Space Station, 2018. Source: NASA
View of Hurricane Florence taken from the International Space Station, 2018. Source: NASA

Related

Photo of author
About the author
Caitlin Dempsey
Caitlin Dempsey is the editor of Geography Realm and holds a master's degree in Geography from UCLA as well as a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) from SJSU.