The start of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season is less than 3 months away, and according to early predictions from the top hurricane forecaster at AccuWeather, Dan Kottlowski , it appears that it could be an above-average season. AccuWeather released their annual hurricane forecast on Wednesday March 25th. In their forecast , a combination of above average water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean and Atlantic and the lack of El Nino conditions is signaling towards an above-average hurricane season. Water temperatures have already hit 80° for portions of the Gulf and the Caribbean during the month of March.
Their predictions are for 14 to 18 named storms 7-9 hurricanes and 2-4 major hurricanes. Forecasters are predicting 2 - 4 impacts to the United States this year. These range from sideswipes to direct hits. It is important to note that these seasonal hurricane forecasts lack skill and are subject to large errors . Depending on how conditions evolve throughout the entire hurricane season, the numbers and predictions may need to be adjusted upward or downward. That's why it's important to not necessarily pay close attention to the specific numbers but the overall sentiment forecasters about the upcoming season and the reasons why higher or lower numbers of storms are expected .Regardless of what is expected or what may happen, it only takes one major storm to make a bad season.
