NOAA issues active 2018 hurricane season outlook
SOUTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA (WECT) - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued its seasonal outlook for 2018 Atlantic tropical storm and hurricane activity Thursday.
It calls for, basin-wide:
- 10 to 16 total named storms
- 5 to 9 of those hurricanes
- and of those, 1 to 4 major, or Category 3+, hurricanes
These numbers represent near or above-average storm activity for the Atlantic Basin, primarily because an El Nino event is not expected in the Pacific. El Nino tends to generate strong upper-level winds that spoil Atlantic storm activity.
No matter what a storm outlook is for a given year, vigilance and preparedness is urged for southeastern North Carolinians.
Hurricane season officially starts June 1. Interestingly, the season may get an early start as the National Hurricane Center is forecasting an 80 percent chance of tropical storm development in the Gulf of Mexico this weekend.
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