"Despite Slow Start, NOAA Still Predicts Above-Average Hurricane Season"

"The agency hasn’t wavered on its prediction of a busy season in the Atlantic, including three to five major hurricanes".

"When it comes to the tropics, the Atlantic usually starts heating up quickly as the calendar flips to August. This year, however, there’s nothing on the immediate horizon. There are no strong disturbances and no reliably modeled storms or hurricanes as a stubborn lid of Saharan dust helps keep tropical activity at bay over much of the Atlantic.

Despite the meager prospects in the short term, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Thursday that it is still expecting an above-average season, with three to five major hurricanes likely and a dozen or more named storms probable.

NOAA’s confidence levels have hardly changed, either, since its previous assessment in late May, during which the agency called for a 65 percent chance of an above-average season. Now it is saying there is a 60 percent likelihood that the season winds up above-average."

Matthew Cappucci reports for the Washington Post August 4, 2022.

Source: Washington Post, 08/05/2022