Editorial

2024’s Hurricane Season Starts With Such A ‘Frenzy,’ Forecasters Fear Running Out Of Names

BLOG
Hurricanes,Are,Approaching,Usa,,Tropical,Storms,Over,Sea,In,Satellite

Shutterstock/HurricanesUSA

Kay Smythe News and Commentary Writer
Font Size:

Forecasters said Thursday that 2024’s hurricane season is off to such a “frenzy” they’re worried about running out of names for the storms.

The 2024 AccuWeather hurricane forecast will probably ruin your day. So before you learn how bad it could be, please remember that this is a forecast, not a prediction. Anyway … there could be 20 to 25 name storms in 2024, along with eight to 12 hurricanes, with at least half or more of those being “major hurricanes.”

“The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is forecast to feature well above the historical average number of tropical storms, hurricanes, major hurricanes and direct U.S. impacts,” AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Forecaster Alex DaSilva stated in his broader forecast, the outlet reported.

In 2023, the U.S. witnessed 19 named storms, according to AccuWeather, but only some of them had direct impacts on the U.S. For example, Hurricane Idalia was a terrifying nightmare, as were the many different tropical storms that hit from Florida, through North Carolina, all the way up to Canada. (RELATED: US Cities Are Sinking Into The Ocean, And It Has Nothing To Do With Wild Weather)

“Sea-surface temperatures are well above historical average across much of the Atlantic basin, especially across the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean and the Main Development Region [for hurricanes],” DaSilva added, AccuWeather reported. The waters are technically warmer than those witnessed during 2005 and 2020’s “blockbuster” hurricane seasons, according to the outlet.

But can we expect something like we’ve never seen before?

Warmer waters can not only increase the frequency of storms, but also increase the rapid intensification, according to AccuWeather. For example, Hurricane Laura in 2020 reportedly took roughly 24 hours to strengthen from a Cat. 1 storm (the lowest rank on the outdated Saffir-Simpson Scale) to a Cat 4, falling just shy of Cat. 5 as it hit.

In the Pacific Ocean, the La Niña cycle is ramping up quickly after 2023’s El Niño, AccuWeather reported. La Niña’s weather patterns will reportedly likely make the Pacific cooler throughout the year, which is not good for the Atlantic. AccuWeather reported that the faster La Niña occurs in the Pacific “the more active the hurricane season is likely to be.” (RELATED: Get Ready For A Category 6 Hurricane, But Not In The Way You Think)

Now is apparently the time to prepare for what could be a violent and chaotic year. Most people think of hurricanes as extremely windy floods, but there are myriad ways in which these major weather events can impact your lives.

Ensuring you have plenty of water, fuel and food in your home is essential. I also recommend getting a solar or wind-up radio in case one or more of these storms knocks out power for days on end. And blankets. So many blankets and towels. Why? Because when are blankets and towels not useful in an emergency?