Hurricane season forecast ratcheted up

Palm Coast Observer
News

With Florida and other states entering the thick of the annual hurricane season, a federal forecast released Wednesday, Aug 4, ratcheted up expectations of an above-average year for storms. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in the updated forecast that it expects 15 to 21 named storms, including seven to 10 hurricanes, during the season. Also, it said three to five of the storms could become major hurricanes.

A May outlook predicted 13 to 20 named storms, including six to 10 hurricanes. The season, which began June 1, has already had five named storms, including Elsa, which reached hurricane strength but made landfall in North Florida as a tropical storm. “After a record-setting start, the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season does not show any signs of relenting as it enters the peak months ahead,” Rick Spinrad, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said in a prepared statement. The season will continue through November.