STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Following a year in which there were an historic number of major storms, meteorologists have begun prepping for what’s expected to be another eventful hurricane season.
In 2020, the Atlantic region experienced a record-breaking 30 named storms, two more than the previous high of 28 named storms back in 2005, when Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans and other parts of the United States.
Though the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) official hurricane season for the Atlantic region doesn’t start until June 1, recent history shows that major storms are starting to hit the region earlier in the year.
Last year, tropical storms Arthur and Bertha formed in late May, marking the sixth consecutive year of major storms forming prior to the official start of hurricane season at the beginning of June, according to reports.
The same could happen again this year, with preliminary forecasts from researchers at Colorado State University indicating that we could be in for another well-above-normal hurricane season, bringing as many as 14 to 17 tropical storms, nine to 11 hurricanes and four to five major hurricanes in 2021.
In response to the repeated instances of named storms forming before June 1, there has been some discussion among weather experts as to whether the official start of hurricane season should be moved up to mid-May.
“Considerations for the team would include a determination of a quantitative threshold for adding or removing dates from the official Atlantic hurricane season. Then, an examination would need to take place regarding the need for, and potential ramifications of, potentially moving the beginning of the hurricane season to May 15,” National Hurricane Center (NHC) Communications & Public Affairs Officer Dennis Feltgen told Fox News.
However, any changes that would be made would not take effect until after this year.
“Regardless, there will be no changes to the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season this year,” Feltgen said.
Below is the full list of names for the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, according to the National Hurricane Center.
- Ana
- Bill
- Claudette
- Danny
- Elsa
- Fred
- Grace
- Henri
- Ida
- Julian
- Kate
- Larry
- Mindy
- Nicholas
- Odette
- Peter
- Rose
- Sam
- Teresa
- Victor
- Wanda
Storms are given short, distinctive names to make them easier to talk and write about and to reduce confusion when discussing multiple storms, according to the National Hurricane Center.
If the number of named storms in a calendar year exceeds 21, all subsequent storms are named after the Greek alphabet.