Colorado State University’s Tropical Meteorology Project has released their outlook for the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. Similar to AccuWeather, CSU is forecasting an above normal season.
A total of 16 named storms is forecast. Of those, 8 are predicted to become hurricanes with 4 expected to reach a major hurricane (category 3 or higher) strength.
Typically an average season features 12 named storms, 6 hurricanes, and 2 – 3 major hurricanes.
One of the main reasons CSU is calling for an above average season is the likely absence of El Niño this summer and fall, with either cool neutral ENSO or weak La Niña conditions looking probable.
Another key reason is that sea surface temperatures are running warmer than normal across much of the Atlantic Basin, including the tropical Atlantic.
