Colorado State University released its latest Forecast of 2019 Atlantic Seasonal Hurricane Activity on Thursday, a day after AccuWeather released theirs.
Dr. Phillip Klotzbach and his team of researchers are predicting a “slightly below average” season this year.
Seasonal #hurricane forecast from @ColoradoStateU predicts slightly below-average season: 13 named storms, 5 hurricanes & 2 major (Cat 3+, >=111 mph) hurricanes. Primary reason for slightly below-avg forecast is anticipated continuation of weak #ElNino. https://t.co/uxucIf9qQB pic.twitter.com/o0pWt1GUBh
— Philip Klotzbach (@philklotzbach) April 4, 2019
Colorado State’s Tropical Meteorology Project is predicting a total of 13 named storms and five hurricanes.
Among those hurricanes, Klotzbach’s team is forecasting two of them will reach Category 3 strength or higher.
Like the AccuWeather's hurricane forecast, CSU is attributing the slightly below average activity to El Niño which typically causes wind shear in the Atlantic basin, which could hamper tropical cyclone development.
The 2019 Atlantic Hurricane season officially begins June 1.
