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
- 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
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