Weekly Weather Event -Week of August 2nd
August 7, 2021NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center released their midseason update to the Atlantic hurricane season on Thursday. Based on their ongoing assessment of atmospheric and oceanic conditions, the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season is still expected to have more named storms (winds of 39 mph or greater) than average.
The August 4th update raises the expected number of named storms from 13-20 to 15-21. Of these named storms, 7-10 are likely to be hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or greater), and 3-5 of hurricane-strength storms could be major hurricanes (Category 3, 4, or 5 with winds 111 mph or greater). This outlook includes the 5 named storms that have already happened this year.
Thankfully, the 2021 hurricane season is not expected to be as active as the record-breaking 2020 season which saw 30 named storms. However, tropical storm and hurricane activity is expected to pick up as the season continues. Peak hurricane season in the Atlantic typically occurs in August, September, and October.