Florida - Tuesday July 9, 2024: A day after Hurricane Beryl made landfall on the Texas coast, Colorado State University researchers have revised their earlier forecast for the 2024 hurricane season calling Beryl, which swiftly rose to Category 5 strength, "a likely harbinger of a hyperactive season."
In April the University's Tropical Weather and Research Center predicted an "extremely active" 2024 hurricane season with 23 named storms, 11 hurricanes and five major hurricanes this season.
Their updated forecast, released Tuesday, now predicts 25 named storms, 12 hurricanes and six major hurricanes of Category 3 strength or greater. "We have slightly increased our forecast and continue to call for an extremely active Atlantic hurricane season in 2024," states the revised outlook.
The researchers cite the extremely warm sea surface temperatures which are providing a much more conducive thermodynamic environment for hurricane formation and intensification.
They also point to the impact of the weather pattern known as La Niña which is expected to fully emerge during the height of the hurricane season. It will result in reduced levels of tropical Atlantic vertical wind shear, making it easier for hurricanes to form and intensify.