Americans urged to prepare for busy Atlantic hurricane season amid COVID-19 pandemic
There are two words to describe the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season: busy and early.
The season begins on June 1 and experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration expect between 13 and 19 named storms before it ends on Nov. 30.
They predict six to 10 of them will be of hurricane strength. Between three and six of them will be major hurricanes, meaning they will be as least a Category 3.
“As Americans focus their attention on a safe and healthy reopening of our country, it remains critically important that we also remember to make the necessary preparations for the upcoming hurricane season,” Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said.
In this NOAA satellite handout image , shows Hurricane Florence as it made landfall near Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina on September 14, 2018. The National Hurricane Center reported Florence had sustained winds of 90 mph at landfall and was movin
Though the season doesn’t begin until Monday, two named storms have already formed and run their course.
Tropical Storm Arthur teetered near the east coast before being pulled back out to sea in mid-May. The next week, Tropical Storm Bertha quickly formed but made landfall in the Carolinas before reaching significant strength.
RELATED: Tropical Storm Arthur dumps heavy rain on North Carolina coast
NOAA said there is a 60% chance of above-normal activity in the Atlantic this year, and they believe that’s being driven by several climate factors.
“Warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, coupled with reduced vertical wind shear, weaker tropical Atlantic trade winds, and an enhanced west African monsoon all increase the likelihood for an above-normal,” NOAA reported.
This story was reported from Atlanta.