2024 Hurricane Season Predicted to be Particularly Active

Hurricane Beryl made landfall in Texas on Monday, moving inland after having torn across the eastern Caribbean last week, killing 11 people. According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Beryl was a Category 1 hurricane when it reached the coast of Matagorda at 4:00 a.m. local time with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has forecast this year’s hurricane season to be particularly active, with between 17 to 25 storms anticipated where winds are expected to be upwards of 39 mph. The average number of named storms for a season is 14. 

Last year was tied with 1933 as the fourth most active season for named storms, with 20 that season. Data collected by the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University shows that 2005 was a particularly bad year in terms of more powerful weather events, with 15 hurricanes. It also had the highest number of major hurricanes at seven, three of which were Category 5 hurricanes, the most extreme group on the Saffir Simpson scale, known to bring catastrophic damage - Katrina, Rita, and Wilma.