Politics & Government

Hurricane Season 2014: Two Experts Say Expect 'Below Average' Number of Storms

Plus 2014 hurricane names and hurricanes that were so bad, their names were retired.

Last year, the experts said to expect a busy hurricane season and it was the least active in 30 years. This year, they're saying not to expect much activity. 

The National Hurricane Center will make their official predictions this week for the hurricane season that officially starts on June 1. 

For now, we have predictions from various entities, including hurricane forecaster William Gray and colleague Colorado State University research colleague Phil Klotzbach; the two said at a conference last week they expect a "below average" number of hurricanes this season, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported. The cause, they said, is the Atlantic water circulation pattern that helped suppress activity last year. (See their 2014 report here.)

Another factor, Gray noted, is an expected strong “El Niño” effect — the warming of water in the eastern Pacific Ocean, the newspaper reported.

His forecast calls for nine tropical storms in the season, with three becoming hurricanes and one reaching the major storm status of at least Category 3, with winds between 111 mph and 129 mph.

AccuWeather predicts five hurricanes and two major hurricanes for the 2014 season.

Find out what's happening in Old Town Alexandriawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Last year — which saw the fewest number of hurricanes since 1982 — Gray's predictions of four major hurricanes was a flop. At last week's conference, Gray explained that an unexpected change in ocean water circulation, in which cooler water from the North Atlantic moved into the tropical regions, suppressed the formation of hurricanes off the coast of Africa, the Herald-Tribune reported.

In the Atlantic Ocean, tropical storms that reach a sustained wind speed of 39 miles per hour are given a name, such as "Tropical Storm Fran." If the storm reaches a sustained wind speed of 74 miles per hour it is called a hurricane - such as "Hurricane Fran." So, hurricanes are not given names, tropical storms are given names, and they retain their name if they develop into a hurricane. 

Find out what's happening in Old Town Alexandriawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

If the 2014 season does see a tropical storm/hurricane, here are the names you'll see:

  • Arthur 
  • Bertha 
  • Cristobal 
  • Dolly 
  • Edouard 
  • Fay 
  • Gonzalo 
  • Hanna 
  • Isaias 
  • Josephine 
  • Kyle 
  • Laura 
  • Marco 
  • Nana 
  • Omar 
  • Paulette 
  • Rene 
  • Sally 
  • Teddy 
  • Vicky 
  • Wilfred 
Some names you'll never see again on a hurricane list, because the storms were so bad, they were retired, are:
  • Agnes  1972
  • Alicia  1983
  • Allen  1980
  • Allison  2001
  • Andrew  1992
  • Anita  1977
  • Audrey  1957
  • Betsy  1965
  • Beulah  1967
  • Bob  1991
  • Camille  1969
  • Carla  1961
  • Carmen  1974
  • Carol  1954
  • Celia  1970
  • Cesar  1996
  • Charley  2004
  • Cleo  1964
  • Connie  1955
  • David  1979
  • Dean  2007
  • Dennis  2005
  • Diana  1990
  • Diane  1955
  • Donna  1960
  • Dora  1964
  • Edna  1968
  • Elena  1985
  • Eloise  1975
  • Fabian  2003
  • Felix  2007
  • Fifi  1974
  • Flora  1963
  • Floyd  1999
  • Fran  1996
  • Frances  2004
  • Frederic  1979
  • Georges  1998
  • Gilbert  1988
  • Gloria  1985
  • Gustav  2008
  • Hattie  1961
  • Hazel  1954
  • Hilda  1964
  • Hortense  1996
  • Hugo  1989
  • Igor  2010
  • Ike  2008
  • Inez  1966
  • Ingrid  2013
  • Ione  1955
  • Irene  2011
  • Iris  2001
  • Isabel  2003
  • Isidore  2002
  • Ivan  2004
  • Janet  1955
  • Jeanne  2004
  • Joan  1988
  • Juan  2003
  • Katrina  2005
  • Keith  2000
  • Klaus  1990
  • Lenny  1999
  • Lili  2002
  • Luis  1995
  • Marilyn  1995
  • Michelle  2001
  • Mitch  1998
  • Noel  2007
  • Opal  1995
  • Paloma  2008
  • Rita  2005
  • Roxanne  1995
  • Sandy  2012
  • Stan  2005
  • Tomas  2010
  • Wilma  2005
Did you experience any of these bad hurricanes? How did you survive it?


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