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NOAA Predicts Near-Normal To Less Active Hurricane Season

MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- The 2014 Hurricane season is looking to be less active in the North Atlantic Ocean, according to a new report.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released their 2014 Atlantic hurricane season outlook on Thursday, May 22nd which predicts a "near-normal or below-normal hurricane season" this year.

According to the group, the main driver of the 2014 outlook is the anticipated development of "El Niño" this summer which they said helps reduce the number of intense tropical storms and hurricanes. It can also, according to the group, increase stability in the atmosphere across the Atlantic, making it more difficult for cloud systems coming off of Africa to intensify into tropical storms.

While the predicted forecast may be  looking better for us, there is still a small chance of an above-normal hurricane season.

According to the outlook, there is a 50 percent chance of a below-normal season, a 40 percent chance of a near-normal season and a 10 percent chance of an above normal season.

The numbers of hurricanes and storms predicted are below the hurricane season average of 12 named stormed, six hurricanes and three major hurricanes, based on date from 1981 to 2010, according to the group.

" To the season at hand, NOAA predicts the Atlantic hurricane season in 2014 will have a range of 8-13 tropical storms, 3-6 of which will become hurricanes, and 1-2 of those may grow in strength and become category 3 or higher major storms. These ranges are near to below the seasonal average," said Dr. Katheryn D. Sullivan, an NOAA administrator.

The hurricane season starts June 1st and lasts until November 30th.

The Atlantic hurricane region includes the North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico.

Click here for the full outlook released by NOAA.

 

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