The Atlantic hurricane season has officially begun. On the calendar, the season runs from June 1 until November 30.
So far this year, the Atlantic has already had 3 named storms, Arthur, Bertha, and Cristobal.
Cristobal is expected to impact the U.S. Gulf coast late this weekend. The forecast steers the storm towards Louisiana by late Sunday night as a tropical storm.
Scientists with Colorado State University have noticed this early storm activity and have increased their storm forecast on Thursday morning.
Philip J. Klotzbach , Michael M. Bell , and Jhordanne Jones with CSU mention a neutral El Nino pattern that may transition to a weak La Nina by late summer. They also indicated warmer than average subtropical Atlantic ocean temperatures as factor.
When compared to the National Hurricane Center's outlook, CSU's update falls on the higher end. Both the NHC and CSU expect a well above average season.
In a recent press release, NOAA acting administrator Dr, Neil Jacobs assures the public that “our skilled forecasters, coupled with upgrades to our computer models and observing technologies, will provide accurate and timely forecasts to protect life and property.”
