NOAA Doubles the Chances for a Nasty Atlantic Hurricane Season Due to Hot Ocean, Tardy El Nino

One week after the passage of Hurricane Ian, Bruce Hickey walks along the waterfront, now littered with debris including shrimp boats, on San Carlos Island, Fort Myers Beach, Fla., on Oct. 5, 2022. Rebecca Blackwell/AP Photo

Record hot ocean temperatures and a tardy El Nino are doubling the chances of a nasty Atlantic hurricane season this summer and fall, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday.

With the Atlantic hurricane season already well above normal so far, NOAA increased how many storms to expect and how busy the season can get. The agency says there’s a 60 percent chance for an above normal hurricane season, twice the agency’s May forecast which said it was 30 percent. The earlier forecast leaned more toward a near normal season with a 40 percent, but the chance for normal has now shrunk to 25 percent.