Hurricane Experts Predict "Explosive" 2024 Season — So Many Storms They Could Run Out of Names

Yes, the spring thaw has just begun in many part of the United States, but it’s time in Florida to turn our eyes toward hurricane season.

Magic Kingdom after Hurricane Idalia in 2023

Hurricane season begins June 1st, and weather officials are studying the trends and making their predictions.

AccuWeather released its forecast for the 2024 hurricane season this week, and the word they used to describe it was “explosive.”

“The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is forecast to feature well above the historical average number of tropical storms, hurricanes, major hurricanes and direct U.S. impacts,” AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Forecaster Alex DaSilva said.

©NOAA | Hurricane Laura over the Gulf of Mexico in 2020

Forecasters predict that the 2024 hurricane season could be among the worst in history, with enough storms to exhaust the list of names for them. Specifically, forecasters expect 20 to 25 named storms — above the 30-year historical average.

©Accuweather

Forecasters attribute the predictions to two factors:

Warm Water Temperatures

Warm water helps storms systems strengthen, and AccuWeather predicts that there will be plenty of it this year. “Sea-surface temperatures are well above historical average across much of the Atlantic basin, especially across the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean and the Main Development Region [for hurricanes],” DaSilva said.

EPCOT after Hurricane Idalia in 2023

La Niña

Now, stay with us here. Right now in the eastern Pacific Ocean, weather patterns are flipping from El Niño — when water temperatures are higher than normal — to La Niña, when water temperatures are cooler than normal. Cooler temps are better, right? Well, no, not in this case. La Niña in the Pacific means there is less wind shear over the Atlantic Basin, and wind shear can help disrupt and weaken hurricanes. So La Niña in the Pacific could make our hurricane season in Florida worse.